Rating: Summary: Leavitt explores timeless themes Review: In her latest novel, "Girls in Trouble", Caroline Leavitt explores the timeless themes of teenage pregnancy, adoption, and first love, in the story of Sara, a pregnant sixteen year old, who offers her unborn child for an open adoption to two middle aged professionals, George and Eva. The arrangement fails, and we follow Sara for the next half of her life in her search for truth and validation.This book will resonate with anyone who remembers their first encounter with love. Caroline Leavitt weaves a dense and lyrical tale of Sara and Danny, latter day 'star crossed lovers', whose love is condemned by both their families. She portrays strong and convincing characters in this fearful interplay between the lovers, their disparaging families, and their daughter and her adoptive parents. The drama continues for the next 16 years. The choices that all the players live out, are relentless in their progress away from that original fusion, the perfect love of two teenagers, that can never be. It's a wonderful read, enjoy! Val Harbolovic
Rating: Summary: Another brilliant, heartfelt labor of love from Leavitt! Review: In "Girls in Trouble", talented novelist Caroline Leavitt once again treats us, the readers, with respect. She doesn't disappoint us with contrivance, she transforms her characters into credible beings beside whom we willingly journey with open minds because we know fully well that in Leavitt's story-telling, predictability is never an option. Another gem from a writer with a gentle, unobtrusive touch; she welcomes us in and lets us quietly accompany her characters everywhere they go. You get so close, you hurt for them, you rejoice with them. Some words of caution however: if you pick this book up from your nightstand at around 9:00pm, don't expect to get much sleep! I went straight through, I just couldn't let it go, that's how deeply I was drawn into this story. What else is new? It happened with Leavitt's seven other novels, too!
Rating: Summary: Girls in Trouble Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read. The characters come alive and the story is gripping. The subject matter is treated with sensitivity. I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it ended. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a "good read" by an excellent writer.
Rating: Summary: Bravo for Caroline Leavitt! Review: Push aside other reading, put to-do lists on hold, and rush to read this book! I've been a fan of Caroline Leavitt since I read Coming Back to Me two years ago. Immediately, I read more of her books, all poignant, all lovely. But this book, Girls in Trouble, my goodness, what a powerful tale! I started reading late one evening, knowing I hadn't the time to finish. But the engaging story and fluid prose pulled me into the world of Sara, Danny, Anne, et al., and I was hooked. I stayed up very late and woke up early. I had important things to do - I postponed them. When I had no choice but to set the book down, I fretted about the characters until I could return. Leavitt has woven a subtle spell. I didn't realize how far I'd gone under until I reached the ending chapters, where I was astounded by how much I cared about these characters. I understood each of their motives, their flaws, their blind spots. I also knew their hearts. I loved and respected them all. First I cried for their longing and their seemingly unsolvable problems. Then I cried for the beauty of their strengths. Ultimately, the wiseness of young Sara and Danny, the force and depth of their love for one another and their daughter, rang so true that the characters have refused to let go of me. My husband and I have five sons, ages 18 to 28. We've been happily surprised by our good fortune to have had no unplanned pregnancies. How would we have handled them if we had? Sadly, I doubt we'd have given our kids enough credit for their innate wisdom nor would we have known the full profundity of their needs. Girls in Trouble should be required reading for parents and teens alike. We all can learn so much from this no BS story. It's pitch-perfect. No sloppy sentimentalism, no cold analysis - just the truth from every angle, as real as fiction can be, and as only fiction, at its best, can shed light on reality. We parents can get so overwhelmed with responsibility that it's far too easy to remain clueless about the inner workings of our children and to be dogmatic with out discipline and advice. But their loves and losses are every bit as real and significant to them as ours are to us. Real love cannot/will not be buried or denied and, indeed, is the only thing that saves us. Girls in Trouble makes all of this extremely clear without once preaching, but instead by revealing it in the telling of the tale. Leavitt is supremely artful as storyteller, never letting herself get in the way. Extremely difficult to craft and amazingly well-done! Would that we could all be as wise as Caroline Leavitt! Would that I could write like her! Read Girls in Trouble. You will not be disappointed. You'll meet characters whom you will never forget and whose story will impact the way you think and live.
Rating: Summary: Girls In Trouble, excellent! Review: Caroline Leavitt has once again woven the reader into the fabric of her story. Her newest book, Girls In Trouble, hooked me since I began to read the first page. I laugh, get upset,cry and identify with her main character, a girl named Sara. Sara is a lonely teenager who falls in love with a 'bad boy' and gets pregnant. She chooses to put the baby up for adoption in an 'open adoption' with George and Eva. What happens when Sara begins to rethink her decision to give up her baby? What happens when she cannot find the father of her child? What about her academic career and plans for college, her friends, her parents? When everyone seems to turn against Sara, what happens? As with Coming Back to Me, the writer deftly draws the reader into the lives of complex characters with insecurities and characteristics we all can relate to. I began reading the authors novels starting with Coming Back to Me. I was so emotionally involved with the characters, I hated to see the book end. From there I read all of her other novels. Once I find an author I like, I read everything that he/she has ever written. Within a few months I had read all of her books, and eagerly waited for Girls In Trouble to come out. Rush to the store to buy Girls In Trouble, you will not be able to put it down until the last page, and even then you will be sad to see the book end. ALL of her novels are wonderful, I cannot wait until Caroline Leavitt comes out with another book next year!
Rating: Summary: Leavitt has brought her "A" game Review: It's 1987; and sixteen year old Sara is pregnant. Her boyfriend Danny is a bit of a rebel who her parents want no part of. Neither do they want a part of Sara and Danny's baby. Their main concern is that Sara will move on with her life after the birth so that she can follow her dream of attending college and living a good life. But since Sara wants to be a part of the child's life, she has opted for an open adoption. So finding Eva and George as adoptive parents was like a dream come true. The middle-aged couple welcomes Sara into their home with open arms, taking snapshots with her, teaching her to drive, and even keeping souvenirs of her for the baby's sake. She is allowed to come and go as she pleases. They even treat her better than her own parents. But sometimes dreams become nightmares. Once Sara gives birth, things take a dramatic turn for the worse. The adoptive parents no longer want to see her every day, telling her they need time to bond with the baby. Truth is: Sara's maternal instincts and natural bonding with the child prove to be a bit too much for the jealous parents to handle. Meanwhile, the naïve Sara continues to make her unwelcome presence felt by dropping by Eva and George's home on a daily basis, almost to the point of fanatical stalking. But she can't help it. She loves her newborn baby, Anne, even though she's not really her baby at all. When Eva and George express their true feelings about Sara's frequent visits, she takes matters into her own hands, which forces the couple to make a drastic decision of their own. "Girls in Trouble" tells the story of a unique and original topic, an open adoption gone terribly wrong and how the lives of the people involved are affected. The story spans over a sixteen year period. The author does a splendid job at capturing the perspective of each person involved, including the birth parents, adoptive parents, birth grandparents, and the young girl who was adopted. Caroline Leavitt (author of Coming Back to Me) has definitely brought her "A" game to the table with her crisp and intriguing writing style that will make you smile. Though the slow-paced beginning of the story contains a few clichés about childbirth and adoption, it gets a full head of steam and continues its pace for the remainder of the tale. By the story's end, you will surely crave more and more. "Girls in Trouble" is a captivating story that will surely find its way beneath the arms of a plethora of loving fans of all ages.
Rating: Summary: Loved it! Just loved it! Review: Just finished reading Girls in Trouble. Oh, my God, Caroline, you are so right on target with this story. If I had had a highlighter with me while on vacation, I would have marked all the excerpts of your story that completely coincided with my true adoption story, "THE SAME SMILE". Even your choice of words and phrases are the same. I was simply amazed! When Danny told Sarah that he had wanted her back and loved her all along, and never would have let her give their baby away, I cried and cried and cried. If only Mark had wanted me and our baby, my life would have been oh, so very different. So, how are things going? From what I experienced as a reader, it must be doing great! Congratulations on a job well done. Susan Mello Souza Author of THE SAME SMILE The Triumph of A Mother's Love After Losing Two Daughters www.TheSameSmile.com
Rating: Summary: Maureen Review: I loved this book. I couldn't put it done from them moment I started it. The characters are all very touching in the telling of their story. Definitely a must read but make sure you have some tissues handy.
Rating: Summary: A Good Read on a Timely Subject Review: There's a lot of talk about "open adoptions" these days, and Leavitt's new book takes us into the hearts and minds of two teenagers who fall in love and are "caught" by a surprise pregnancy. The 16-year-old girl, Sara, chooses a couple to adopt her baby when it is born, and, since the adoption is "open," that couple becomes part of her life. She writes letters to her unborn child via these parents-to-be, and the adoptive parents embrace her. Complications ensue after the baby is born and the three adults struggle to find new ways to relate to each other. As the baby grows, even more conflicts erupt. It is a tribute to the power of Leavitt's writing that while never easy, the resolution (involving the father too) that climaxes the novel is both satisfying and emotionally honest.
Rating: Summary: A great book for a group discussion Review: I couldn't put this book down once I got started. I was so drawn into the characters. Caroline Leavitt has a gift for making her characters so real, full of flaws and human emotions. This, along with the topic of teen pregancy and the consequences that follow give a discussion group plenty to talk about. Sara, could be anyones daughter. She is smart, ambitious and she is in love. Your heart will break as you watch her struggle coming to terms with life, love and loss. You will feel the desperation in a childless couples life and what extreme they will go to to protect their dream come true. You will feel the sadness and failure of Sara's parents as they struggle with the impossible act of trying to forget. In the end, it is a book that opened my eyes to the selflessness and gift of adoption. I highly recommend it.
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