Reviews

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

mattrw88's review against another edition

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3.0

2.5 Stars

skynet666's review against another edition

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3.0

I heard a lot of buzz around this book when it first came out. I thought the topic was very interesting, but didn't really find that you got enough in depth feeling for any of the characters. I did, however, like the story and think it ended well.

sneezypupper's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Good writing but I felt like nothing happened. I spent the majority of the book waiting for more. More of anything. A lot of the interesting parts were told in passing.

jshglickman's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WE ARE LIVING REMINDERS

katie_holder's review against another edition

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1.0

I couldn't finish the book, I only made it about 200 pages in it was painfully ridiculous to me. I feel bad about giving up on it but with so many books in the world it's very difficult to read something that just doesn't appeal to me. I feel as if I was tricked I thought the book was going to be on the rapture and it wasn't. It had a bizarre twist on it and it just struck a nerve with me. Maybe someone else will like this but honestly the more I read the more I disliked it.

colepsmith42's review against another edition

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3.75

Enjoyed this more than the show. Much more pathos, puch less genre plotting. Listening to an interview with the author after I finished where he talked about how it was sort of about aging and how people just disappear from your life and you have to deal with that inexplicable loss. 

hangrim's review

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slow-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

flinkman's review against another edition

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4.0

Good read, finishes quite abruptly, but satisfying by this books standard

amberlou105's review against another edition

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fast-paced

2.75

This could have used a stronger editor. I feel like a few characters could have been lifted completely out (Tom, Nora, Aimee) to further expand some of the other plotlines. Or give Tom a bigger and more interesting role because his could have been arguably the most interesting part of the story but it was just lackluster and there wasn't enough time dedicated to it to make me care. 

jaina8851's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I was a bit disappointed by this given how much I *loved* the TV show. It just didn't reach into my chest and grab me the way the show did. I felt much more detached from the characters and there didn't feel like there was a lot of tension. Which maybe was part of the point, because I think one of the themes of the book was about how a world up-ending catastrophe can happen and life just... goes on, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. One thing that I did find extremely well done in this book was how presciently it described the fallout from a global crisis. I watched the show pre-2020 and now reading the book post-2020, all of the character's reactions to the Sudden Departure took on a different dimension of reality. Glad I read it, but not one I'd recommend to people. The show is just a lot better for once.