Leaving Home

Short Pieces

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Jodi Picoult

Leaving Home brings together three previously published short pieces, each dealing with a variation on the theme of leaving home. The first, "Weights and Measures", deals with the tragic loss of a child; the second is a non-fiction letter Picoult wrote to her eldest son as he left for college; and “Ritz” tells the story of a mother who takes the vacation all mothers need sometime.

©2011 Jodi Picoult (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“It is impossible not to be held spellbound by the way she forces us to think, hard, about right and wrong.” ( The Washington Post)

"Fans will find that Leaving Home offers another shining example of Picoult's skill as a storyteller. Those new to her work will find this a magnificent introduction." (Amazon.com review)

Not Bad, Just Not Great

The three stories (or the letter and two stories) in this collection were ok. I enjoy Picoult's writing but I really think she shines with longer works rather than shorter ones. As a narrator she was also ok, but again not great. I felt like a friend was reading me the stories, which is not horrible, but nothing remotely comparable to the complete immersion that listening to some of the other great narrators brings.

Mothers Dealing With Leaving and Loss

Children area supposed to die before their parents. Children are supposed to go college and out into the world. Mothers are not supposed to runaway. Three short stories of growth and loss Great performance. Recommend.

Get out the tissues (I'm not kidding)

I have almost downloaded Picoult several times and I'm so glad I resisted. This is well written, well presented and I will never listen to another one unless I really need a good cry. Every sentence set you on the road to pitiful. Every story was the ultimate in an emotion wringer-washer. I was exhausted - BUT if you like that sort or thing, you couldn't ask for a better writer and the narrator was excellent. I couldn't give it a lower rating because it is technically good.

Can Jodi Picoult adopt me?

Jodi Picoult narrates two short stories and a letter she wrote to her oldest on the topic of LEAVING HOME.

In the letter to her son, I wanted to give Jodi a big hug and ask her to be my mom. Kyle is so lucky to have a mom as who doesn’t just love him, but also likes the person he became. Every child should have a parent write a similar letter.

The story of the parents who lost a daughter WEIGHTS AND MEASURES touched me, more for the father’s grief than the moms.

I didn’t enjoy RITZ the runaway mom story as much, though I liked the voice of the daughter who narrated the story.

Picoult is a pretty good narrator, for someone not trained.

Not very good

I found the story line hard to follow. you won't find out why until the end.

My least favorite of Jodi Picoult's writing

I have loved every Jodi Picoult book I've ever read. Maybe not Tenth Circle just because I couldn't handle the content, but I didn't read/listen to all of it.
This book is definitely a departure from her typical formula. It's 2 short stories and a letter to her son, all read by the author. That sounds to me like it would be awesome, but it left a lot to be desired. The letter to her son did not really give any insights into who she is as a person or anything interesting. Nothing wrong with it, just not really interesting IMO.

The second piece has a sort of fantasy element to it, a part that is not literally possible. I think if I had been expecting this, I might have been more okay with it. I don't like it when stories change genres unexpectedly in the middle. And I know it's supposed to be very symbolic and all, but it just wasn't for me.

Of the three, the third was probably the best. I can't think of anything to say about it that won't spoil it, so I won't say anything. Still not up to par for her writing, but decent. Oddly, I felt like her voice was more suited to this story and teenaged perspective. It felt more organic.

I found myself thinking they'd made a poor choice of narrator before realizing that she (Jodi Picoult) is the narrator. I know this happens often; most people aren't lucky enough to be talented at both performing and writing (see Neil Gaiman for best exception ever).

Would I buy it again? Probably not, even if it was on sale. :P Not sure if I would have believed that before I listened, but there it is.