Customer Reviews

Leftovers

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Have you ever felt alienated from the rest of the world? Have you spoken and known that nobody was listening? Have you ever screamed "No" and been ignored at every turn? Ardith and Blair have experienced all that and more. And now they have committed a despicable act of vengeance in an effort to make everything "right" again.

Blair and Ardith are best friends. They are fifteen, in the ninth grade, and have miserable, though very different, home lives.

Ardith lives in a party house. Her parents are nightly hosts to a group of drunken teenage boys. Without limits, the boys control the house and any female that dares to enter it. Not even Ardith is safe from their advances. Blair comes from an affluent family. Her parents are successful in their careers, have a new home, and are poised to rise through the local social and political ranks. Now her mother is making decisions to shape the family image; decisions that are wrenching Blair away from the those she loves most. In addition to their family problems, Blair and Ardith are now becoming victims of the school rumor mill and some very cruel classmates. How much can they be expected to tolerate?

LEFTOVERS is a dramatic and disturbing story of two girls who have been pushed to great lengths. It is written in alternating points of view, as each girl describes the events that led them to a final, desperate act. LEFTOVERS is a captivating book that will keep you turning the pages.

Reviewed by: JodiG.

Leftovers had a nice format, and I'll be honest, I picked it up a couple of times at the bookstore before I decided to buy it and bring it home. I read a lot. I read about three books per week and fall in love with most of them. I have a (some say) weird tendency to have to OWN every book I read and keep it on my shelf- in case I ever feel the need to read it again.
Leftovers had the idea correct- to write a narrative story in a journal format- like you're reading these teenagers' diaries. However, the entries in these journals were a bit too fabricated for me to believe them. I was frustrated with how much could possibly happen to these troubled teenagers in such a short period of time. And the way the entries were formatted was frustrating because it felt as if Ms. Laura Weiss was trying TOO HARD to have a hit, disturbed MTV book.
It was like watching a Lifetime movie- where everything bad that could possibly happen to woman does, and it seems to fake- too much- too annoyingly depressing. In the middle of Leftovers, I found myself needing a commercial break.
I was disappointed in the storyline and felt it needed much follow-through and editting.

I loved Wiess's debut, Such a Pretty Girl. But her second novel, Leftovers, tries too hard to be good.
Leftovers tells the story of two best friends, Blair and Ardith. Blair is a rich girl whose parents don't care (her mother has Blair's dog put to sleep b/c she wants her carpets to stay clean) and Ardith's parents are trying too hard to be younger, having wild drinking parties whenever they can. Blair doesn'r listen to Ardith and gets raped by Ardith's older brother; when Ardith's brother hurts a police officer in a car accident- a police officer that Ardith and Blair thought of as a friend- they decide to get revenge. They do this by not warning their friend, Della, about him. Ardith's brother attempts to rape Della and a newscrew, hired by Ardith and Blair, catches him in an act. The story was utterly unbelievable, and the relationship between Blair and Ardith and the police officer doesn't seem that strong. I was disapointed by this one. I know Wiess can do better.

Wiess has created yet another astounding masterpiece. Of the three books she's published, I think this one is my favorite. The story is so well put together and so astoundingly heartbreaking. This book has pulled me through so many emotions, conclusions and obstacles in a way few other have. I both loved and hated these girls, admiring them and belittling them. This is another book I am not even sure how to review because there are simply too many things to say about it. Bottom line- read it.

The perspective alternates between Blair and Ardith, furthering it by everything being put in terms of you don't say this instead of I didn't say this. The reader is very much thrust right into every single thing these girls thought and endured through the direct verbalization alone. Compound that with Weiss' phenomenal grasp of the written language and her immense ability to weave raw, gut wrenching emotions into words and the product is something that will stick with everyone who reads it in one way or another. Even if the story turns you off, the writing stands out and should remain in mind.

Taken alone, the personal history of both Blair and Aridth are enough to grip a person- twined together, it is almost astoundingly surreal. Watching the slow changing and fading of their innocence, forcing them to grow up is one of the biggest foci of this book and a rough one to swallow. Reading this, the most obvious feelings come up- a strong desire to simply take these girls from their families, uproot them and place them somewhere else. But the fact remains while these are fictional characters, there are numerous teenagers out there in similar circumstances, ranging across the wealth spectrum. Are we removing them? No- and that is one of the biggest points of this book and it is so astoundingly well made.

The ending was breathtaking and astounding and pretty much any other related word. This is the sort of ending a completely adore in books and left me with a million burnings thoughts and questions, sparking my own `what ifs' from the very ones that spurred this book for Wiess. She doesn't simply close the story- she leaves you thinking, calculating, and considering.

In every way, this book deserves 5 stars if not more. From the strong characters, even stronger and painfully logical development of them, to the voice it is written in and the plot itself- added in with Wiess' knack for saying things perfectly- this piece is a work of genius. Many of the events that happened are ones I didn't expect but that seems to be the case with her books- there is simply no way to predict where things are going to head next. If you can stomach the raw emotions, the angsty plot line, and the overall content, then read this book. It is well worth it.

In Leftovers, we begin with two girls - Blair and Ardith. They come from two totally different backgrounds, yet they share many of the same heartaches, sorrows and despair over their family life. Both come from dysfunctional families - Blair's more the emotional, while Ardith battles with both physical and emotional.
Right from the beginning, the girls meet and become the best of friends. Able to lean on one another and become one another's lifeline of sorts. Much of the story focuses on these two girls' lives as they try to muddle through those difficult and awkward early teen years. Along the way, they encounter many obstacles and have to learn to deal, not only with those, but also the torment of their day to day family life.
Blair and Ardith are both very likable characters and I was able to feel their emotions as if they were my own. In all honesty, after reading this, I am thankful that I do not have to go through the teen years in today's society, though it brings to light what road lies ahead for my children. It is not a pretty picture. Teens these days are forced to grow up much too early and have to deal with things that they should not even have to worry about. Leftover brings those facts to life.
I enjoyed the way the author wrote this - the point of view alternating between each of the girls. The story is told as though they are telling everything to one particular person - which they are. With this type of writing, it brings the story even more to life, I feel.
To be honest, I am a bit torn as to my complete feelings of Leftovers. I enjoyed it, but can't say that I loved it. It was very enlightening and I am glad that I read it - it also has made me curious to read the author's other work "Such a Pretty Girl" and any upcoming works.
I would say for those who have not read Leftovers, to give it a try, it is very original and will make you think a bit.

I'm an avid reader, and it's rare that I find a book I don't like. However, "Leftovers" is one of those books that sticks with you a long time after you finish reading. I've read it twice, and I took away something different both times. I randomly find myself thinking of lines from the book; which tells me it's good all over again. Laura Wiess is a great author, I would recommend this book, and all of her books, to everyone.

In the high school world, there is nothing worse than being caught in the middle of the rumor mill; anyone is susceptible and it always leaves victims. The humiliation makes it seem as if the universe will implode on the person and nothing will be the same. In most cases, this is true.

Blair and Ardith are friends who come from completely different families. Blair's parents are higher-ups who don't know how to connect with their daughter, while Ardith's parents connect too much with teenagers; Ardith actually has to sleep with her own bedroom door locked in her own house to escape the dangerous immaturity of everyone under the roof. In school they are not safe either, and soon they too are swept into the gossip sessions of their peers.

Blair makes the notion of the difference between boys and girls when it comes to the pressure of their surroundings: "guys freak out... girls freak in." So when Blair and Ardith decide to take matters against their peers into their own hands, all bets are off as they "make a stand" for anyone who's been crushed under the boot of rumors.

LEFTOVERS is not an easy read and it certainly isn't very pretty to read either. Ardith and Blair are not the most reliable of narrators and yet their voices pack a very clean punch. They capture the horrors that go on in locker rooms and hallways in schools and bring them into light. When Ardith begins to see Blair as a "girl her brothers liked and her dad liked to hear about," it makes you cringe. Here are too supposed best friends looking at each other differently. But in the end, it becomes too much for either to bear. Brutally real, this book doesn't serve as a manual on how to stop teen violence; rather, it just makes readers aware that anything can happen anywhere.

Rarely before has such poignant and beautiful writing been seen in YA literature. Laura Wiess paints a picture of two really messed up teens, written hauntingly in the 2nd person perspective. While some parts remain predictable, the book is cleverly crafted. The plot is twisted, but the delivery turns out weak, the whole "incident" everything led up to just doesn't feel as huge as it should (I was certain there would be a death involved...). Nevertheless, in the end, it's a book about the characters. The two girls, Blair and Ardith, whose spirits reside within ordinary teens today. Their scenes are emotionally evocative, downright scary at times, but every word rings true.

Rating: 4.5/5

This is one of those books that no matter what your age, gender, views, anything you will read this book and feel something. The book speaks a lot of truth to what it's like to be a girl in this day and age. Some parents reading it may be surprised to read such things go on but overall the book is an amazing story of two girls trying to find their way through their tough teenage years. I couldn't put it down just like every other Laura Weiss book. You'd think the book would become confusing following these two girls but it's extremely well written and easy to get into. Recommend it for everyone.

I absolutely loved this book! Laura Weiss has become on of my favorite authors. She tends to write dark books and for some reason I seem to be attracted to that sort of genre right now. I think it's because I like to read about how people tend to handle or get through desperate situations.

This book is based on two young teens, Blair and Ardith, who both have less than desirable family situations. Blair's parents both have professional careers and her mother has her sights set on becoming a judge which consumes every bit of her attention. She is all about appearances which spurs a tragic event in Blair's life which she will never forgive her mother for. Her father is just as absent, spending as much time as he can with his mistress. Needless to say, Blair is left alone the majority of the time.

Her best friend, Ardith, lives in a home that is the site of a non-stop party. Everything centers on drinking, groping, and sex. Her brother is bad news and considers women disposable. And her parents are no protection as they are a part of the party and seem to encourage it. Her mother runs a pornography website to give you an even better idea of what her home life is like. Ardith sleeps with her door padlocked and a screwdriver under her pillow.

Over the course of about a year, Blair and Ardith take turns telling the story leading up to an unforgivable act committed by the two of them to right what they feel is a terrible injustice. I swear I read this book in several hours because I couldn't wait to find out what these two young girls could have done. And it doesn't really come out until the end of the book and is nothing like I suspected it may be. It just became more surprising the farther I got into. My heart really broke for them in respect to the lives they have had to lead and being made to feel they have no one but each other. My favorite line in the book was "The only thing worse than being invisible is being visible and powerless". And that describes both of these girls perfectly.

Another thing I really liked about it was the way it was written. Ardith and Blair take turns telling their story and it is being told to a third party who is unknown until the very end of the book. The book was both heartwarming and tragic at the same time.

For anyone looking for a great, quick read, this is what you're looking for! I definitely recommend.