#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A deeply moving, gripping, and intelligent page-turner about a daughter’s search for her mother, Leaving Time is Jodi Picoult at the height of her powers.Includes the novella Larger Than LifeThroughout her blockbuster career, Jodi Picoult has seamlessly blended nuanced characters, riveting plots, and rich prose, brilliantly creating stories that “not only provoke … prose, brilliantly creating stories that “not only provoke the mind but touch the flawed souls in all of us” (The Boston Globe). Now, in Leaving Time, she has delivered a book 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 she was abandoned, 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: 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.
Praise for Leaving Time
“Piercing and uplifting . . . a smart, accessible yarn with a suspenseful puzzle at its core.”—The Boston Globe
“Poignant . . . an entertaining tale about parental love, friendship, loss.”—The Washington Post
“A riveting drama.”—Us Weekly
“[A] moving tale.”—People
“A fast-paced, surprise-ending mystery.”—USA Today
“In Jenna, [Jodi] Picoult has created an unforgettable character who will easily endear herself to each and every reader. . . . Leaving Time may be her finest work yet.”—Bookreporter
“[A] captivating and emotional story.”—BookPage
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Damn! The conclusion! I totally didn’t see THAT coming.
Leaving Time by Jodi Piccoult was very good!
Another great read, I enjoy most books I read from this author. As I was reading I thought the story was good, but not great. Then I got to the end and it became a great book, any book that has an ending I was never expecting is wonderful
I had a little trouble getting into it, though not for long and now cannot put it down. Haven’t finished, but understand that there’s no way to predict the ending. The way the chapters are from different characters’ points of views is an interesting way to tell the story and keeps pulling you on to the next chapter.
Once again Piccoult offers up an interesting backstory with a twist. She never disappoints.
I couldn’t put it down, which is typical of any of Jodi Picoult’s books I’ve read. Picoult’s prose is beautiful, as always, and her story well crafted with compelling characters who bore into your heart and live there while you read. Be aware, if you haven’t read any of her books, it’ll frustrate your sense of justice. There’s nothing triumphant or feel-good about it. If you enjoy tragedy and pathos, run, don’t walk, to your nearest book retailer. If you want a HEA ending, back slowly away from the book.
One of the best books i’ve read in a long time
Incredible twist ending that I didn’t see coming at all. Loved every minute of this book. The characters were interesting and well-written. Also, I learned a lot about elephants. What fascinating creatures!
I could hardly put this book down. I found the info about elephants fascinating and the mystery intriguing. What a surprise the ending was!
Wonderful surprise ending.
Jodi Picoult as usual provides inspiring and interesting storytelling that is informative, inspirational, and oftentimes with surprising endings!
Alternately stunning and funny. Highly original and highly recommended.
The book was fascinating all the way through, with a jaw-dropping surprise ending.
A wonderful book I enjoy re-reading and sharing time and time again. Who would have guessed I’d learn a wealth of information about elephants along the way! Once again I enjoyed the expected great writing of Jodi Picoult with unexpected twists in the plot.
My book club loved it as well.
More of a science class dressed up in a novel and the young girl character isn’t plausible.
My absolute favourite book by this author. It left me emotional for s good few days after reading it.
This was the first book by Jodi Picoult that I have read. It blew me away. The characters are so realistic that I felt they were my friends and relatives. But what struck me hardest was the way Jodi includes so much information about elephants. Two of the main characters are elephant researchers and most of the story revolves around the elephant center they open together. This amazing combination of incredible fiction writing and non-fiction information is exactly right for me. I can’t imagine the research Jodi did to be so knowledgeable about elephants that she can write from the point of view of a elephant researcher. I was stunned. And then I read 2 more of her books…same thing, but different topics. Wow!
I learned so much about elephants. They are amazing creatures and must be protected. The human characters were also very interesting.
I thought this book was about an elephant sanctuary but it was sooo much more.
I will always be a fan of Jodi Picoult. This woman kicks butt !