Days of Wonder is about a young troubled woman, early-released from prison, struggling to reinvent herself as she searches for the child she gave up, and grapples with the mystery of an attempted murder she and her now vanished boyfriend supposedly committed when they were fifteen. 

 

PRAISE:

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"Heralds the power of steady perseverance, sturdy faith, and the raw restorative power of love." The The New York Times

 

"Leavitt’s gift for complex yet self-aware protagonists makes us root for them.As is her way, Leavitt infuses a much-told story with contemporary social issues that render the work 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, the reader’s commitment to a misguided outcome deepens along with Ella’s. "
The Los Angeles Times​

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"Splendid. Caroline Leavitt is a great American novelist." Scott Simon, NPR

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"Compelling. This intense page-turner takes place in the boroughs of New York City and in the college town of Ann Arbor. Some may call it a psychological thriller, given that passion and attempted murder are central elements. This is Caroline Leavitt's best work to date." Jewish Book Council

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"Marvelously satisfying." The National Book Review

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“Caroline Leavitt has crafted a novel rich in empathy and a story that will resonate with every reader. When Ella and Jude's young love goes awry, they struggle for a maturity that allows them to see that their past mistakes are in fact doors to a new, more beautiful life.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author and Oprah Bookclub pick, Hello Beautiful

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“Days of Wonder, the newest novel by the award-winning and bestselling author Caroline Leavitt, is as intricately patterned as a high-quality Persian rug... A page-turning exploration of love, motherhood, and secrecy... almost impossible to put down." New York Journal of Books, Fran Hawthorne

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"Leavitt does a remarkable job with the characters of Helen and Ella. We watch them change and grow as they have to deal with an impossible situation, and we root for them. Helen and Ella have found a place in my heart, and 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." EDITOR'S CHOICE GRADE A Diane La Rue, The Citizen newspaper

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"All page-turning drama." People Magazine, one of Peoples' Best Books of April

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"Caroline Leavitt knows family and drama. Days of Wonder is a moving mediation on motherhood, family—both the one we’re born into & the one we create—and one of Leavitt’s finest. Richly developed characters & palpable sense of place; the truths it tells continue to resonate." Yona Zeldis McDonough, Lilith Magazine

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""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."Rebecca Munro, BookReporter
 

“Days of Wonder, the newest novel by the award-winning and bestselling author Caroline Leavitt, is as intricately patterned as a high-quality Persian rug... A page-turning exploration of love, motherhood, and secrecy... almost impossible to put down." New York Journal of Books, Fran Hawthorne
"Days of Wonder" is unputdown-able for all the best reasons. It's about the most fascinating topics (the media, guilt, love). It's packed with all you want (style, pathos, humor). It's got a killer plot, a great heroine, and brilliance on every page. It is, in short, a masterpiece. If you're not a Leavitt fan, you just haven't read this one. " Darin Strauss, NBCC-winning author of Half a Life and bestselling author of Queen of Tuesday

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"The New York Times-bestselling author of Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow is back with her most audacious, empathetic novel yet. Ella and Jude meet as teenagers in New York City, where they fall quickly in love — just before tragedy strikes. A pregnant Ella is accused of trying to murder Jude's father and is sentenced to 25 years in prison. This gripping epic then picks back up six years later, when Ella is released from prison early, and sets out on a journey to both clear her name and get her daughter back. — S.L. Bustle

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"Prolific novelist Leavitt spins a tale of young love, loss and new beginnings. Readers who crave drama will love it." Booklist

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"Seven Feel-Good Novels We All Desperately Need. Days of Wonder is..a true escape to look forward to." Oprah Daily

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"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.
Julia Glass, National Book Award winner, author of Vigil Harbor

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Days of Wonder explores obsessive love, young motherhood, what constitutes a family, and the challenges of starting over after being the branded with a scarlet YM (Young Murderer) by a voracious media. Caroline Leavitt is among the best writers of multilayered coming of age stories and family dramas. Her novels are addictive melodramas, but she maintains discipline over the complicated plots by probing the many ethical dilemmas involved. Bill Wolfe, Read Her Like An Open Book Spring Preview

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"Fierce narrative energy." Kirkus Reviews

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"Propulsive!" Publishers Weekly

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"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." —Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

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"What a phenomenal novel! Poignant, thrilling and moving, Caroline Leavitt's DAYS OF WONDER grabbed me from the very first page and wouldn't let go. Leavitt is a master of plotting, pacing and language. This intricately woven, beautifully written novel is a joy. A tender, propulsive and stunning read! "
Jean Kwok, New York Times and internationally bestselling author and Jenna's Today Show pick, The Leftover Woman

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As compassionate as it is complex, Days of Wonder is a completely absorbing story of loss, injustice, and the canyons of misconception left behind. Both a coming-of-age love story and a tale of motherhood, the emotional resonance will stay with you long after the final page.

--Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

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"Caroline Leavitt’s newest novel captures, in searing and heart stopping prose, explosions of passion--between lovers—and the kind of desperate love that binds and alienates family members in what has emerged as her signature style across an electrifying body of work.  In Days of Wonder, fathers, mothers, daughters, and sons go off the rails with devastating consequences, and later, in the wake of pain and loneliness, some, thankfully, manage to float and reach beyond pain to a greater good. What's left in the aftermath of dreams slashed are people who are scarred, yet resilient, determined to begin anew, and somehow able to give love another chance."

 Jessica Keener, author of SIBA bestseller and Indie Next pick, Strangers in Budapest, and the national bestseller, Night Swim.

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A “Caroline Leavitt is a national treasure. I've been reading her novels from the very first and I can say that no one writes about the bond of motherhood like Leavitt. I loved Days of Wonder and simply couldn’t put it down. A warm, big-hearted story of love and longing, the novel gets at the very essence of what it means to be a mother and a daughter, a friend and a wife. Like all of Leavitt's novels, this latest offers the most profound narrative pleasures. Days of Wonder may be her best yet.” —Joanna Rakoff, Best selling author of My Salinger Year and A Fortunate Age 

 

"Caroline Leavitt is at the top of her game in DAYS OF WONDER. She has crafted a cast of characters who will have readers spellbound. Childhood disasters, adult transgressions, and the complications of family are woven together to create a novel of redemption, reinvention, and hope. Rarely have I read a novel that affected me so dramatically that I felt the characters were people with whom I had a personal investment. Set aside an afternoon for DAYS OF WONDER. It will leave you in awe."
Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller

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"A highly emotional and rare glimpse into both the beauty and brutality of motherhood, and the paths chosen. Leavitt's Days of Wonder is a huge triumph."
Ron Block, Branch Manager, Cuyahoga County Public Library

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DAYS OF WONDER should come with a gift card for Uber Eats, because once you begin reading, you will not be able to stop. Caroline Leavitt’s characters climb off the page and straight into your heart. This story of love and loss and redemption, and how the weight of our secrets can shred us is unforgettable.

What a gift to be able to hold this book in your hands and lose yourself in its pages!

Mary Webber O'Malley

Virtual Bookseller

Skylark Bookshop

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“Richly layered with unique characters and an astonishing storyline, DAYS OF WONDER is a remarkable achievement. Brava to Caroline Leavitt for creating this vivid, original, and breathtaking world that now lives inside me. I loved it!” --Ellen Meister, author of Take My Husband and The Other Life

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ESSAYS:

THE DAILY BEAST: Why Doesn't Our Fascination with True Crime Include a Little Forgiveness?

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