A Spark of Light Audiobook By Jodi Picoult cover art

A Spark of Light

A Novel

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A Spark of Light

By: Jodi Picoult
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin, Jodi Picoult
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About this listen

Number one New York Times best seller

The author author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis.

"Picoult at her fearless best... Timely, balanced and certain to inspire debate." (The Washington Post)

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center - a women’s reproductive health services clinic - its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his 15-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. A pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

One of the most fearless writers of our time, Jodi Picoult tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Light will inspire debate, conversation...and, hopefully, understanding.

Praise for A Spark of Light:

"This is Jodi Picoult at her best: tackling an emotional hot-button issue and putting a human face on it." (People)

"Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult's compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues." (Us Weekly)

©2018 Jodi Picoult (P)2018 Random House Audio
Fiction Literary Fiction Sagas Women's Fiction Pregnancy Sexual health Heartfelt
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Featured Article: The Absolute Best of Jodi Picoult in Audio


You’ve probably heard of Jodi Picoult and her stellar reputation in the world of contemporary fiction. Picoult’s novels explore topical issues through compelling stories that are often known for inspiring listeners to shed a tear. But Picoult is such a prolific writer that it can be difficult to know which audiobook to listen to first. Here are our suggestions for the best Jodi Picoult audiobooks—the ones that should go on your listening list straight away.

What listeners say about A Spark of Light

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Not what I expected.

it was difficult to keep the characters straight. I did not like going from time zone to time zone. I was disappointed that the people in the book stories were just left hanging at the end. cannot recommend it.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Powerful and Timely

After seeing so many negative reviews I wanted to speak up and say that this is my favorite Jodi Picoult book. And I've read them all. She lends voice to the reality of many situations and puts valid perspectives, and some I consider invalid, into the spotlight. She forces you to think about not one but two timely and difficult topics that we as a society have a responsibility not to ignore. Some in the revies have called it, "painful," "lecturing," "political," and implied that she ripped it from the headlines as if that makes it less important or less powerful as fiction. It does not. This is a piece of art. Art has always forced us to confront reality and nuance. I absolutely loved it

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Confused

Jodi Picoult is by far my favorite author but this audiobook really left me puzzled. It jumped around so much chronologically and between characters’ stories that I honestly am not sure if the recording was progressing correctly or jumping around because it was just so off. I liked the story but the presentation was not my favorite.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Difficult to Follow

I love Jodi Picolt. She is one of my favorite authors. Because this book has a timeline that works backwards, at times it was difficult to follow. Especially if like me your listening times are spread out. I think if I had read the book as opposed to listened to it, I would've been able to refer back to previous chapters and put the pieces together better.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

There is a lot to keep up with.

I like Jodi’s reasoning behind writing this book. I especially like the character, Dr. Ward. However, the book goes from character to character VERY quickly without any sense that there is a change in characters. That was hard to follow. Also, I don’t see the pint of hiding that Lil is Beth, not necessary. It was good, but
not my favorite to read.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional

I feel like anyone who reads or listens to this book will be able to relate and identify with one of the characters. The tension Picoult creates is electric. Make sure to read/listen to the afterward. That hit me harder than anything else.

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Wonderful

Thank you for another deep look into another world within our society
Wonderful
Enthralling
Educating

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing for Picoult

None of my book club enjoyed this book, yet we had been excited to read this. Very disappointing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Predictable plot and ending.

This author likes to take on societal issues. She does a good job of bringing them to life. I thought she tried to cover to much ground going into details about each character and lost continuity in the story line.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Waiting for the spark

I LOVE this author, this is one of my least favorite stories. I would pass on this one and opt for one of her others.

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