The Leisure Seeker [Movie Tie-In] - Softcover

Zadoorian, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062696866 ISBN 13: 9780062696861

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2017

Synopsis

Now a major motion picture starring Oscar award-winners Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, coming January 2018 from Sony Pictures Classics

Official Selection

Toronto Film Festival

Venice Film Festival

"The Leisure Seeker is pretty much like life itself: joyous, painful, moving, tragic, mysterious, and not to be missed."--Booklist, starred review

The Robinas have shared a wonderful life for more than sixty years. Now in their eighties, Ella suffers from cancer and John has Alzheimer's. Yearning for one last adventure, the self-proclaimed "down-on-their-luck geezers" kidnap themselves from the adult children and doctors who seem to run their lives and steal away from their home in suburban Detroit on a forbidden vacation of rediscovery.

With Ella as his vigilant copilot, John steers their '78 Leisure Seeker RV along the forgotten roads of Route 66 toward Disneyland in search of a past they're having a damned hard time remembering. Yet Ella is determined to prove that, when it comes to life, you can go back for seconds--even when everyone says you can't.

About this title

Review:

"Ella is a remarkable creation...Her middle-aged children's panicked demands that the couple return home will resonate with any adult who has feared for a parent's well-being. he Leisure Seeker is pretty much like life itself: joyous, painful, moving, tragic, mysterious, and not to be missed."--Booklist, starred review

"Zadoorian's pace is deceptive, it's restful. But unexpected scenes jump out at you. Come to the end and you'll say 'Oh my God.'"--Elmore Leonard

"Zadoorian has done no less than re-invent the American road story. These Easy Riders--drugged-up on meds, desperately in need of their naps, and determined to enjoy every last moment--are some of the most memorable characters I've ever met on the page."--Pagan Kennedy

"Both achingly sad and intensely romantic, this unforgettable story of a last honeymoon hooked me from the first page. The Leisure Seeker depicts the heartrending choices of a loving couple, illuminated by events both past and present. I couldn't put it down."--Marjorie Hart, author of the national bestseller SUMMER AT TIFFANY

"The humor is dark, the story poignant (for instance, Ella describes their RV as a "recreational sarcophagus") and the journey so descriptive that it makes you want to take the trip yourself."--Flint Journal

"Pick of the Week: This book evokes with great insight, tenderness and humour the absurdities and indignities of old age but also its freedoms and consolations."--Sydney Morning Herald

"This is a sad, sweet love letter to a fading America, elevated beyond its simple premise by its sharp humour about aging and a quietly shocking ending...it's hard to think of a more purely likeable novel in recent times."--Sydney Sun Herald

"In this affecting road novel, an elderly married couple leave their Detroit home and take off in their camper for one last adventure together... it's impossible to deny that Ella's wise, feisty voice turns what could be a sappy melodrama into an authentic and funny love story."--Publishers Weekly

"A beautifully simple story...readable, frequently funny, sometimes all too realistically poignant...This is Detroit-area writer Zadoorian's second book; watch him; he's going places."--Detroit Free Press

"Michael Zadoorian's bittersweet story about two runaways who are in their 80s and in failing health could be a lovely film... I could see Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine in the lead roles...Call it Kerouac-lite. It's On the Road with shorter sentences and less drugs and sex."--USA Today

From the Back Cover:

John and Ella Robina have shared a wonderful life for more than fifty years. Now in their eighties, Ella suffers from cancer and has chosen to stop treatment. John has Alzheimer's. Yearning for one last adventure, the self-proclaimed "down-on-their-luck geezers" kidnap themselves from the adult children and doctors who seem to run their lives to steal away from their home in suburban Detroit on a forbidden vacation of rediscovery.

With Ella as his vigilant copilot, John steers their '78 Leisure Seeker RV along the forgotten roads of Route 66 toward Disneyland in search of a past they're having a damned hard time remembering. Yet Ella is determined to prove that, when it comes to life, a person can go back for seconds—sneak a little extra time, grab a small portion more—even when everyone says you can't.

Darkly observant, told with humor, affection, and a touch of irony, The Leisure Seeker is an odyssey through the ghost towns, deserted trailer parks, forgotten tourist attractions, giant roadside icons, and crumbling back roads of America. Ultimately it is the story of Ella and John: the people they encounter, the problems they overcome, the experiences they have lived, the love they share, and their courage to take back the end of their own lives.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0062696866
• ISBN 13: 9780062696861
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288