Pictures of You [Paperback]

Caroline Leavitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 2011

Two women running away from their marriages collide on a foggy highway, killing one of them. The survivor, Isabelle, is left to pick up the pieces, not only of her own life, but of the lives of the devastated husband and fragile son that the other woman, April, has left behind. Together, they try to solve the mystery of where April was running to, and why. As these three lives intersect, the book asks, How well do we really know those we love—and how do we forgive the unforgivable?

Editorial Reviews

From Bookmarks Magazine

The Boston Globe describes Pictures of You “as part literary mystery, part domestic drama, and part psychological examination,” and, indeed, the novel kept most critics on their toes the entire time. A novel of loss, redemption, forgiveness, and self-discovery, the intertwining stories grapple not only with the tragedy but also with the mystery of April’s hasty departure from her family. Reviewers commented that what could have been a maudlin, predictable storyline instead becomes fresh with Leavitt’s direct, unsentimental writing; her you-are-here details; and her fully convincing characters. Readers who enjoy both fine storytelling and writing will be sure to savor this novel.

From Booklist

In Leavitt’s (Girls in Trouble, 2005) compelling new novel, a car crash provides the catalyst for an examination of how well we know the people we love. April and Isabelle, both fleeing their marriages, collide on a foggy, deserted stretch of road. Only Isabelle survives, and though blameless, she is haunted by guilt. In search of healing, she finds herself drawn to Charlie and Sam, April’s grief-stricken husband and son. Complicated relationships develop, and Leavitt thoughtfully handles friendship and romance in scenes of emotional resonance. She understands the ache of loss, the elusiveness of forgiveness, and the triteness of words like “closure.” An expert storyteller, Leavitt alternates perspective among her three leading characters, providing insight into the thoughts, secrets, and dreams that they withhold from each other. Whether these individuals will arrive at happiness separately or together is the question that drives the narrative, and the reader, forward as Leavitt teases suspense out of the greatest mystery of all—the workings of the human heart. --Patty Wetli

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; First Edition edition (January 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565126319
• ISBN-13: 978-1565126312
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (185 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm the New York Times Bestselling author of Pictures of You, and the award-winning author of eight other novels. Pictures of You was a Costco "Pennie's Pick," a San Francisco Chronicle Lit Pick, and it was also on many Best of 2011 lists, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Providence Journal, Bookmarks Magazine, and Kirkus Reviews, which also put the novel on their Top Five Novels about Family and Love list. I've been writing since I was in grade school (I was the one who made up books and then wrote book reports for them.) I always knew I wanted to be a writer, though being a screenwriter came in a close second. I live for books and the movies and I teach writing at UCLA online, have private clients, and I'm a book critic for People and the Boston Globe. I'm deliriously happily married to the writer Jeff Tamarkin (his book, Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane, was one of the top music books of the year) and we have a teenaged son.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, December 19, 2010

By 

Susan Henderson "Up from the Blue (HarperColl... (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pictures of You (Paperback)

This is a deeply satisfying read that shows the many facets of love. Examining the survivors of a fatal car crash, Leavitt explores grief, guilt, secrets, and disappointments in a cast of sympathetic characters who become so entangled, it's not clear to anyone what decisions are the right ones to make. I highly recommend this book, which feels like an easy read and yet works profoundly on the soul.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing Story, January 26, 2011

By 

Jessica Keener - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pictures of You (Paperback)

Caroline Leavitt's Pictures of You is a story of love--love lost, love wished for, love misunderstood. It's about grief, and regret and forgiveness. Most of all, her mastery lies in her ability to reveal the deep, hidden emotional life of her characters (young Sam, his father, their mother who dies in a car crash, and the woman who doesn't die in the crash). As a reader, you will feel privileged to witness their struggles, and will take these people on as your own. Beautifully rendered.

89 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling and revealing and necessary, December 4, 2010

By 

reader - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pictures of You (Kindle Edition)

I don't want to give it away, but this is a absolute show-stopper of a novel with insights into the human condition that defy any attempts to put it down. i bought it for my Kindle i-Phone app and promptly spent the next six hours inhaling every word. my GOD. and you know how you slow down when a great read starts to come to an end. i did that. uh huh. love story, thriller, paranormal and yet relevant to our times, and it al seemed so effortless, as though i were watching a film. this masterful novel breaks your heart amd yet lifts you -- all told, it reminds me of a blend of Jodi Picoult, Stephen King and Elizabeth Berg, with a dash of what can only be termed Leavitt-y. funny, amazing, strange and beautiful, and now I see VANITY FAIR has named it as a hot read for Jan 2011. I'll say. I'm recommending this one to everyone I know who asks, "What should I read next?" LORD HAVE MERCY Caroline Leavitt is on fire and please, don't let anyone put her out, because I need to know what is next, like i need her next book RIGHT. NOW. POY is just delicious and powerfully told -- these were real people to me. the mystery kept on and on and yet never felt strained or obtuse. more, more, more, more.