The Leftovers Book Reviews

AUTHOR
Tom Perrotta
SCORE
3.5
TOTAL RATINGS
857

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta Book Summary

With heart, intelligence and a rare ability to illuminate the struggles inherent in ordinary lives, Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers—now adapted into an HBO series—is a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, connection and loss.

What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?

That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.

Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet "A" student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.

A New York Times Notable Book for 2011
A Washington Post Notable Fiction Book for 2011
A USA Today 10 Books We Loved Reading in 2011 Title
One of NPR's 10 Best Novels of 2011

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Book Name The Leftovers
Genre Literary
Published
Language English
E-Book Size 1009.67 KB

The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta) Book Reviews 2024

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Leftovers. Don't plan on putting this book down. Wow!

Boring. I watched the tv show and when the last season was over I said I wanted to get the book and learn a little more about the story. That didn't happen. The show is way more entertaining then the book. The book leaves you searching the Internet wondering if there is a part 2 of the book. When I got to the end I was like "wow that was boring"

Blah. Not a fan.

Good start, no finish. I thought the premise was intriguing and hooked me into buying it, despite the many reviews that warned this book had no good resolution. I kind of hoped that those reviews were misguided and were missing the nuance that could come from this type of scenario; after all what story like this could possibly be expected to have a neat and tidy ending? But it turned out to be very pedestrian and flat, and I almost wonder, with the writers background in screenwriting and the recent advertisement for the HBO series of the book, that it perhaps is no accident that the open ended, uninsightful finish (I turned a page that turned out to be the last, I literally thought there were several chapters still to go) that there was no need to offer resolution. Or even to bring any sense of closure at all. Great for a tv premise, but really horrible for a novel . Unless the author plans on making this a series, in which case, screw that. I want a story I can purchase and get something from at the end.

The Leftovers. Moving story about loss and abandonment. Excellent use of rapture premise to explore some deeper themes.

Wow!!. Loved this book! Despite the unusual set up of the story it was very real and relatable. So interesting to try to see how normal people react to an unknown event. I thought the characters were very real and likable and their stories were intriguing. I would strongly recommend this book and completely enjoyed it.

Had potential . . .. . . . but never got there. Very disappointed--too many loose ends

The Leftovers. Nice read. Great story line.

Look what I found. A wonderful book! Glad I bought it and I hope HBO does produce the show. The book is not about the rapture, but instead about loss and finding happiness after the loss. I found it moving and enlightening.

I finally finish the book.. I bought this book when it first came out and I read the book on and off. I finally finish it and I have to say ... Love it. I hope there is some kind of continuing book because the ending left me wanting to know more or what happen to the characters.

Don't bother. This book goes nowhere. There is no depth and no conclusion.

Hmmm. I mean... We're kinda left in the dark still

Reverse Review. Unlike most movies that are viewed but do not attain a higher level of readership, I expected that after the series the book was going to be better, not so. My agenda was to see if the author could offer a glimpse, or a [between the lines] narrative prescription to what viewers who were trying to understand what they were seeing.

The Leftovers. Meh

A Waste if My Time. The initial idea is great: on an October 14th people all over the world just plain disappear. No explanation, no reason. The rest of the book doesn't deal with that at all. It's character-after-character I couldn't have cared less about. Ugh.

It's Ok.. It's well wrote, but nothing ever happens. Characters are very like able. The ending was terrible.

The Leftovers. Slow story not very interesting.

The Leftovers. This is a horrible book. The characters were unloveable. Only the depraved, depressed, or immoral people could relate to the characters. There was no point nor any resolution of thought in the story. I kept reading to find any redeeming factor, but found none. I am sad I wasted my time and money on this book.

Leftovers are stale. I came here on a mention from Judge John Hodgeman and I am crushed at what a terrible book this is. Horrible ending, total waste of time. Don't waste your money. Worst book I've read in years. Seriously. I want my money back.

100 Words or Less. The idea is fascinating. Unfortunately, the novel wasn’t. I was surprised the main event was barely discussed. The novel begins 1 year after the fact and then skips to 3 years later. Bad idea. I expected to see this unfold. I wanted to immerse myself in the chaos of that time. I kept reading, but couldn’t overcome the feeling that I began a movie halfway through. My imagination kept backtracking to unwritten events. I wanted that minutia. I needed the emotional impact of an altered life. Then, and only then, could I feel invested in what came next.

The Leftovers. Ummm, I don't know. I liked some parts of the book and not others. I think the ending was a bit abrupt. It is an easy read though, flows nicely. The main characters are well defined, you feel like you get to know them. The subject matter of "The Rapture" keeps you guessing. You don't know what is going to happen. (No spoilers here.) :) Over all I give the book 3 out of 5 stars.

Great idea, so-so job. The plot and pace reminded me of a movie made for TV. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't compelling either.

Unfinished. Compelling premise provides wide canvas for exploring social issues through interesting and sympathetic characters. The subplots in the book are enough to keep the reader wanting to find out what happens next with each of them. However what is revealed in each case does not feel like resolution. Understanding that the author purposely raises questions for all to contemplate, an opportunity seems missed for greater exploration of the issues at hand, in a more expanded way through what could of been a more gripping and perhaps slightly more elaborate storyline. The ending feels cut short. As if the author just became tired of the story itself and decided to abruptly end it. Frustrating. Unfinished.

The Leftovers. Interesting twist on the "Rapture"....easy to read, but ran out of steam toward the end...

Questions. I know the book is about the lives of those left behind....I just wish I didn't feel like I had so many more questions.

An interesting read. Having heard the author speaking on public radio and feeling intrigued about his take on how people would respond to an event like this, I read the book and enjoyed it very much. Mr. Perrotta's look into how these folks handle this forever life-changing event is very good.

The Leftovers. Not quite the masterpiece that was Little Children, but a fine, nuanced character study and well executed concept nonetheless.

The Leftovers. I'm glad I can press delete. Don't bother.

Ugh. This is an incredibly intriguing premise: the Rapture happens and then life goes on. Unfortunately, the book really doesn't. The characters, while approachable, are largely two dimensional. The writing is a little flat and stripped down for a published author. And the plot? Having just finished it, I can't really say there is one. The author does a pretty good job of building a post Rapture world, then let's his characters loose in that world and...nothing. The characters don't evolve. Nothing really changes. Things are alluded to but never followed up. The HBO series doesn't have a high bar to clear.

TLOs. I loved the premise of this novel upon reading its synopsis, and being a Tom Perrotta fan, I was excited to give THE LEFTOVERS a read. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed as I thought I'd be upon finishing the book. As with much of Perrotta's writing, the plights of unhappy American suburbanites is explored yet again, at length, in a compassionate and intriguing story of life following a Rapture-like event, but with such a promising hook, this book was not much of a departure from his previous work. I very much enjoy Mr. Perrotta's writing, and would love to see him move in a different direction with future endeavors.

Seriously STUPID ENDING. Ok, so it's getting to the end of the book and you think there are like 30 pages left... And it just abruptly ENDS with a bunch of notes for book clubs afterwards. I read this book because I saw it's going to be a tv show and it looked interesting- the book is interesting but poorly ended.

Hey. Should I read it?

Thoughtful. How did you think it would end? You cannot tell this kind of story and close it. You had to know it was an open ender. I did want a few more chapters, but enjoyed what I got.

USA today recommendation?. Started out pretty good, then YUCK! So mad i paid for it.

Meh. One of those rare cases where the movie/show is actually better than the book. Yes, it does well at making social points to coping with loss, living with depression, and religious influence, but just lacks a good story. HBO seems to agree and have taken a few liberties to correct this, and they were right to!

I really liked this book! 👍👍👍👍📖😃. First of all, this book isn't about all the people who disappeared in the Sudden Departure, it's about the people who were left behind; The Leftovers. Don't read it expecting answers about what happened because it's not about that. I loved this book. I read it in two days, and I could hardly put it down. The story is based around the lives of the people in the Garvey family of Mapleton, and what happens in their lives during about a year period three years after the Sudden Departure. It's amazing to see just how this unexplained global event changed these people's lives, and yet they need to find some way to move forward and create a new life...without having any answers as to what happened on October 14th. The people who are left behind really struggle about how to move on without their loved ones. The Sudden Departure changed every aspect about how people live their lives. Overall, I was entertained and intrigued by the entire book. There were also parts where I laughed and cried. I think it's really interesting how the author leaves the readers in the dark about what happened to all those people in the Sudden Departure, I think it really lets you feel just how the people in the book are feeling about what happened to their friends and loved ones. I actually really like the ending. I feel like the future may be looking hopeful. I hope there is a sequel, just because I want to know what happens next in their lives.

A Boring Read. Plot goes nowhere, and there really isn't much of a story here.

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Summary of The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

The The Leftovers book written by Tom Perrotta was published on 30 August 2011, Tuesday in the Literary category. A total of 857 readers of the book gave the book 3.5 points out of 5.

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