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stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very engrossing and I loved the development of the main character. There were also so many great lines. Two of my favorites were: "Words matter. Words count. Words have lasting impact." and: "...we're all terrified of other people's tragedies, because they point up the fragility of everything."
However, the main character has SO many tragic things happen, most of which are not connected to one another, that I was in a bit of disbelief. I felt that a bunch of stuff could have been edited out which would not have detracted from the main story (and would have been 100 pages shorter). Still, a worthy read.
However, the main character has SO many tragic things happen, most of which are not connected to one another, that I was in a bit of disbelief. I felt that a bunch of stuff could have been edited out which would not have detracted from the main story (and would have been 100 pages shorter). Still, a worthy read.
audryt's review against another edition
4.0
This was a bumpy read for me because things kept happening in my own life that somewhat paralleled the content of the novel. It helped me connect with the protagonist's grief and frustration, though hers was ultimately much deeper than mine due to her tragedy being much greater than anything I've experienced. I had to put it down twice for several weeks due to how "in tune" it was with the hard stuff in my life, but I was finally ready to get back to it this week. Overall, I loved it and felt like it was a great read, though I felt more detatched in regards to the thriller-style ending than I did to the rest of the book.
For those who haven't tried him, Douglas Kennedy has been compared (by the New York Times, I believe) to Jodi Picoult, but in my opinion, he is much more sophisticated and not schmaltzy.
For those who haven't tried him, Douglas Kennedy has been compared (by the New York Times, I believe) to Jodi Picoult, but in my opinion, he is much more sophisticated and not schmaltzy.
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
would advise you not to bother reading the inside flap of this book, as it doesn't give a very helpful idea of what the story is about and it reveals spoilers that don't eventuate until very late in the piece. Leaving The World is narrated by Jane Howard, an English professor whose life has been characterised by being betrayed or let down by almost every significant person that she has been close to. Finally events drive her to a point where she can take no more and she makes a dramatic decision to "leave the world" by fleeing everything and everyone that she knows. But this in many ways becomes the beginning of her life rather than the end of it.
This is a long book and it takes a while to come together. For the first hundred pages or so I was interested enough to keep reading but not so gripped that I couldn't put it down. Jane was not very likeable and I also got tired of the way that every relationship she had was so dramatic, every character so unbelievably larger than life: her mother, her father, her first boyfriend, her second boyfriend, her boss, her husband, his business partner...
Having said that, as I read on I felt more and more caught up in Jane's story and I find myself liking her more and more. Douglas Kennedy has always had a talent for creating complex female characters and for communicating the misery of intense depression without getting bogged down in it. The momentum keeps building with some quite unexpected twists. I was riveted by the book's final third which I read without stopping, unable to put the book down. In many ways this book picks up pieces from all the best of Kennedy's novels - there are segments that are reminiscent of The Job, A Special Relationship, The Pursuit of Happiness and The State of the Union. It's a great read, well worth your time.
This is a long book and it takes a while to come together. For the first hundred pages or so I was interested enough to keep reading but not so gripped that I couldn't put it down. Jane was not very likeable and I also got tired of the way that every relationship she had was so dramatic, every character so unbelievably larger than life: her mother, her father, her first boyfriend, her second boyfriend, her boss, her husband, his business partner...
Having said that, as I read on I felt more and more caught up in Jane's story and I find myself liking her more and more. Douglas Kennedy has always had a talent for creating complex female characters and for communicating the misery of intense depression without getting bogged down in it. The momentum keeps building with some quite unexpected twists. I was riveted by the book's final third which I read without stopping, unable to put the book down. In many ways this book picks up pieces from all the best of Kennedy's novels - there are segments that are reminiscent of The Job, A Special Relationship, The Pursuit of Happiness and The State of the Union. It's a great read, well worth your time.
mousecroghan's review against another edition
4.0
I have never read a Kennedy that I didn't love. This is no exception. Confronting subject matter as always but so well written you won't care. Just to read Douglas Kennedy is time we'll spent.
heykaren23's review against another edition
5.0
Best book I have read this year. And it never once dawned on me that the author was a man. Excellent novel.
kwough's review against another edition
2.0
Two stars because it was easy to finish. But with an unlikeable protagonist, bizarre plot points, and odd dialogue including the too-frequent and bad use of the word "damn," I wouldn't recommend it as anything other than an quick break from headier literature. And what's up with how easy it is for Jane to find all her jobs? That may be the most unrealistic part of this book.
brooke_review's review against another edition
2.0
First off, I felt like I was reading four different books here due to the 4 distinctly different and not so cohesive story lines.
Secondly, the author focused waaaaay too much on what it was like to work in the main character's various jobs. No reader needs or wants to know that much about the mundaneness of someone's job.
Lastly, I was annoyed at how the main character just kept falling into various opportunities to become rich. Does that really happen?
This book just really didn't do it for me - I was expecting something completely different.
Secondly, the author focused waaaaay too much on what it was like to work in the main character's various jobs. No reader needs or wants to know that much about the mundaneness of someone's job.
Lastly, I was annoyed at how the main character just kept falling into various opportunities to become rich. Does that really happen?
This book just really didn't do it for me - I was expecting something completely different.
ccloleanne's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death