Caroline Leavitt

Cruel Beautiful World has a cover showing feminine adolescent tranquility which is completely belied by its plot. True to its title, the book is full of cruelty but Leavitt's depiction of various narrative voices -- including notably the viewpoint of a human predator -- makes it something much more rare than a literary exploration of the darker side of human psychology. It is a first-rate thriller distinguished by its rare ambition in seeking a multi-dimensional depiction of its villain. I show more couldn't put this page-turner down, and with Leavitt's clean, cold, evocative prose I certainly didn't want to do so either!

Please be advised I received a free copy of this novel through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Giveaway program in exchange for posting this honest review. show less

Cruel Beautiful World: A Novel by Caroline Leavitt does so many things right that I couldn't possibly list them all. It is the story is about a 16-year-old girl who falls in love with her English teacher, who promptly whisks her off to live in a falling down house in the middle of nowhere, with no access to friends and family.

This is a book about a man who abuses a woman. The abuse doesn't happen overnight. Instead, he slowly grooms her over time. The author did an exceptional job answering show more the question ignorant people often ask about abusive relationships: "But why didn't they just leave?!" It's not that simple and this entire novel slowly and thoroughly answers that question.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book was the very tender and sensual sex scene between two elderly people. Old folks are sexual beings too, and this is something that's generally not mentioned at all in fiction and when it is authors generally sort of sweep past it with a few sweet words about those adorable old folks! This scene was about the sensual, erotic nature of sex at any age and avoided falling back on the cloying sweetness. This is a rarity in fiction and was greatly appreciated.

Obviously, the subject matter here is difficult. It's hard to follow these characters as they get deeper and deeper into terrible situations. But it also made me rethink how I view loss and memory and a whole host of other things. I highly recommend this book for anyone who's willing and / or interested in getting out of their comfort zone to consider difficult situations from a new perspective.

P.S. I received a free galley copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt


In her eleventh novel, Cruel Beautiful World, Leavitt takes on the Sixties, blending heart, mystery, and the politics of an era in a slow-burner about a girl who disappears with her high school English teacher, leaving behind the two women who have raised her, setting in motion a search that will have profound consequences for all three women.

The story centers on sixteen-year old Lucy, a beautiful misfit who feels abandoned by her older sister, show more Charlotte, and ambivalent towards her guardian, Iris. In her teenage ennui, confusion, and naivete she sets off for rural Pennsylvania with William. But William isn’t what he appears and as their relationship becomes more secretive, less what she’d dreamed, Lucy realizes her young life has spun out of control. Her last chance to save herself seems contacting Charlotte several states away and hoping she can arrive in time to help Lucy escape William’s controlling presence.

Cruel Beautiful World is about America in 1969, a time in which the nation was forced to come to terms with the dark impulses lurking beneath its apparent innocence. With the Vietnam War and the Manson Family looming as sinister signposts, Leavitt gives us these two sisters, Lucy and Charlotte, as proxies for what America had and might become. But she gives us much more than the political and sociological. This is a compelling, deeply felt novel that ends far from where it began, one that showcases the elegance of Leavitt’s prose, the propulsive force of her narrative, and most of all her deft, soulful chronicling of the human spirit.

http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/kbaumeister/2016/10/the-nervous-breakdowns-re... show less

The novel begins with twenty-two-year-old Ella Fitchburg in 2018 being released after serving six years of a twenty-five-year sentence for the attempted murder of her former boyfriend’s father, a prominent judge. Haunted by her past and the painful memories of Jude with whom she had dreamt of a future but who disappeared from her life after her arrest, Ella is desperate to locate the daughter she gave birth to and was made to give u for adoption while in prison. Complicating matters show more further is the fact that she does not have a clear memory of the night of the attempted murder and is unable to locate Jude, who might be able to shed light on the events of that night. Her mother, Helen, who works in a dress shop and loves her daughter, wouldn’t hesitate to relocate so that both of them could start afresh. Despite her mother’s protest, Ella secretly embarks on a search for her daughter. Ella, who earned a college degree while incarcerated, finds it difficult to secure employment on account of her criminal background but when she is offered a job in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her daughter’s adoptive family is located she decides to hide the truth about her past, and accept the offer and moves to Ann Arbor without Helen, who is aware that Ella has found her daughter. Helen’s life hasn’t been easy and she has endured much hardship to raise Ella as a single mother. With Ella trying to move on, Helen, whose life revolved around Ella, is now compelled to take stock of her own life and confront the painful secrets from her own past so that she might be able to move forward and experience everything that life has to offer as well as repair the cracks that have begun to appear in her relationship with her daughter. The narrative follows both Ella and Helen as they embark on their respective journeys of self-discovery, catharsis, healing and hope.

Shared from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines seamlessly woven into a fluid narrative Days of Wonder by Caroline Leavitt is a poignant read. The strength of this novel lies in the character development and the sensitive, realistic and compassionate depiction of complicated family dynamics. I loved the writing, the complex characters and the emotional depth with which the author has tackled several sensitive topics. The characters are flawed yet realistic and though you may question their choices, you can’t help but feel invested in their stories. The revelations pertaining to Ella’s conviction gradually come to light as the narrative progresses. I wasn’t completely satisfied with how this aspect of the story was tied up and felt it could have been explored further. You might have to suspend disbelief at certain junctures in the story and needless to say, you will feel a lot of emotions as the drama unfolds. I thought that the plot point concerning the adoptive family wasn’t quite necessary, but this does not detract from the overall reading experience.

Revolving around themes of family, love, loss, guilt, abuse, healing and forgiveness, this is a compelling read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

This was my first time reading this author and I look forward to exploring more of her work.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. show less