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Leaving Time’s Back-of-the-book Description:
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 pours 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.
My Thoughts
It’s no secret that I’m a big Jodi Picoult fan! I *think* I’ve read every one of her books (except her newest but it’s on my list!) so when Leaving Time came out I was already excited to read it. But when I found out it was a story that heavily involved elephants I was ecstatic! Fun fact – I love elephants! I’ve even been collecting elephants (figurines and such) since I was a little kid.
Anyways, Leaving Time was a really good book, it was just a little different from most of her others. That can probably be attributed to the fact that she delves into some questionable (in that it’s not her usual genre) territory, like psychics and the supernatural.
While the issue of psychics and the surprising supernatural twist at the end was a little distracting, there was still a really great story here about love, loss, and personal relationships – including the important relationship between a mother and daughter. I also really loved the connections between the main character, Jenna, and the two people she gets to help her in her search. Picoult did a really great job developing them by giving them their own personal struggles and desires.
I especially appreciated all the research she must have done about elephants and the way she ties in interesting facts about them and how similar they can be to humans. Plus, the fact that the mother’s job is to research and care for elephants made for a really interesting, emotionally deep character.
Buy it now!
Favorite quotes from Leaving Time:
“You can’t blame someone if they honestly don’t understand that their reality isn’t the same as yours.”
“I’m the princess in an ivory tower, except every brick is made of history, and I built this prison myself.”
“It was almost as if there was a tear in the fabric I was made of, and he was the only color thread that would match to stitch it back up.”
In Conclusion
This book get’s 4 out of 5 stars. It’s really a good, pull-at-your-heart-string read that I would definitely recommend, especially to other elephant lovers or those with a weak spot for mother-daughter relationships.
Also, I maintain that ALL Jodi Picoult books are worth reading at least once, and this is no exception!
Check out the great Pin-able quotes below!
My daughter in law had every Jodi Picoult book up to a couple of years ago and was forever encouraging me to read them. As an elephant fan I might be tempted with this one
She’s really an incredible writer! I know from your other comment you prefer fantasies, but I don’t think you’d be disappointed by ‘Leaving Time’! The elephants alone make it worth it – the emotion is just an incredible bonus! 🙂
Ohh, Jodi Picoult. She never fails to make me shed a tear, but I keep reading her anyway. You’re so right, anything from her definitely warrants a read. I loved this book also, though I agree that the supernatural element was kind of shaky for her. Thanks for sharing this!
I hear ya – I think I cry reading every one of her books!
Thank you for reading and commenting! 🙂
Reading your description of this book really piqued my interest! I’ve been looking for a few great books to take with me on vacation next month, and it looks like I just found a great one. Thanks so much for introducing me to Leaving Time. 🙂
I’m glad I could introduce you to a new book! There’s a few other reviews on here you might like – some great books for vacationing 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting!
This is interesting! i love Jodi Picoult. Might look this one in the near bookstore. 🙂
It’s worth the read for sure! 🙂
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I have not read anything by Jodi Picoult … will have to put this on my list!
Oh you definitely should! Shes a wonderful writer.
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂
I’ve only read two books by Jodi Picoult – My Sister’s Keeper and The Pact – and I loved them both. They were both heart-wrenching, but they had really good plot twists at the end that I was not expecting at all. She is definitely a talented writer.
http://www.thesmalladventurer.blogspot.com.au/
Oh my goodness, the pact is on of my all time favorite books! A talented writer indeed. 🙂
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I have read a few of her books and enjoyed them. I should add this one to my to-read list.
Oh yes you definitely should! It’s a little different from her others, but it is really wonderful.
Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂