Leaving Time

A Novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman, Abigail Revasch, Kathe Mazur, Mark Deakins

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Throughout her blockbuster career, number-one New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that "not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us" (The Boston Globe). Now, in her highly anticipated new book, she has delivered her most affecting novel yet - and one unlike anything she's written before.

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 that she would be abandoned as a young child, Jenna searches for her mother regularly online and pores 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. The first is Serenity Jones, a psychic who rose to fame finding missing persons - only to later doubt her gifts. The second is Virgil Stanhope, a jaded private detective who 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. A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent pause-resister, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.

©2014 Jodi Picoult (P)2014 Random House Audio

Wow, great read

Wow, what a great read. I learned a lot and was thoroughly surprised by the ending. Treat yourself to this great book.

Sweetheart young 🐘

I loved this story so much I can’t believe it is over. When I was in Thailand 🇹🇭 I went to a elephant sanctuary where we were able to feed them bananas 🍌 and sit with them by there swimming pool. They would come over and nuzzle us with their trunks us just sitting there in awe of them. No bull hooks just enjoying their life now. The young elephant 🐘 I feed the bananas to warped its trunk around me once it was the most incredible day I shall never forget!

Such a great book!

As with her other novels, I did so many things.. smile, laugh, cry, had literally every emotion. Joy, anger, I think every single one. I love the research she puts in! I have gained so much knowledge with each book I've read of hers. Seems like there's always a subject that you know a little about, but after the book you feel like a psuedo expert. I new elephants were super smart, caring animals, but I learned so much more! The emotions I went through just about the elephants is staggering. The story of Alice, Jenna, Gideon, Virgil and the other characters is so devastatingly touching. I could write a lot of other things but I feel like I'm just blabbing at this point lol. I'm not really great at reviews, like summing up the book without spoiling it, which no one wants lol. Read this book if you are on the fence with it!

Mixed feelings

The book is well written and researched. As an elephant lover, I am aware of the work of the late Lawrence Anthony, Big Life and other organisations that are doing their best to bring about social and political change to safeguard Elephants and other animals on this planet. It is wonderful that Jodi Picoult is using her very great talent to reach a wider audience and support this movement.
The storyline of a little girl, failed cop and talentless psychic, all in search of the girl's missing mother is compelling but the other layers - of the mother, father, helpers and the elephants didn't gel well. I was at such odds with the mother's character whose inconsistencies made her hard to believe, coupled with a narrator whose plaintive reading made it really hard to stay engaged. Even happy moments sounded mournful. The narrators for the other characters were great, especially the deadbeat ex-cop. The spectacular twist at the end was interesting and clever but the pieces did not come together properly and felt overdone.
I would honestly have loved this book if it had been simpler and the mother's character more sympathetic.
The author obviously has her chops though and I will read more of her books.

A surprise!

I was unprepared for the power of this story. Well read and gripping. Also I learned a great deal about elephants. I won't spoil the ending, but enjoy the pace of the story!

Wow

What a ride! This book is beautiful in so many ways. The story will stay with me for a long time.

Audiobook Gold!

This book employed 4 main characters. All were in the first person and all were different narrators. This was my first book by this author but it won't be my last. She did something amazing by tying the emotions of a teenage girl searching for her missing mother to real emotions (grief) in elephant mothers. In the audio book the voice of Alice (the mother) was by far the most intense and really drove the whole story, this is where the elephant mother's emotions on the ground in Africa tie in. Alice is studying Elephants in Africa where she meets her future mate and they conceive a daughter Jenna. Throw in a psychic and a former detective, oh how about an elephant sanctuary in New England and a manic depressant director. Loved this book!

creepy

loved it but was totally creepy not to give it away but I'm a grown woman with nightmares and creeped out months later! loved the whole thing, but I'm not one to be onboard with creepy usually lol

You'll cry...

Amazing story. You'll be able to relate in some way to every character. Nice twist! I'll be reading more of her novels for sure!

More than I realized

I didn't expect to learn so much about elephants. This book is both interesting and sad.