Book cover of Leaving Time

Book description

Alice Metcalf was a devoted mother, loving wife and accomplished scientist who studied grief among elephants. Yet it's been a decade since she disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind her small daughter, husband, and the animals to which she devoted her life. All signs point to abandonment - or worse.Still…

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Why read it?

4 authors picked Leaving Time as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I learned a lot about elephants and I’m glad I did! The human story was also complicated, captivating and the twist was unexpected.

A book with twists, turns, surprises, and places where the reader says, “What?” always makes for a great book club read, and this is one of those.

There is so much to discuss about Jenna, a young girl searching for her mother, and the people she encounters. The psychic and detective who help her are unique characters, and the mystery has readers guessing clear to the end. 

This multi-layered story is peppered with research on elephants via Jenna’s mother’s journals and provides another level of information for great discussions.  

I have to say, that after reading this book,…

I read this book twice, the first time soon after my sister died in 2016. I read it again this year because I remembered I loved the book, but I couldn’t remember the story well—it got lost in the fog of grief.

Jodi Picoult has a brilliant way with words and surprising twists in her plots. I found the characters so compelling, and so believable, I didn’t want the book to end. I learned a lot about elephants (which I have always considered my spirit animals), and about psychics.

In fact, after reading the book the first time I sought…

If you love Leaving Time...

Book cover of A Fine Layer of Dust

A Fine Layer of Dust by Barbara Conrey,

A haunting portrait of what happens when ambition, grief, and guilt collide. Some books break your heart. Others help you pick up the pieces. A Fine Layer of Dust does both.

After one irreversible moment tears two families apart, everyone must confront the impossible choices that shaped them. This is…

The love of a mother and child is one that is dear to my heart, and so I was absolutely captivated by this book. A little girl’s desperate longing for the mother who mysteriously disappeared a decade earlier takes readers on a journey that is both strange and wondrous at the same time. I love a book that teaches me something, and Jodi Picoult elegantly weaves together the nature of motherhood in both humans and elephants in a way that adds depth and beauty to the story. Add to this a psychic medium who the main character, Jenna, employs to…

If you love Leaving Time...

Book cover of A Fine Layer of Dust

A Fine Layer of Dust by Barbara Conrey,

A haunting portrait of what happens when ambition, grief, and guilt collide. Some books break your heart. Others help you pick up the pieces. A Fine Layer of Dust does both.

After one irreversible moment tears two families apart, everyone must confront the impossible choices that shaped them. This is…

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