The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - Restarting April 1st 2018

[Rachael]

Sage Singer befriends an old man who's particularly beloved in her community. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. They strike up a friendship at the bakery where Sage works. One day he asks Sage for a favor: to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses... and then he confesses his darkest secret—he deserves to die, because he was a Nazi SS guard. Complicating the matter? Sage's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor.

What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all—if Sage even considers his request—is it murder, or justice?

[Rachel]

I haven't started yet but planning to start tonight :)

[Rachael]

I started yesterday.. About 5% in, ok so far

[Rachael]

This is the third book I've read in two weeks that involves the Germans and Jews during the Holocaust. It's a really interesting era of history so I like reading people's recollections of that time.

[Rachael]

I'm at 40% and I'm incredibly bored... I wish it would get back to present day.

[Rachael]

56% (view spoiler)[ Thankful they're back to the regular story but I'm still bored out of my mind (hide spoiler)]

[Rachael]

Oh I spoke too soon

[Rachael]

Okay I'm sorry I cannot handle this.. This book is destroying my mood. I just read the first page of Part III and I'm officially quitting. I don't know what the EF is happening in the present day story and I am so bored out of my mind I don't care.

This book was a total disaster, 1 star, DNF.

[Rachel]

Oh no! I know what you mean though, I'm not all that far in but I'm pretty bored with it at the moment

[Sarah Elizabeth]

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Date Changed. Restarting April 1st 2018. Happy Reading ☺

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[Maddie]

8% (view spoiler)[I really want to see how this thing with Adam plays out, and when she'll realise she's better than that, or when Adam's wife will realise what's going on. I can't believe Sage likes Adam knowing that he's cheating on his wife with her. That's disgusting. I also wonder how Josef will play into the story.

I want to know the significance of the Prologue :D Made it seem like it was from a historical world though.

I feel a little bit left out because I don't know bread XD (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

12% (view spoiler)[Oh my gosh Josef was a Nazi?? I don't know how I feel about him anymore... Knowing that he was pleased to be one and to be killing people like Sage :( (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

23% (view spoiler)[Oh my gosh Sage! I'm not even sure whose side I'm on anymore! Josef's or Sage's! Josef was a Nazi, of that I'm sure, so I despise him for that. But also Sage is just 'pumping him for information to give back to Leo' so her 'friend' can rot in a cell the way the Jews did. That's disgusting. She just cast aside her connection and friendship with him? (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

29% (view spoiler)[Yay a historical chapter of Josef's childhood and how he became who he is today! It's so interesting! I love history books, and I honestly had no idea what this book was about XD I don't read the blurb of books because of the spoilers I know they contain, so I go into every book blind basically XD And this is such a good surprise!

I'm confused by the different POV's XD I get who the main 3 are from, but who's the italics? The historical one about the baker father? I wanted to say it's Sage's nana, but her name is Minka not Ania...

EDIT: Oh my gosh the italics is her nana's story! The one she wrote when she was 13. That's why their stories are so similar! It's such a good idea!

Yea you go Sage! Standing up to Josef like that, saying that he wants the death without the punishment, and not letting him talk down to her. It's awesome! (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

That 29% comment has had so many edits as I gain small % updates and change it XD Just easier than updating every 2% or so lol.

[Maddie]

'Power isn't about doing something terrible to someone who's weaker than you, Reiner. It'shaving the strength to do something terrible, and choosing not to.' Just stuck out to me.

[Maddie]

I'll finish this one off tomorrow. So far it's amazing and so insightful :)

[Maddie]

42% (view spoiler)[Reading all about what Josef actually did to the Jews, how he made Artur leave! He's disgusting. This book is not exactly enjoyable for me, because it's bringing up such bitter feelings. I really hope Sage doesn't get sucked in by his stories because he did those things and he deserves to suffer. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

52% (view spoiler)[This is such a long chapter about her grandmother's story, I'm getting bored. But I also just got totally disgusted because, in order to get Rubin out of the prison, she gave her leader a BJ :/ That is seriously disgusting. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

26%: (view spoiler)[I like that we're getting Josef's perspective now. I really want to know how he first became a Nazi and why he decided to change. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Yay you've started :D Do you read my spoilers or na?

[Maddie]

58% (view spoiler)[Oh my gosh Majer suffocated? How??

I'm pleased that they let Basia kill herself. But now I hope Rubin doesn't come back. (hide spoiler)] I'm pleased that chapter's over. 70 pages from one POV is a little excessive. So much background XD

[Maddie]

Update (2 pages later) we're back in the historical POV. Bleeeeh.

[Maddie]

I just want Josef's POV back (view spoiler)[even though it makes me hate humans. (hide spoiler)] It's more interesting, as I feel you never get (view spoiler)[the German side only the Jew side. Probably because people can't get in the right head space to write about it being okay XD (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Maddison wrote: "58% Oh my gosh Majer suffocated? How??

I'm pleased that they let Basia kill herself. But now I hope Rubin doesn't come back. I'm pleased that chapter's over. 70 pages from one POV is a little exce..."

Yes it was definitely long. I hate stopping in the middle of chapters. Next chapter is even longer! But I do like hearing Minka's story. It definitely explains the book title and it makes my heart break to read what she went through.

[Maddie]

Oh I didn't wanna hear that the next chapter is longer :/ Either way I'm finishing the book today. I just need more POV rotation.

Are you finished?

[Abby]

Maddison wrote: "Oh I didn't wanna hear that the next chapter is longer :/ Either way I'm finishing the book today. I just need more POV rotation.

Are you finished?"

I'm about 70% through now.

[Maddie]

Awesome :D I'm finishing today. Can you update more?

[Maddie]

61% (view spoiler)[Honestly this is the stuff that seriously gets me angry, how they threw her bread on the ground and stomped on it. It's just so unnecessary and makes my soul angry. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

77% (view spoiler)[I cannot believe that she got away and then was taken back! And her outlook on life is that she's pleased that she got 5 days of food and then a drive in a truck. This is incredible and totally inspiring. I'm getting a little sick of it though, it's all blending together. She always gets the cushy jobs.

I need more of Sage and Leo and Josef, enough of Minka. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Maddison wrote: "61% [spoilers removed]"

I know! I love reading books about the Holocaust, but they do make my blood boil sometimes.

[Maddie]

I do want more from Josef though! (view spoiler)[Could he maybe have been one of the brothers? The one who gave her the secretary job? He mentioned that he worked at Auschwitz and I feel like they have to be connected in some way XD (hide spoiler)] If you've read it already don't say anything. I'm going to sit down for a bit now and read while lunch is cooking. And then after lunch I shall finish it off, 100 pages to go. Gotta get it done.

[Abby]

77%: (view spoiler)[Minka has such a powerful story, bouncing around from camp to camp. She did know Josef too! (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Wait (view spoiler)[she did?? I'm at 77% and I haven't reached that part? (hide spoiler)] Spoilers Abby!

[Maddie]

85% (view spoiler)[Oh my gooosh how did I miss the fact that Josef was the mean brother?? The one who beat them all? Was his name mentioned? I must have completely forgotten his name if it was! I feel so terrible! (hide spoiler)] Assuming I've gotten it right?

I can't wait (view spoiler)[to see her grandmother's face when she gets her cinnamon chocolate thingy. (hide spoiler)]

[Maddie]

Finished! Review: What was that ending!? That was terrible! I totally didn't expect that, and I don't appreciate it either. It was so different from the other Picoult books I'd read, so much more informative and serious. I did really love it, but that ending was a big no no from me. Yes, a great plot twist, but not for my emotions and my brain. I mean, (view spoiler)[to find out that Josef wasn't Reiner at all, but Franz, the good office-man who helped Minka! (hide spoiler)] At first I didn't understand how (view spoiler)[he could know all of that stuff about his brother, but it must have been obvious, and Franz must have been able to piece together what happened. (hide spoiler)] And then (view spoiler)[Sage saying that she knew he had no remorse, and yet she still proceeded to kill him. Doesn't make any sense. I really hoped they'd go through with it. (hide spoiler)] I know that if I met a Nazi today, there'd be no stopping me, regardless of who they changed into in today's society.
The multiple POV really did add to the story, although at times I did feel like the chapters were far too long, particularly Minka's. Maybe if Picoult had shortened each chapter and intermingled the POVs a bit more it would have run a bit smoother.
One thing I have to say I wished would happen was that (view spoiler)[Josef and Minka would meet at the end, and that she'd recognise that it was her office-man and it would all be good. (hide spoiler)] I mean, I know that he was still a Nazi, but (view spoiler)[in this aspect I'm morally gray. He helped the Jews, but then proceeded to mass murder them. I don't know how I feel. (hide spoiler)] And I can't say what I would have done having known that side of the story.
I entered this story knowing absolutely nothing, assuming it would be your typical emotionally-draining contemporary, but I wasn't expecting a Holocaust revision. My favourite part of this story was (view spoiler)[Josef's POV, as I feel we don't get enough Nazi renditions, and far too many Jewish ones. (hide spoiler)] And while it did make me feel incredibly angry, it made my soul simmer, I preferred that story to your normal everyday WWII one. Provided different insight.

[Abby]

Maddison wrote: "Wait [spoilers removed] Spoilers Abby!"

No, not spoilers. You just weren't paying attention! ;) (view spoiler)[Remember the awful brother of her boss at the camp was named Reiner, which was Josef's real name. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I had a feeling that Sage would end up helping him die anyway. And interesting twist that he was actually Franz. It makes sense because of how nice he is now. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Maddison, have you read a Jodi Picoult book before? She's notorious for her crazy twists that she'll throw in at the end of the story.

[Maddie]

Yeah I have but clearly I can't remember them XD

And I'm kicking myself that I wasn't paying attention! When was his name mentioned? I must have viewed them as all 3 separate stories XD Even though I should have been watching out for it.

[Abby]

Maddison wrote: "Yeah I have but clearly I can't remember them XD

And I'm kicking myself that I wasn't paying attention! When was his name mentioned? I must have viewed them as all 3 separate stories XD Even thoug..."

Franz and Reiner would refer to each other by name whenever they'd speak to each other.

[Maddie]

I don't remember them doing that in Minka's POV XD