9th out of 22 books
—
1,099 voters
Salem Falls
by
Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)
Love can redeem a man...but secrets and lies can condemn him.
A handsome stranger comes to the sleepy New England town of Salem Falls in hopes of burying his past: Once a teacher at a girls' prep school, Jack St. Bride was destroyed when a student's crush sparked a powder keg of accusation. Now, washing dishes for Addie Peabody at the Do-Or-Diner, he slips quietly into hi...more
A handsome stranger comes to the sleepy New England town of Salem Falls in hopes of burying his past: Once a teacher at a girls' prep school, Jack St. Bride was destroyed when a student's crush sparked a powder keg of accusation. Now, washing dishes for Addie Peabody at the Do-Or-Diner, he slips quietly into hi...more
Paperback, 434 pages
Published
August 6th 2002
by Washington Square Press
(first published April 3rd 2001)
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I'm not a likely candidate to read a Jodi Picoult book. I have to admit that I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to the books that my Mom read.
She was a big fan of mysteries, but nothing classic (no Christie or Doyle), very little new or challenging (no Steinhauer or Rankin), and practically nothing genuinely pulpy (no Leonard or Chandler). She always preferred the uber-popular stuff and was a massive fan of James Patterson (and his peers), having to go out and buy the books from his...more
She was a big fan of mysteries, but nothing classic (no Christie or Doyle), very little new or challenging (no Steinhauer or Rankin), and practically nothing genuinely pulpy (no Leonard or Chandler). She always preferred the uber-popular stuff and was a massive fan of James Patterson (and his peers), having to go out and buy the books from his...more
Another good book of Picoult's. This time, it was about an innocent teacher who was accused of sexual misconducts with a female student and had gotten out of prison for serving time on that. He moved into a new town, and unfortunately soon, everyone knew of his past and the accusations started up again. He was also innocent this time around. He had drunkenly stumbled across a group of girls who were out in the woods celebrating a Wiccan holiday, and their lies landed him in jail. With thanks to...more
At first glance Salem Falls is intimidating. The print is small, the book is thick, and once you've dipped a toe into the pages you soon realize that the topic is delicate on top of everything else. It starts off as a slowly progressing story about a man, Jack, who has a past he clearly wishes to leave behind him. He finds himself in the presence of a woman, Addie, with an equally broken past who wishes just as much as Jack does to ignore it. But as with any story and its hidden secrets they are...more
A most frustrating book. It is written on a formula perfect for Lifetime TV for women. It is clearly intended to be an issue oriented novel on the subject of the abuse of Megan's law and false accusations. The subject is not an easy one to deal with.
I didn't like the graphic sex or the bad language. I didn't like the choppy style of jumping from one point of view to another without a transition. It was difficult to follow. Although the author apparently wanted a sensational surprise at the endi...more
I didn't like the graphic sex or the bad language. I didn't like the choppy style of jumping from one point of view to another without a transition. It was difficult to follow. Although the author apparently wanted a sensational surprise at the endi...more
Salem Falls is easily one of my favorite Jodi Picoult book - one part romance, one part courtroom thriller, two parts social commentary, to quote The Dallas Morning News. This time she tackles Megan’s Law - law enforcement is required to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders - and how people are presumed guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other way around.
“When I was lying, they hung on every word. And when I told the truth, no one listened.” {pg....more
“When I was lying, they hung on every word. And when I told the truth, no one listened.” {pg....more
I wasted most of this weekend reading Salem Falls, the story of Jack, a high school history teacher who tries to start his life again after being wrongly accused of sexual assault, only to have the whole thing happen again in the new town. It was an easy read, an engrossing story, but there were parts of the story that drove me crazy. For one thing-- the dates were constantly off. For example, Jack's love interest Addie had a daughter who died some time in the past. At one point, they said she'd...more
I have read nearly all of Jodi Picoult's books now (I couldn't get through Second Glance) and this was actually one of her better ones, even though it was extremely ridiculous at times. It is a somewhat convoluted story but basically comes down to this: Jack St. Bride, a teacher and soccer coach, is accused of sexual assault by a student, takes a plea and spends time in jail. Upon getting out of jail, he wants to start a new life and lands in Salem Falls at a diner with Addie, a lady who hires J...more
Satu lagi buku Jodi Picoult yang aku suka. Jatuh cinta dengan Jodi Picoult sejak membaca My Sister Keeper, lalu Perfect Match dan selanjutnya perburuan karya2 Picoult lainnya. Seorang guru dan pelatih sepak bola disekolah khusus putri Jack St. Bride dibebaskan dari penjara setelah menjalani hukuman atas tuduhan penyerangan seksual terhadap salah satu siswi sekaligus atlit sepak bola yang dilatihnya. Jack menjalani hukuman selama 9 bulan setelah mendapat pertimbangan hukum dari pengacarany auntuk...more
I must admit, before picking this book up I'd never read Jodi Picoult before. I knew she was wildly popular, prolific and highly-praised for her work, and people had been recommending her to me for years, so I thought I'd finally take the plunge.
Was it worth it?
Well, yes and no. Firstly, there's no doubt about it: Salem Falls is a fast-paced page-turner with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride. Nor is Picoult shy of dealing with those contentious topics - rape, incest, the shortcomi...more
Was it worth it?
Well, yes and no. Firstly, there's no doubt about it: Salem Falls is a fast-paced page-turner with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster ride. Nor is Picoult shy of dealing with those contentious topics - rape, incest, the shortcomi...more
Salem Falls is definitely my favourite book by Picoult thus far. She had – again – successfully incorporated a tinge of romance, a tinge of courtroom drama and a tinge of mystery into her writing, which in the end, made up a beautifully written story. As the other books by Jodi Picoult, this is another issue-oriented novel in which she tried to bring forward topics such as Megan’s Law abuse (A law that requires law enforcement to make information regarding registered sex offender available to pu...more
The novel "Salem Falls" is about Jack St. Bride who was falsely accused of raping one of his students. He then moves to the town of Salem Falls and when he starts to get comfortable, the past catches up to him as he finds himself accused of rape a second time.
When the town originally find out that Jack St. Bride is a registered sex offender, they look at him through condemned eyes and try to run him out of town. It is a witchhunt led by Amos Duncan, the richest man in town. When his own daughter...more
When the town originally find out that Jack St. Bride is a registered sex offender, they look at him through condemned eyes and try to run him out of town. It is a witchhunt led by Amos Duncan, the richest man in town. When his own daughter...more
Picoult's books always make you think, and show you how there are many sides to just one issue. On the surface, Salem Falls is the story of a modern-day witchhunt in the form of a rape trial, but it's really the backstories of the characters that make the book what it is. Her style of writing is unpretentious but definitely carries a strong message. From the beginning, it is fairly obvious how the rape trial will end. However, it is the entire process of the trial and the actions of each charact...more
I loved Picoult's Plain Truth, so every once in a while, I read another of her novels, hoping to recapture the magic. It hasn't worked so far, although I did like Salem Falls better than My Sister's Keeper. Salem Falls is about what happens after a man falsely convicted of statutory rape finishes his prison sentence and tries to start a new life. Unsurprisingly, his past catches up with him and he becomes accused again. Picoult creates several interesting characters in this book, as well as seve...more
I actually managed to devour this book quicker than I thought I would be able to. I used to be Wiccan myself before I, sadly, drifted apart from the belief. J.P. does a wonderful job of spinning the truth about modern witchcraft and in doing so, creates characters that I just wasn't sure what to make of.
For the first half of the novel, I looked at Jack as nothing but a loser who got dealt a crappy hand when he managed to get caught for a crime he surely committed. Then I changed my tone to maybe...more
For the first half of the novel, I looked at Jack as nothing but a loser who got dealt a crappy hand when he managed to get caught for a crime he surely committed. Then I changed my tone to maybe...more
I need new reading material and I saw this authors books over at a friends house so I thought I'd try her out. I see Emily has read a lot of them, so I've got to go see if the library has them.
Okay, I couldn't stomach this book because the basic story is these girls lie about a man raping one of them. They totally set him up and I just couldn't take it. I read several of her other books, and if I wasn't LDS, I might think they were good. But there was more swearing and sex than I think really ap...more
Okay, I couldn't stomach this book because the basic story is these girls lie about a man raping one of them. They totally set him up and I just couldn't take it. I read several of her other books, and if I wasn't LDS, I might think they were good. But there was more swearing and sex than I think really ap...more
Mar 27, 2012
Kim Briggs
added it
I just couldn't finish it--I guess I'm used to young adult books now. The length of the book just didn't go well with the preparation of my own manuscript. Sorry.
A typical thriller with all the necessary ingredients to make an entertaining reading.
Jack is a young man who paid the unfair price of a defective legal system. Incarcerated eight months for a crime he didn't commit, he seeks refuge in a quiet place to start anew and arrives one morning in Salem Falls with nothing in his pockets.
Addie has her own ghosts, but when she meets Jack, she accepts him without any questions and he starts working at her Cafeteria.
It's not long until feelings start to ari...more
Jack is a young man who paid the unfair price of a defective legal system. Incarcerated eight months for a crime he didn't commit, he seeks refuge in a quiet place to start anew and arrives one morning in Salem Falls with nothing in his pockets.
Addie has her own ghosts, but when she meets Jack, she accepts him without any questions and he starts working at her Cafeteria.
It's not long until feelings start to ari...more
This is the first Jodi Picoult novel I had read, and I was slightly apprehensive, as so many people are such fans of her books. I also recently sat in at a book club meeting where another of her books was discussed, and people commented that they felt that the author was trying to “push their buttons” to elicit an emotional response to the events, and deliberately introducing highly emotive incidents or controversial subjects. In the case of ‘Salem Falls’, one of the major themes is witchcraft,...more
Salem Falls, by Jodi Picoult, b-plus, Narrated by Julia Gibson, Produced by recorded Books, Downloaded from audible.com.
Picoult’s push button issue this time: a man, Jack St. Bride, a popular soccer coach in a private girls prep school, is falsely accused of sexually assaulting one of his highschool students. He pleads guilty because his lawyer tells him it’s better to plead, even if he isn’t guilty, in order to get a lesser sentence. Jack is released from prison after eight months but now he is...more
Picoult’s push button issue this time: a man, Jack St. Bride, a popular soccer coach in a private girls prep school, is falsely accused of sexually assaulting one of his highschool students. He pleads guilty because his lawyer tells him it’s better to plead, even if he isn’t guilty, in order to get a lesser sentence. Jack is released from prison after eight months but now he is...more
In this book, Jodi Picoult explores two controversial issues in today's world: student-teacher relationships and witchcraft. The first is a loaded topic, symbolised in this story by Jack, a high school teacher previously accused of sexually harassing a female student, and who is now being accused, for the second time, of inappropriate conduct with a different girl in a different town. Picoult gives no reason to the reader to believe that Jack would have committed the crime not only this second t...more
Die Hexenjagd von Salem Falls
Wenn man Liebhaber US Amerikanischer Strafprozesse ist, kann man dieses Buch getrost lesen. Zumindest spielt ein nicht unerheblicher Teil des Buches vor Gericht und demonstriert die Beweisführungskünste von Staatsanwaltschaft und Verteidigung.
Der Prozess, der am Ende des Romans steht, hat eine Vorgeschichte:
Salem Falls, eine kleine, verschlafene Stadt im Staat New Hampshire.
Jack, Anfang 30, ein verurteilter Sexualstraftäter, will nach seiner Haftentlassung dort ein...more
Wenn man Liebhaber US Amerikanischer Strafprozesse ist, kann man dieses Buch getrost lesen. Zumindest spielt ein nicht unerheblicher Teil des Buches vor Gericht und demonstriert die Beweisführungskünste von Staatsanwaltschaft und Verteidigung.
Der Prozess, der am Ende des Romans steht, hat eine Vorgeschichte:
Salem Falls, eine kleine, verschlafene Stadt im Staat New Hampshire.
Jack, Anfang 30, ein verurteilter Sexualstraftäter, will nach seiner Haftentlassung dort ein...more
I felt this book did not have quite the twist to its ending as My Sister's Keeper, but it was a good read nonetheless. The book, in essence, was not about the trial of a man charged with rape. But rather the difficulty of starting afresh in a society where one is not given the benefit of doubt.
Having been previously mischarged of rape, Jack is faced with the mistrust of the town when it becomes public knowledge. Even though before this point, the townspeople liked him and wished him no harm. Th...more
Having been previously mischarged of rape, Jack is faced with the mistrust of the town when it becomes public knowledge. Even though before this point, the townspeople liked him and wished him no harm. Th...more
I find Picoult's novels always a little difficult to review since there's some element that either I don't like, or didn't expect. But then, that's a mark of a good book, isn't it?
I was really hoping Jack was going to end up alright. I've realized that Picoult usually has happyish endings, that are satisfying to the reader. They're not perfect, but truth and goodness typically win at the end.
The ending...I had my suspicions about (view spoiler)...more
I was really hoping Jack was going to end up alright. I've realized that Picoult usually has happyish endings, that are satisfying to the reader. They're not perfect, but truth and goodness typically win at the end.
The ending...I had my suspicions about (view spoiler)...more
I read “Salem Falls” by Jodi Picoult. The main character, Jack St. Bride loves his job of teaching high school social studies. What he loves most about his job is the soccer team that he gets to coach each fall. Even though he is very young, he is content with his life and all aspects of it. Until his star soccer player accuses him of sexually assaulting her. Jack is blown away by this horrifying accusation. The court finds him guilty of the crime and he gets sent to jail for 8 months. When Jac...more
Salem Falls, New Hampshire is a small, quiet town in New England, where everybody knows each other and grew up together. Nothing really bad has ever happened in Salem Falls, and there is no trouble. That is, until Jack St. Bride enters the town. I read the book Salem Falls, by Jodi Picoult. Jodi Picoult writes many young adult novels such as Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper. In 2003, she won the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction. Although this book is not a part of a series, some o...more
Sep 27, 2011
Yessy Loren
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
family-fiction,
mystery-detective
Ini dia nasib jelek yang musti ditanggung akibat terlalu tampan

Jack St.Bride harus mendekam di penjara atas tuduhan pelecehan kepada muridnya.Ia juga kehilangan pekerjaanya sebagai guru.Bahkan ibunya sendiri yang seorang aktivis wanita pun ikutan membencinya.Belum lagi sahabat dekat dan rekan kerjanya.Intinya seluruh kota menghujatnya. Buruknya adalah: Jack tidak bersalah!Tapi ia terpaksa mengaku bersalah demi keringanan hukuman,atas anjuran pengacaranya yang tidak becus.
Setelah lepas dari ta...more

Jack St.Bride harus mendekam di penjara atas tuduhan pelecehan kepada muridnya.Ia juga kehilangan pekerjaanya sebagai guru.Bahkan ibunya sendiri yang seorang aktivis wanita pun ikutan membencinya.Belum lagi sahabat dekat dan rekan kerjanya.Intinya seluruh kota menghujatnya. Buruknya adalah: Jack tidak bersalah!Tapi ia terpaksa mengaku bersalah demi keringanan hukuman,atas anjuran pengacaranya yang tidak becus.
Setelah lepas dari ta...more
I read this book long before I was a feminist, and now that I look back on it, it was much more than just a book to read.
As a feminist, I believe that any and all rapists should be punished in some way or form. However, this book brings up a topic that is rarely brought up in courts: what if the "offender" didn't really do it? We get so caught up in the fact that a woman's (or man's) body was violated in such a grotesque manner that we rarely stop and think if the aggressor actually did it. Wha...more
As a feminist, I believe that any and all rapists should be punished in some way or form. However, this book brings up a topic that is rarely brought up in courts: what if the "offender" didn't really do it? We get so caught up in the fact that a woman's (or man's) body was violated in such a grotesque manner that we rarely stop and think if the aggressor actually did it. Wha...more
If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This is the second book I've read by Picoult, and she is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. She is immensely talented, knows how to grab the reader from the first page and not let go until way past the last. She weaves her tales with such delicacy and intricacy you forget you're actually reading a fiction novel and not part of the small town where it takes place. I can think of several "authors" who should take a class from her on how to effect...more
Salem Falls stuck to the typical Jodi Picoult writing style- part romance, part legal court drama, and part controversial topic - all wrapped up in a very real-life and intriguing story. Picoult typically deals with modern issues that are very real to all of us, and Salem Falls stuck to that same path.
In Salem Falls, a high school teacher is accused and convicted of sexual assault on one of his students even though he claims that he never did it. When he gets out of prison eight months later, he...more
In Salem Falls, a high school teacher is accused and convicted of sexual assault on one of his students even though he claims that he never did it. When he gets out of prison eight months later, he...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| last paragraph | 13 | 145 | Feb 24, 2013 06:21am | |
| Salem Falls: Wicca | 1 | 5 | Feb 16, 2013 04:58pm | |
| Unresolved Issues? | 6 | 92 | Oct 25, 2012 09:17am | |
| Goodreads Librari...: Alternate Cover needed | 2 | 25 | May 18, 2012 09:35am | |
| Potpourri Picks: Salem Falls Pages 71-142 | 2 | 7 | Mar 31, 2012 10:56am | |
| Potpourri Picks: Salem Falls Pages 1-70 | 5 | 12 | Mar 16, 2012 03:49pm | |
| Potpourri Picks: Thoughts Salem Falls | 3 | 10 | Mar 09, 2012 06:25am |
Picoult was born and raised in Nesconset on Long Island, New York. Her first story, at age 5 was "The Lobster Which Misunderstood." She studied writing at Princeton University, graduating in 1987, and had two short stories published by Seventeen magazine while still in college. Immediately after graduation, she took on a series of miscellaneous jobs, from editing at a textbook publishing company t...more
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“After a certain point, a heart with so many stress fractures can never be anything but broken.”
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“You can't look back - you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.”
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Jun 01, 2012 07:40am
Feb 05, 2013 08:38pm