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  • A Spark of Light

  • By: Jodi Picoult
  • Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
  • Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (192 ratings)

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A Spark of Light cover art

A Spark of Light

By: Jodi Picoult
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
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Publisher's Summary

The masterful new novel from the number one best-selling author of Small Great Things.

The Center for women's reproductive health offers a last chance at hope - but nobody ends up there by choice.

Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.

Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.

Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people - the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment - to this point.

And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose. 

©2018 Jodi Picoult (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

What listeners say about A Spark of Light

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great, easy listening book

Absolutely loved it! Love Jodie Picoult's writing style. Loved the narration too. Just wonderful and superb.

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

A challenging topic but good reading

The story was great but I got a bit tired to the way it jumped in various stages from before the seize to after the siege. From a listening perspective I found that having two characters with similar sounding names, Beth and Bex, made me have to strain to work out which character was in play. A good read nonetheless 👏👏👏

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

excellence in words - my first Jodi Picoult book.

the character development and way she gets into people's head to show two sides of a very complicated debate from very personal perspectives is talented

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

Not her usual style

A different style and I am not a fan.
I dont like short stories and this is basically a collection of short stories about the same topic. The usual gritty storyline that you can get your teeth into just wasnt there I'm afraid. Not one of her better books.

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

Closure

I love this author and I will continue to read her books however this book didn’t provide closure on the many key characters which is a huge missing for me. The timeline went backwards which was confusing and although I found it an interesting read, I wish I knew how the characters moved forward after being held hostage.

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

Difficult subject matter

This took me a while to get into. The backward story line had me confused until I found the rhythm and could follow it more easily. The story is a powerful one of choice, faith and controversy which tugs at the reader’s heartstrings for a number of reasons. There is never a valid reason to rampage anywhere, let alone through an abortion clinic which is full of women making difficult decisions, and the author tackled the subject respectfully.

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

I read it for book club

I had to read this for book club. It’s nicely written however I personally don’t enjoy these kind of books as I find them boring. This one has some confronting issues that are tackled in a creative way, however I just didn’t like the style it was written.

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

Fantastic

Loved the book. It highlights the thoughts processes behind each side of the story brilliantly. Brings to light some very important messages. My only criticism is Bahni's performance, most of the time she is very good but I feel she transitions between characters too swiftly and it can be confusing sometimes.

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

Great story, great narration, dud ending!

Great build up throughout the book. But, why was it spoiled by such an anticlimax? Such a pity...

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

Wow wow wow so much unexpected connection leaving you ah-ing until the last page

Loved the reverse - timeline story and how beautifully Jodi intricately intertwines the stories of so many characters

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