Leaving Time (with bonus novella Larger Than Life)
By Jodi Picoult
- Release Date: 2014-10-14
- Genre: Fiction & Literature
Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent page-turner about a daughter’s search for her mother, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.
Includes the novella Larger Than Life
Throughout her blockbuster career, Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that “not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us” (The Boston Globe). Now, in Leaving Time, she has delivered a book unlike anything she’s written before.
For more than a decade, Jenna Metcalf has never stopped thinking about her mother, Alice, who mysteriously disappeared in the wake of a tragic accident. Refusing to believe she was abandoned, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores over the pages of Alice’s old journals. A scientist who studied grief among elephants, Alice wrote mostly of her research among the animals she loved, yet Jenna hopes the entries will provide a clue to her mother’s whereabouts.
Desperate to find the truth, Jenna enlists two unlikely allies in her quest: Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons, only to later doubt her gifts, and Virgil Stanhope, the jaded private detective who’d originally investigated Alice’s case along with the strange, possibly linked death of one of her colleagues. As the three work together to uncover what happened to Alice, they realize that in asking hard questions, they’ll have to face even harder answers.
As Jenna’s memories dovetail with the events in her mother’s journals, the story races to a mesmerizing finish.
Praise for Leaving Time
“Piercing and uplifting . . . a smart, accessible yarn with a suspenseful puzzle at its core.”—The Boston Globe
“Poignant . . . an entertaining tale about parental love, friendship, loss.”—The Washington Post
“A riveting drama.”—Us Weekly
“[A] moving tale.”—People
“A fast-paced, surprise-ending mystery.”—USA Today
“In Jenna, [Jodi] Picoult has created an unforgettable character who will easily endear herself to each and every reader. . . . Leaving Time may be her finest work yet.”—Bookreporter
“[A] captivating and emotional story.”—BookPage
Reviews
Wow
5By slssmJodi never lets you down. The ending was totally unexpected. Jodi you are such a talented writer.Wonderful story
5By lynemvOnce again Jodi has written a book I couldn’t put down.Page turner!
2By marnuxWell written, suspenseful, addicting!Never saw that twist coming
5By Bunmom88Rarely am I shocked by an ending. But JP does it frequently. But my jaw dropped at the end of this one. Crazy. Loved itAn incredible book!
5By bjccnorI recommend reading the novella that comes with this first and then the book. The story is superbly crafted, you will learn a lot, and want to turn the pages faster! You will find yourself emotionally invested and a true twist will surprise you. LOVED this book!Hmm
3By PlantattackWell, I probably shouldn’t have read this novel. I knew from the psychic alone, this wasn’t my kind of book. But I really like Picoult’s writing, so I hoped for the best. Like I mentioned, I’m not the intended audience for this kind of book because of the psychic stuff, but what’s weird is that didn’t bug me. The 13-year-old kid who somehow knows who Punch and Judy is annoyed me, the completely predictable plot annoyed me, writing that mentally ill people will inevitably become violent was annoying, and writing stereotypical characters annoyed me. Okay, so I hate when authors write kids. The kid is usually wayyyy too insightful or to knowledgeable or both, so the author tries to brush off this lazy writing by saying how the kid is precocious. Gah! The PI is so stereotypically popping Tums and a drunk that it’s frustrating. And there were enough clues to understand the “twist” in the first 30 pages. But worst of all there was the stereotyping of the mentally ill as violent. I can forgive a lot of things, but I don’t think I will for that. You might be wondering why I didn’t give this only one star: the writing is very pretty. The similes were beautiful and I appreciated the elephant research. All the same, I might not read from Picoult again.Leaving Time
5By NJB0759Not only an incredibly well researched story about the awesome elephant, but a captivating read. Enjoy the characters and the twists. Almost wish I hadn’t read it so I could read it again for the first time!Leaving Time
5By IB414Excellent. Learned so much. Fascinating. Best ever by Jodi Picoult. It’s a long book but didn’t want it to end.Dissappointing
2By Gamerater499I have read Jodi Picoult’s books before and enjoyed them. This book is good in that it follows a mysterious disappearance and keeps you guessing. The ending is the problem. I will not spoil it except to say that it is a shameless rip off of an award winning movie. That movie was in turn a rip off of a Goosebumps book that I read to my son 20 years ago. Ms. Picoult is inventive enough to come up with her own story lines and should not feel compelled to “borrow” from others.Jodi Picoult’s “Leaving Time”
5By dsphilliI normally don’t review a book that I’ve read, preferring to keep my thoughts about it to myself. I’m this case, after reading Leaving Time, I felt compelled to say a few words. I like Jodi Picoult’s style of writing a lot. I’m no expert but she does a wonderful job of telling a story. One that moved me to tears at the end. The plight of the elephant is overlooked worldwide by many and through this story, Jodi Picoult was able to show how much feeling and intelligence they have; something similar to what other animals have that we coexist with on this planet. Thank you for helping me become aware of this through a pleasurable experience.