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 book & narration

I like this book because its fresh and it covers the topic of adultery with real emotion and humor. I think cheating on your spouse is wrong, but I found myself sympathizing with the lead mom. I like that the author shows her flaws as well as those of other moms in the neighborhood who seem to have everything going for them.

The book has suspense with a strange happening towards the end. I didn't expect that, but the author did a good job tying it into the story.

The narration is done so well. I wish more audio books were like this one!

Hilarious!

To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book because suburbia, in my opinion, doesn't always lend itself well as a good, non-cliche subject. His humor reminds me a little of Nick Hornby. I thought Perrotta handled his characters with insight and empathy, without sugar coating some of their banal choices, with a very funny turn of phrase and insight. I can't wait to read his other books.
You could hear the narrator's whistles and swallowing noises in the first part of the book, but then they receded. He probably had his mic on too loud. Oh well, I got used to it.

Only an hour in......

Any additional comments?

I am only about an hour in to this audio book, and must say I am enjoying ever minute of it! It was offered at the daily deal price, so although I hesitated in the purchase because of bad reviews, I went ahead and got it. I am so glad I did. As I melted into the story, I would from time to time ask myself...okay, what part was bad? I write this without having yet finishing it, knowing that even if the ending wasnt great, who cares? I am enjoying the story as it unfolds.

A perfect novel

This was what I consider a perfect novel. A story about the dynamics and complications of marriage, friendships, societal expectations and….a child molester. Tom Perrotas writing style is so great at capturing moments and scenes, but especially people. Most of the characters in this story are someone that we’ve all known or encountered throughout life. It is a very relatable story to anyone who’s been married for a long time and has ever wondered how their life could have been different, and then hopefully realize their life was never that bad. I can’t recommend this book enough.

Distracting...

This may be nitpicking, but I found the narrator's swallowing distracting. It seemed that every tongue smack and spit swallow made it on tape. It made me shudder.

I did enjoy listening to the story, but found myself disappointed with the ending. I feel like it fell flat -- perhaps this is because I saw the film before listening to the audiobook. Overall, a 3 star experience.

Distracting sounds

There was an entire chapter of nose whistling sounds with every inhalation that almost made me quit listening! Unfortunately that's my biggest takeaway from this.

fair but not great

liked all the story lines but the resolution left me kind of flat. a lot of distinctions people ignoring their kids.

Great story

Would you listen to Little Children again? Why?

Yes I loved the story and the narrator. Humor, irony and study of human nature.

Quick good book!

I have read this book in the past and enjoy re-reading with just as much joy. The story seems so real in a way that this could very much be happening any where. This is the first time I've listened to the audio Book version. I have to say I would have rather heard a female voice rather then a male narrator. But overall I enjoyed this book.

Movie is great, novel is great.

I wanted to read the book to compare to the film adaptation. They are very similar, kudos to the film makers for staying true to the author's original work. I recommend both the book and the film.