1996 New York Public Library Selection for Books For The Teen Age

 

When a young man dies accidentally, his fiance, his young daughter, and his aging mother--all stricken with grief and mutual resentment, yet desperately in need of each other--learn to cope with their individual pasts and face the future. ​

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"Caroline Leavitt's sixth novel showcases her ability to create believable characters who can behave badly without forfeiting the reader's sympathy. Living Other Lives dips in and out of its characters' thoughts to reveal confused but basically good people who desperately want to be loved, without having much idea how to go about it. Warmhearted without being saccharine, a delicate balancing act that Ms. Leavitt pulls off with aplomb."New York Times Book Review

 

"Leavitt makes characters both human and sympathetic." New York Daily News

 

"Heartfelt and beguiling." Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

 

"One of the most gripping stories of people in crisis I have read since Ordinary People." Flint Journal