The Storyteller

After a day of digesting this novel I changed my rating from ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars to ⭐️⭐️⭐️ because the more I thought about it the more I had problems with this book. It was certainly different than most of her other books in that it didn’t involve a legal drama and/or courtroom outcome, and that was refreshing. But as I said I had some problems with the way the plot unfolded.The themes of the book are redemption and forgiveness. Sage is the main character who works nights as a bread baker - nights, because she has a disfiguring scar on her face and prefers to be seen by as few people as possible due to embarrassment about the way she looks. But this doesn’t stop her from having an affair with a good looking married man. <Insert 🙄> She is asked by Josef - a 95-year-old former SS officer who worked in the Auschwitz concentration camp - to essentially help him end his life, aka: killing him. He wants her to kill him because he doesn’t feel like he deserves to live after the atrocities he committed while working in the camp “just following orders.” (Boo hoo - I never felt an iota of sympathy for him.) So the first question that sprung to mind was why didn’t he just kill himself? Why choose her? (That question was finally answered but without spoilers I can’t go into detail.) The story is told through four different first person perspectives: Sage, Josef, Leo (a federal agent who helps hunt down and prosecute on-the-lamb SS officers) and Minka (Sage’s grandmother who survived the camps.)I did not remotely enjoy the story-within-a-story (hence the title “The Storyteller”) that Minka wrote while in the camps. These vignettes were interwoven throughout the book and while they paralleled the overall theme I thought they were superfluous and very boring. There was a big twist that unfortunately came as absolutely no surprise to me which was disappointing. What became of the relationship between Leo and Sage seemed incredibly unrealistic - another disappointment.What it boils down to is that I enjoyed all four characters’ stories individually, just not as a whole. If she wrote four separate books about each of their stories that would have been preferable. There were several things I found completely unbelievable, but their individual storylines were well written, engaging and made me want to keep reading with the hope that the ending would tie everything together in a nice big bow. But sadly, for me, it just didn’t work out.

This was well-written enough, but an utter slog to get through (I found myself speed-reading through Minka's italicized story within the story, within the story; it was too disjointly rendered). Mainly, I waited patiently to "get" Sage, including what was behind the facial scar issue -- all of her hiding. But I couldn't; she never came alive for me. [Mild spoiler alert coming up....] And then the surprise ending, the unilateral decision she made behind Leo's back, had me disliking her immensely. I get the symbolism of her action, but it wasn't necessary; the entire story itself made the "we're all capable of good and evil" point just fine. So, what did such a disappointing ending leave the readers with? The assumption that she went on to live out a grand lie for the rest of her life -- with Leo, particularly in light of what he does for a living? Minka's Holocaust story was most compelling; otherwise, just ... no, including all the loose ends. This was the first of this author's books I've read. Not sure I'll read another.

This is a multi layered story dealing loss, forgiveness and redemption. The central event is the holocaust and it's aftermath. Josef Weber is a likable elderly gentleman, well known for his many low key but appreciated contributions to his community.Sage Singer is a baker. She is talented, artistic and beset with the demons of self-doubt, guilt, and grief over the death of her mother.A friendship develops and confidences are shared. Everything comes to a screeching halt when Josef asks Sage to kill him. As he reveals his personal history, Sage is intrigued to find that there is an overlap between Josef and her family history. It is a horrific tale that they share.Now the rub. Can she honor his request? Does she exact justice through the current legal system? Does she do nothing?This is an explicit, gut-wrenching story. I honestly have no idea what I would do. Because what is right, what is moral, what is legal are at odds with one another. The heart and the brain are literally at war with one another.Conundrums are this author's specialty. This one will stay with me a long time.

There is no question the author can write, but it seemed as if she lost interest in her own story and so did I. I know this is a work of fiction, but when you start throwing in details, make sure they are correct. Yes. There are DOJ investigators, but they are not FBI agents nor, thank God, do they carry guns. They are either one or the other, not both. The description of the area where the story takes place - small, quaint town with a mom and pop bakery led me to think the story took place in England or Europe and not the U.S. - D.C. area. OBTW, there are no bakeries in the DC, VA, MD, WVA or states south. Small details, but vexing. It seemed as if from mid book to the end was nothing but filler. The Activities - no spoiler here - between characters seemed to be thrown in to take up space and the knowledge of the villain about the heroine pops up out of nowhere. Waste of time.

Background is sad. Events are sad. Ending is sad. And you'll be sad and after reading this book think, Why did I Subject myself to such pointless punishment? My sincere advice: Don't subject yourself to pointless depression, the inevitable result of reading this monster. Toss it!!

Basically told as three stories in one, it is a beautiful blend of past, present, and an allegorical fictional tale that interweaves between the two. Each story was interesting in its own right. The beginning was a little slow, but when Minka begins to tell her story it picks up the pace so much quicker. It's an important story to keep telling, lest we all forget, and it does it in a natural way, not showy and gratuitous in its retelling. Previous to this, Nineteen Minutes was my favorite Jodi Picoult book, but The Storyteller effortlessly exceeds anything she's previously written.

This quotation from the final pages of this novel (and I’m not giving the story away here) says it all, "like a postmodern canvas. If you end your story, it’s a static work of art, a finite circle. But if you don’t, it belongs to anyone’s imagination. It stays alive forever.". I can honestly say this is a story which will stay with me forever. I take my hat off to you Jodi and salute you. I have studied literature at third level and post-modernism has always left me a little baffled, but now I get it! The final outcome did not surprise me, I had suspected it in advance. Regardless, this is a story of multiple, complex layers yet simplistic in its depiction of humanity and the basic decency which we all hope will always overcome evil. A potent and timely reminder in view of the recent resurgence of nationalism and anti-immigration policies worldwide.

I've read a number of Jodi Picoult books over the years, I have to admit that some of her books are forgettable whilst others stay with you for years after you've read them. The Storyteller is one of those books that isn't easy to forget. It tell the story of Sage, who lives a lonely sheltered life after the death of her mother who discovers that one of the few people that she has allowed into her life claims to be a former high ranking SS official.The description of the scenes in the concentration camps and the treatment of the inmates is harrowing but it could be nothing other than harrowing as the dehumanisation and mass exermination of groups of people is a horrific and traumatic event.The story is told by various narrators and each of them add something valuable to the story.

Another winner from one of the best writers around. If you want a true idea of the life for Jews under Hitler's Gang avoid The Tatooist of Auschwitz and immerse yourself in this well written story switching from war time Poland and the camps to modern day suspense as another war criminal is rightly pursued in the name of justice, by the grand daughter of one of his heroic victims.

I've read a lot of books about the holocaust and every book leaves me in tears, this one however had me sobbing at the half way point. Jodi Picoult has a way of making you feel empathy for every single character, she draws you in completely and doesn't let you go until the last word. Very well researched, a good book club read as there is so much to discuss. A very good book on a very sad subject.

I enjoyed the beautiful writing. It was a gem reading the words, like lying in a field of lilies and watching the colors.The layout of the story, however, is rather draggy. Like someone keeps talking and added in stories trying to enhance the tales. There are practically two more stories in the book which I find quite difficult to read. These are stories of the past, but I don’t feel they add anymore emotions to the already well written main story and it’s protagonists. The two extra stories of the past could be another book. I feel they need not be included here.The writing, I admired. I like the ways she played with the words making each sentence appearing sensuous and sexy.