Cruel Beautiful World (Thorndike Press Large Print Basic) - Hardcover

Leavitt, Caroline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1410493563 ISBN 13: 9781410493569

Publisher: Thorndike Pr, 2016

Synopsis

Caroline Leavitt is at her mesmerizing best in this haunting, nuanced portrait of love, sisters, and the impossible legacy of family. It s 1969, and sixteen-year-old Lucy is about to run away to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have vicious repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy s default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte s youth has been marked by the burden of responsibility, but never more so than when Lucy s dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare."Cruel Beautiful World" examines the intricate, infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and explores what happens when you re responsible for things you cannot fix. "

About this title

Review:

"With"Cruel, Beautiful World," Caroline Leavitt has done the seemingly impossible: she's written a gorgeous, seductive novel that is also terrifying and pulse-pounding. This is the kind of coming-of-age novel for which readers yearn: we witness the emotional and spiritual evolution a sixteen-year-old girl while American society, in the early 1970s, seems to devolve all around her. Like the era it represents, "Cruel, Beautiful World"is at times hopeful and nihilistic, beautiful and savage, mesmerizing and dangerous." Wiley Cash, ""author of"A Land More Kind Than Home"and"This Dark Road to Mercy " Backdropped by the Vietnam War and the Manson murders, "Cruel Beautiful World" is a fast-moving page-turner about the naivete of youth and the malignity of power. Leavitt explores with a keen eye the intersection of love, family, and the anxiety of an era. Lily King, author of "Euphoria" Two sisters--impulsive Lucy and sensible Charlotte--make decisions that will haunt the rest of their lives. Set in the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s, "Cruel Beautiful World" is a riveting novel about love and loss, secrets and lies, and what it means to be a family. Its twists and turns will keep you reading late into the night. Christina Baker Kline, author of "Orphan Train " Leavitt's most accomplished book yet, "Cruel Beautiful World," is a seamless triumph of storytelling that follows an unusual family through a fraught and shapeshifting century. The edges and complications of their individual natures lead them towards fatal or redeemable choices. Some make it and some do not in this cruel, beautiful world. Gail Godwin, author of "Flora "and "Evensong" At once a page-turner that leaves you holding your breath, and a gorgeous meditation on love and family. "Cruel Beautiful World" had me in its thrall from start to finish. J. Courtney Sullivan, author of "The Engagements" Tender and tragic, with a shooting star of hope, Leavitt's profound latest is about the connections of siblings, the mystery of love first, last and dangerous and the struggle to accept what can never be changed. Sara Gruen, author of "At the Water s Edge" I was mesmerized by Caroline Leavitt s new, breathtaking novel. She has spun a masterful web of seduction and loyalty, infatuation and love. At the same time Leavitt reveals how porous the line can be between truth and lies and how so much that happens between us is a matter of perspective. It is hard to read this novel and not think of" Lolita"and also of Dan Chaon s psychological thriller, "Await Your Reply."But this is more than a dark tale of predator and his victim. It is also about family and friendship, of sisters and that ties that bind.And in this end this poignant and complex novel is a story about how we tell stories and the narratives that become our lives. Mary Morris, author of"The Jazz Palace" "Cruel Beautiful World"is a stunning novel about life, real life, the sort in which mistakes can bring unfair consequences and family loyalty is a source of tremendous grace. Leavitt is a magician at creating unforgettable characters, and the two sisters at the heart of this tale will stay with me in all their complicated humanity. A brave book, and a powerfully moving one. Robin Black, author of "Life Drawing" Fierce and tender at once, "Cruel Beautiful World"flames with the sweetness of new love, smolders with bitterregret, and burns with all the mistakes in between. Peopled with gorgeously flawed characters, Caroline Leavitt's newest novel is a wonder of triumph and tragedy. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, "New York Times" bestselling author of"Bittersweet"and"June""

Backdropped by the Vietnam War and the Manson murders, "Cruel Beautiful World" is a fast-moving page-turner about the naivete of youth and the malignity of power. Leavitt explores with a keen eye the intersection of love, family, and the anxiety of an era. Lily King, author of "Euphoria" Tender and tragic, with a shooting star of hope, Leavitt's profound latest is about the connections of siblings, the mystery of love first, last and dangerous and the struggle to accept what can never be changed. Sara Gruen, author of "At the Water s Edge" "With"Cruel, Beautiful World," Caroline Leavitt has done the seemingly impossible: she's written a gorgeous, seductive novel that is also terrifying and pulse-pounding. This is the kind of coming-of-age novel for which readers yearn: we witness the emotional and spiritual evolution a sixteen-year-old girl while American society, in the early 1970s, seems to devolve all around her. Like the era it represents, "Cruel, Beautiful World"is at times hopeful and nihilistic, beautiful and savage, mesmerizing and dangerous." Wiley Cash, "New York Times"bestsellingauthor of"A Land More Kind Than Home"and"This Dark Road to Mercy" Two sisters impulsive Lucy and sensible Charlotte make decisions that will haunt the rest of their lives. Set in the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s, CRUEL BEAUTIFUL WORLD is a riveting novel about love and loss, secrets and lies, and what it means to be a family. Its twists and turns will keep you reading late into the night. Christina Baker-Kline, author of "Orphan Train" Leavitt's most accomplished book yet, "Cruel Beautiful World," is a seamless triumph of storytelling that follows an unusual family through a fraught and shapeshifting century. The edges and complications of their individual natures lead them towards fatal or redeemable choices. Some make it and some do not in this cruel, beautiful world. Gail Godwin, author of "Flora" I was mesmerized by Caroline Leavitt s new, breathtaking novel. She has spun a masterful web of seduction and loyalty, infatuation and love. At the same time Leavitt reveals how porous the line can be between truth and lies and how so much that happens between us is a matter of perspective. It is hard to read this novel and not think of "Lolita" and also of Dan Chaon s psychological thriller, "Await Your Reply."But this is more than a dark tale of predator and his victim. It is also about family and friendship, of sisters and that ties that bind.And in this end this poignant and complex novel is a story about how we tell stories and the narratives that become our lives. Mary Morris, author of "The Jazz Palace" At once a page-turner that leaves you holding your breath, and a gorgeous meditation on love and family. "Cruel Beautiful World" had me in its thrall from start to finish. J. Courtney Sullivan, author of "The Engagements" "Cruel Beautiful World"is a stunning novel about life, real life, the sort in which mistakes can bring unfair consequences and family loyalty is a source of tremendous grace. Leavitt is a magician at creating unforgettable characters, and the two sisters at the heart of this tale will stay with me in all their complicated humanity. A brave book, and a powerfully moving one. Robin Black, author of "Life Drawing" Fierce and tender at once, "Cruel Beautiful World"flames with the sweetness of new love, smolders with bitterregret, and burns with all the mistakes in between. Peopled with gorgeously flawed characters, Caroline Leavitt's newest novel is a wonder of triumph and tragedy. Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, "New York Times" bestselling author of"Bittersweet"and"June""

About the Author:

Caroline Leavitt is the award-winning author of eleven novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow. Her essays and stories have been included in New York magazine, and Psychology Today, and she teaches writing online at Stanford and UCLA.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thorndike Pr
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1410493563
• ISBN 13: 9781410493569
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 545