Days of Wonder
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As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of...
As a teenager, for a moment, Ella Fitchburg found love—yearning, breathless love—that consumed both her and her boyfriend, Jude, as they wandered the streets of New York City together. But her life was unexpectedly upended when she was accused of trying to murder Jude’s father, an imperious superior court judge, and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. When she learns she’s pregnant shortly after sentencing, she reluctantly decides to give up the child.
Ella is released after serving only six years. While she is desperate to turn the page on a new life, she can’t seem to let go of her past. With only an address as a possible lead, she moves to Ann Arbor, Michigan, determined to get her daughter back. Forced to hide her identity and complicated past and live in a constant state of deception, she finds that what she’s been searching for all along is a way to uncover and live with the truth. Yet a central mystery endures: neither Jude nor Ella can remember the events leading up to the attempted murder—that fateful night which led to Ella’s conviction.
For fans of Miranda Cowley Heller’s The Paper Palace and Allegra Goodman’s Sam, Caroline Leavitt’s Days of Wonder is a gripping high-drama page-turner about the elusive nature of redemption and the profound reach of love.
Published By Algonquin Books
Format Hardback
Number Of Pages 320
Publication Date 04/23/2024
ISBN 9781643751283
Dimensions 6.35 inches x 9.3 inches
Named a Best/Most Anticipated Book by Bustle and Zibby Mag
"Leavitt is clearly in her element here... [her] graceful prose... heralds the power of steady perseverance, sturdy faith and the raw restorative power of love."
"A versatile, talented writer... Her gift for creating complex, unpredictable yet self-aware protagonists is on full display... fresh and provocative and deep... It’s a tribute to Leavitt’s seasoned skills that as the plot thickens, the characters evolve and the pages fly."
"I was so inspired by [Leavitt's] inspiration for this book... resilience forged from regret... [The] book is a wonder. It's called DAYS OF WONDER and it's a must read."
“A propulsive and heartwarming story about the lengths a mother will go to clear her name and save her loved ones. A true escape to look forward to this spring.”
“The New York Times-bestselling author of Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow is back with her most audacious, empathetic novel yet... [A] gripping epic.”
"Days of Wonder is as intricately patterned as a high-quality Persian rug... A page-turning exploration of love, motherhood, and secrecy... almost impossible to put down."
"There is good reason Caroline Leavitt is considered our great American storyteller. Days of Wonder, her incandescent novel of young love, loss and regret will not leave you when you reach the end. Ella Fitchburg is a total original, her struggles for truth, connection and forgiveness are our own. This layered novel is woven with the tender thread of love, which saves Ella and redeems a past she cannot escape. Superb."
"Sometimes, though very rarely, a novel comes along that is so full of life, love and wonder that it almost feels impossible to imagine the writer’s hand behind it --- the kind of novel that breathes with spirit, vitality and a convincing, complex range of human emotions. This year, that novel for me is Caroline Leavitt’s DAYS OF WONDER... Heart-rendingly beautiful, achingly poignant, and innately and almost miraculously full of love and wonder. If there is one thing Leavitt can do, it’s write a love story, regardless of whether the love is romantic, parental or something else entirely. And in DAYS OF WONDER, her talents are on full display."
"Caroline Leavitt has always known how to draw her readers in from the very first page, and her newest book, Days of Wonder, proves that she's still at the top of her game... This moving mediation on motherhood, family – both the one we're born into and the one we create – is surely one of Leavitt's finest. Her richly developed characters and the palpable sense of place make the story leap from the pages and come alive; when it's over, the truths it tells continue to resonate."
"No one writes the mother-daughter relationship in novels better than Caroline Leavitt. I also give Days of Wonder my highest recommendation, and it may be Caroline Leavitt’s best book yet."
"Prolific novelist Leavitt spins a tale of young love, loss, and new beginnings… readers who crave drama will love it."
“In this heart-rending page-turner, Caroline Leavitt spins a complex web of mother-daughter relationships in the aftermath of a tragically impulsive act that shatters the lives of two teenage lovers. With a tender, incisive eye, she shows how resilience can be forged from regret and hope from remorse.”
“Fearless… the tabloid scandals start early and never stop in Leavitt’s latest… If you love old-fashioned Hollywood melodrama, this may be just your cup of foxglove tea.”
"Caroline Leavitt rewards readers with emotionally resonant, gripping, and topical page-turners. Days of Wonder (Algonquin Books) is her latest. Radiant with empathy... marvelously satisfying."
"A poignant story of loss and redemption."
"Caroline Leavitt is a terrific writer and a model literary citizen; her generosity is legendary. Her latest novel, Days of Wonder, succeeds at seemingly incompatible aims. It’s a page-turner and an investigation into questions concerning our criminal-justice system, the nature of rehabilitation, love, adoption, and how we pay for our mistakes."
"Told through multiple perspectives, “Days of Wonder” warns of the corrosive power of secrets, raises questions about love and parent-child relationships, and reveals that real freedom comes from facing our truths."
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