Where There's Smoke

Jodi Picoult — 2014

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult is 'a master of her craft' (Daily Telegraph) who writes 'elegant, spare prose with the punch of a populist thriller' (Elle). In this original short story, available exclusively as an eBook, Picoult introduces Serenity Jones, one of the fascinating characters from her eagerly awaited new novel, Leaving Time. Even as a child, Serenity Jones knew she possessed unusual psychic gifts. Now, decades later, she's an acclaimed medium and host of her own widely viewed TV show, where she delivers messages to the living from loved ones who have died. Lately, though, her efforts to boost ratings and garner fame have compromised her clairvoyant instincts. When Serenity books a young war widow to appear as a guest, the episode quickly unravels, stirring up a troubling controversy. And as she tries to undo the damage - to both her reputation and her show - Serenity finds that pride comes at a high price.

Reviews

edith w.@edithm

Dec 28, 2022

I always forget how utterly bored I am by Picoult and then I buy another. Luckily, this one was only 99p on kindle so it didn't pain me so much to delete it after five minutes.

Sarah Escorsa@shrimpy

Mar 8, 2022

Actual rating : ½ This was both boring and uneventful. I probably wouldn't have read it had it not been written by Jodi Picoult. Or may be I would have and would have been less disappointed. I expected much more from, if only in terms of style. The story is uninteresting and the writing feels bland and dull. If you want to read well-written and entertaining fantasy short-stories, go ahead and read some Connie Willis, don't lose your time with this!

Daniela V.@cheapregrens

Nov 1, 2021

"(...) Maybe holding something precious at a distance is the only way to measure its value..." This is the first Jodi Picoult book that I've ever read. It was extremely satisfying. This short story presents one of the characters of Leaving Time, Jodi's next novel. The character is Serenity Jones, a medium that hosts her own TV show. In this TV show, she does readings to people with interesting life stories. But everything goes wrong when she invites the widow of an american soldier at Iraq. I liked how the book was honest about the war at Iraq, that it didn't picture the Americans as heroes. As stated in the book: "(...)The governtment's invading a country..." (view spoiler)[Also, the one who actually killed the man in question was his own captain, it was friendly fire (hide spoiler)] I think the start of the story was a little bit rushed. Not all of us believe in mediums and ghosts, so I think the beginning of it should have been more gradual to gain a credibility. Although short in extention, it was extremely rich in content. At the end, everything fits in place and gives us a sense of closure. So, it can be read separately from the main story, Leaving Time. The prose is simply but impeachable. I really liked Jodi Picoult's style and I'm looking forward to read another one of her books soon.

noha@nohareads

Oct 20, 2021

" There're just somethings none of us are supposed to know until it's our time." This was actually a good short story until the end! It ended abruptly. Like really, really abruptly. I was so captivated with the story line, couldn't stop reading 'till i was forced to. I didn't even realize that i was reading the last page and i kept scrolling but there was nothing more..... Do you realize how frustrating is that ? Ugh. Honestly, Jodi deserves five stars for her style of writing, But I gave it three because .... A conclusion please :')