“Leavitt has crafted an irresistible portrait of midlife ennui and the magic of breaking free.” –People “With or Without You is a moving novel about twists of fate, the shifting terrain of love, and coming into your own. With tenderness and incisive insight, Leavitt spotlights a woman’s unexpected journey towards her art.” –Madeline Miller, author of Circe A Best Book of the Month: Bustle * … of Circe
A Best Book of the Month: Bustle * PopSugar
New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles and conflicts that people face in their search for happiness. For the characters in With or Without You, it seems at first that such happiness can come only at someone else’s expense. Stella is a nurse who has long suppressed her own needs and desires to nurture the dreams of her partner, Simon, the bass player for a rock band that has started to lose its edge. But when Stella gets unexpectedly ill and falls into a coma just as Simon is preparing to fly with his band to Los Angeles for a gig that could revive his career, Simon must learn the meaning of sacrifice, while Stella’s best friend, Libby, a doctor who treats Stella, must also make a difficult choice as the coma wears on.
When Stella at last awakes from her two-month sleep, she emerges into a striking new reality where Simon and Libby have formed an intense bond, and where she discovers that she has acquired a startling artistic talent of her own: the ability to draw portraits of people in which she captures their innermost feelings and desires. Stella’s whole identity, but also her role in her relationships, has been scrambled, and she has the chance to form a new life, one she hadn’t even realized she wanted.
A story of love, loyalty, loss, and resilience, With or Without You is a page-turner that asks the question, What do we owe the other people in our lives, and when does the cost become too great?
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Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “With or Without You” by Caroline Leavitt, Algonquin Books, August 2020
WOW! Caroline Leavitt, author of “With or Without You” has written a captivating, intense, emotional, memorable, intriguing, and poignant story. The genres for this novel are Domestic Fiction, Dramatic Fiction, Women’s Fiction with a dash of romance, and suspense. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events. Caroline Leavitt describes her dramatic characters as complicated, complex, flawed, dysfunctional, and each carries their own set of problems. I love the way Caroline Leavitt vividly describes her characters, events, scenery, and plot. Despite twists and turns, everything concludes in a well-planned story that keeps the reader’s attention.
Stella, a nurse, and Simon, a musician have been together as a couple for twenty years. Their relationship is starting to show signs of change. Simon has an opportunity to go on the road and be a musician for a few days. This could be an opportunity for Simon to have his fame and glory as in the earlier days. Stella has a cold and is trying to communicate what she wants. They talk and drink, and Stella passes out. Simon gets her to the hospital where Stella goes into a coma.
Simon has to decide whether to go on the road or stay with Stella. When Stella comes out of her coma, everything is different. Stella has problems remembering many things but has a compulsion and obsession to draw. She becomes very artistic, which she wasn’t before. The pictures that Stella draws and paints, get better and better, and it almost is like Stella is seeing what is inside the person she is painting.
I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friends, communication, self-worth, and self-growth. She also talks about the importance of love, respect, second chances, forgiveness, and hope. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking story.