What a let down!
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On my reading list due to being a Richard and Judy recommended read. According to the cover it is the magical story of a young boy's search for his mother.
I have not read a book I have been so disappointed in for a long time finding it a thoroughly boring and disjointed story of unconditional love.
In theory it sounded Ok, three protagonists Leonard, the little boy deserted by his mother at the age of five. Pearl his very young teenage mother who leaves him a neighbour's care one day and never returns, finally Mitch the neighbour. The chapters are narrated by each of the three and right from the very first one I had my doubts, finding it difficult to relate to the characters or the situation. I kept reading as far as page 120 in the hope it would start to make sense. It didn't and I have so many other books waiting to be read that I finally decided it was a waste of time. I am sorry because I rarely give up on a book. I have read some other reviews to see if I was just missing the point and it appears I must have been Somehow I feel let down by this one but I appear to be very much in the minority!
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Lovable, loving and lovely - and that's just 5-year-old Leonard
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I like the way Catherine Ryan Hyde really gets into the mind of each of the main characters - and even some of the minor characters (like the red-haired guy at Santa Monica Blvd.). She also gives us the warm glow of brimful human emotion at the end of each chapter.
As a 5-year-old, Leonard seems amazingly mature. But, given his circumstances, he needs to mature very quickly. In any case, how many 5-year-olds do we really know well? Some of his `innocent child' thoughts were brilliantly expressed - eg. "I couldn't hang on to this dream. It kept sliding away. It was like trying to grab a handful of water".(p.74), and "I think it was hard for me to understand that the world kept going while I was sleeping". (p.102).
The whole book was nicely structured, with clear chapter headings: eg. "Leonard age 5: The cuss jar"; and "Mitch age 25: breathe"; and "Pearl, age 17: safe" ; etc. Such headings are very helpful to the reader. This structure is a nice style/technique which allows each character to speak in their own voice and relate their own stories and versions of significant events.
The final chapters spin the suspense and seem just on the edges of plausibility.
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Incredibly moving
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I really really loved this book. It was written from several different perspectives over past and present timelines and kept me focused and interested throughout. The characters were all emotionally flawed in some way but deeply likeable, especially Leonard. His perceptiveness, kind and wise nature was touching and inspiring. The main relationships had so much depth and tenderness and were forged in spite of and because of varying traumatic events; theoretically these characters ought to have been left emotionally bitter and scarred - the beauty of this book lay in their ability to continue to love. Just wonderful.
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Loved it!
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I bought this book really cheap on a whim and i'm glad i did. it is one of the best books i have read in a while, i just could not put it and finished it in less than a day. you genuinely feel for all of the characters and are hoping that everything will turn out ok. the central relationship between Leonard and Mitch is really touching. read this book and you will lose yourself in it.
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One of the best books I've read this year
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I don't get a lot of time to read, so I'm quite selective in my choice. But I loved this book and would highly recommend it.
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