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117 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poignant and powerful look at modern suburbia., March 13, 2004
In Tom Perrotta's latest novel, "Little Children," the author focuses his microscope on the marital problems of suburban mothers and fathers with young children. Thirty-year-old Todd is a former jock and a blonde hunk dubbed "The Prom King" by the playground mothers. He is a stay-at-home dad who takes care of three-year-old Aaron while his gorgeous wife, Karen, works as a documentary filmmaker. Todd has failed the bar exam twice, as his wife reminds him repeatedly, and his prospects of ever becoming the family breadwinner seem dim. Sarah is a college graduate who is stagnating mentally as a stay-at-home mom. Her marriage to her businessman husband, Richard, is in the doldrums. The other playground mothers watch in horror as Sarah strides up to Todd one day and kisses him the first time that they meet. Sarah arranges to "bump into" Todd and the two forge a strong bond that threatens their fragile marriages. The characters in this book are out of touch with their spouses, themselves, and, at times, with reality. Although Perrotta's writing is often humorous, this book is not merely a lighthearted satire of suburban mores and modern marriage. There is much ugliness here, mostly centered on the townspeople's horrified reaction when a convicted sex offender moves in with his mother after a stint in prison. One bitter retired ex-cop named Larry engages in a personal vendetta to harass the ex-con and his aged mother. Todd goes along for the ride, and although he verbally protests, he never makes much of an effort to stop Larry from committing his horrible deeds. "Little Children" is a brilliant and merciless look at the sterility of suburbia and at the dark emotions that threaten the characters' placid and predictable lives. Most of the individuals in this novel are hypocritical, selfish, and immature. Nevertheless, Perrotta is such a gifted writer that he humanizes the characters and makes us care deeply about them. The author implies that even when we grow up and become parents ourselves, in some ways we all remain "little children" inside.
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53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Superb, March 18, 2004
Tom Perrotta's Little Children is, in a lot of ways, much like those cheese goldfish on the cover of the novel--addictive and easy to swallow. Unlike the goldfish, however, Little Children also contemplates larger issues. Perrotta is a master. Little Children is funny (laugh-out-loud at certain points), engaging, compelling while also being thought-provoking. I finished this book over two weeks ago, yet the characters and their decisions in the novel still haunt me. The main characters, Sarah and Todd, are two thirty-something suburban parents who are, for varying reasons, unhappy with their lives. Todd and Sarah meet at a town playground and from there, the relationship develops and pretty much serves as the unifying thread throughout the novel. Perrotta manages to create well-rounded, flawed characters with a sympathetic eye. We can somehow forgive them for their flaws and mistakes because we can understand why they do what they do. Little Children is truly an enjoyable and satisfying read--a rare thing. The ending is terrific. I thought there were one of two things that could happen at the end, and I wasn't sure which I preferred. Perrotta had a different idea and took the characters in another direction (a believable one) entirely. I recommend this novel very highly.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kids See the Darnedest Things, March 17, 2004
I've enjoyed Perrotta's other books over the years, but nothing he has written in the past could have prepared me for "Little Children", a fine, fine novel. In spare, wry prose he has given us a comedy of resentment, a book that should be put in a time capsule to explain our self-important, self-absorbed societybut only after it's read and passed on to at least a couple of friends. Perrotta's keen eye, sensitivity to withering detail and, conversely, his generosity of spirit are all in evidence, as in all his other books. But in "Little Children", his 30ish mommies and daddies are haunted by the vague sense that accomodations made a long time ago have taken them off the happy not to mention fasttrack. They are victims of resume interruptusand that has them feeling unhinged. I read the review in the Sunday Times and, while I shared the reviewer's high opinion of Perrotta's effort, I though the Cheever comparison wasn't quite right. The author I thought of us I read "Little Children" was Iris Murdoch, in that wonderful period in her career that saw books like "A Fairly Honourable Defeat", "The Black Prince" and "A Word Child". Novels that potray our folly unflinchingly, but also allow for moments of understanding, grace and renewal. Which is good, because in the end, someone's still got to pay the bills.
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