Little Children

By: Tom Perrotta

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Tom Perrotta's thirtysomething parents of young children are a varied and surprising bunch. There's Todd, the handsome stay-at-home dad dubbed "The Prom King" by the moms of the playground; Sarah, a lapsed feminist with a bisexual past, who seems to have stumbled into a traditional marriage; Richard, Sarah's husband, who has found himself more and more involved with a fantasy life on the Internet than with the flesh and blood in his own house; and Mary Ann, who thinks she has it all figured out, down to scheduling a weekly roll in the hay with her husband, every Tuesday at 9pm. They all raise their kids in the kind of sleepy American suburb where nothing ever seems to happen, at least until one eventful summer, when a convicted child molester moves back to town, and two restless parents begin an affair that goes further than either of them could have imagined. Unexpectedly suspenseful, but written with all the fluency and dark humor of Perrotta's previous novels, Little Children exposes the adult dramas unfolding amidst the swingsets and slides of an ordinary American playground.

©2004 Tom Perrotta (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Intelligent, absorbing tale of suburban angst....Perrotta views his characters with a funny, acute, and sympathetic eye, using the well-observed antics of preschoolers as a telling backdrop to their parents' botched transitions into adulthood. Once again, he proves himself an expert at exploring the roiling psychological depths beneath the placid surface of suburbia." (Publishers Weekly)
"Darkly comic, with a mischievous eye for absurd and intimate detail...a virtuoso set." (The Washington Post)
"Warmly humorous prose....A fast-reading, wholly engaging novel." (Booklist)

Great rating Great Narration lousy story

What can I say Tom Perrotta is a great writer. you feel like you’re listening to a friend tell a story. Unfortunately the story really doesn’t go anywhere. Although the characters are very well developed and likable. I just wish hehad made it a little bit more Exciting. He really should’ve thrown in a little bit of hot stuff. The book actually feels like it might be an outline for another book that he will develop later. If so I definitely would read it.

9/10 of a Book

Interesting book but seems like he stopped writing the book before the story was over. There are too many unanswered questions at the end to feel satisfied with the story when you finish.

Another solid Perrotta novel

Little Children is a solid book. It blends suburban banality with twisted undertones within the community. An affair blossoms over the backdrop of a child molester moving into town. It can be dark but is always well written. Enjoy!

Loved It!

Tom is such a great writer but this is his masterpiece. The narration really does it justice. I own the movie and it's good too.

Amazing book

This is it amazing book. This captures a lot of living in American suburbia and being married.

Boring Basic and Removed

What did you like best about Little Children? What did you like least?

The idea was promising but the author just couldn't connect in any real way. It was like watching an ant farm. You can tell what's going on but bugs are bugs. The characters were flat and the narration was basic and removed. Think Dick and Jane stories. I can't believe I made it to the end, which was abrupt and uneventful!

Captivating, but could hear breathing & swallowing

The narrator was good, however, I could hear his nose whistling when he breathed in and I could hear him swallowing. Kind of gross for a misophone like me, but not so bad I couldn't stand it.

Liked it as a movie almost 15 years ago, it’s close as a book

Contrary to what other people may have written I think the book is very similar to the movie, yes it’s in a different order and things of course are expanded upon in the book, ok and the ending is a little different (but only slightly, not completely). But it has a lot of word for word narration that matches up in the movie, and it’s probably my favorite book. Just honest and raw, all the characters seem so real, they have flaws like real people. There’s something about it I just loved so much.

Surprise amid a seemingly mundane environment

I was a bit wary as I began listening: the wry style and, on the surface at least, typical characters made me think that the author would spend his time ridiculing the archetypes of American suburbia. This notion was quickly dispelled, though, as each character was more fully fleshed out, not only through the revelations of their inner workings provided by the omniscient narrator, but through their actions.

Even the most seemingly predictable characters--the frustrated, tough-guy ex-cop, the internet-sex-addicted husband, and even the sex offender--acted in completely unpredictable ways and had subtle and complex nuances of personality and behavior. I found myself repeatedly predicting an outcome as a particular scene unfolded, only to find myself surprised and intrigued by the actual path the story took. The result is a very unique and thought-provoking look at what has become a cliche of American life, as well as a very illuminating and engaging look at a half dozen fascinating characters. Sensationalism is certainly not a virtue, but rather the exploration of personality and motivation.

I hate to read reviews which spill the story so I won't. But, I will offer a caveat to audible listeners. I use high-end, in-ear ear buds which transmit every nuance of a reader's voice right into my head. I have to say that our narrator took some serious getting-used-to on my part. He makes a lot of noise: very noticable and noisy swallowing, gulping and wheezing sounds that, at times, were quite distracting. I found his narration style to be excellent and very apropos for the story. And I did get more used to the extraneous sounds as I went along. Just be prepared!

All things considered, a very entertaining, often thought-provoking book that I found perfect for rush-hour commuting.

Great listen!

I didn't find the narrator to be distracting at all. He reminded me of the narrator of the movie. I would recommend watching the movie and reading the book for comparison of the two. Both are fantastic.