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    Little Children
    Little Children
    Little Children
    Audiobook11 hours

    Little Children

    Written by Tom Perrotta

    Narrated by George Wilson

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This New York Times best-seller has earned universal acclaim, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, and Booklist . With hits like Election and Joe College to his credit, author Tom Perrotta has established himself as a master of satire. Unhappily married Sarah passes her days at the local playground with her three-year-old daughter. When happily unemployed Todd (also married) and Sarah meet, their attraction is immediate. They begin a passionate affair just as their suburban utopia is rattled by the arrival of registered sex offender Ronald James McGorvey. With McGorvey in town, disgusted parents wonder if any of their little children will be safe. Perrotta's wry observations of suburbia make for a tremendously insightful tale. By adding a layer of suspense to his uniquely dark humor, he shapes Little Children into his most compelling novel yet.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMar 5, 2008
    ISBN9781449803315
    Little Children
    Author

    Tom Perrotta

    Tom Perrotta is the bestselling author of ten works of fiction,including Election and Little Children, both of which were made into critically acclaimed movies, and The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher, which were both adapted into series. He lives outside Boston.

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    Reviews for Little Children

    3.5/5

    1,183 ratings66 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I normally don't pick up books like this--something that may sooner or later be found in the bins of genre fiction that no one in a hundred years will look back and say, "That book really did shape different thoughts--" but I gave Little Children the benefit of the doubt. From the get go, I was discouraged because of the Reading Group Guide at the back of the book. I could only picture housewives and forced husbands sitting around in a circle chatting up a storm, dissecting the book in every way possible. This is not the book for me, but I had wanted to read since I saw the soft cover a few years back. It wasn't until the movie came out that I remembered about it. So I picked up and read it.

      I can't believe how wrong I have been by judging the book by the "genre."

      I love Tom Perrotta's voice, making him quite possibly the first writer who still breathes to capture my attention.

      The title itself seems a little shady Little Children can mean anything. From first glance, it's about a story of parents in their early thirties with---you guessed it, little children. But then there's the mindsets of all these people: Mary Ann, who has to have everything clockwork--even sex!!!!; Sarah, a decayed feminist who finds herself being the typical housewife; Kathy, the artist who is working on a documentary while her husband, Todd, is a stay-at-home-dad; Richard, Sarah's husband, gets lost inside every teenaged-boy's fantasy of internet porn; and Todd, the SAHD, who refuses to grow up. Couple them with a few other supporting characters, and you have the residents of Bellington.

      But enter Ronnie McGorvey, a convicted child molester and suspected child murderer. As if the symbol of innocence lost, his presence changes the atmosphere of the peaceful town.

      Sarah and Todd finds themselves in the arms of an affair; Richard decides to live up to his sexual dreams; Kathy hides behind her mother as the impending doom hangs over her head. Each of them will slowly realized that they will have to, sooner rather than later, have to put behind the childish fantasies of the perfect life, and grow up.

    • 3/5
      Strong characters in this novel. However, I really did not like how it ended. Just abruptly.
    • 5/5
      I love Tom Perrotta's books. He takes perfectly believable people living perfectly believable lives and makes them cross paths in breath-taking ways. Impossible to put down.
    • 4/5
      Well-written. Compassionate.
    • 2/5
      It was okay. It's definitely well written, but it also just wasn't my kind of story. Unhappy straight white suburbanites having affairs, whoop-de-doo.
    • 4/5
      It's probably not the book's fault. I just finished up another existentially depressing treatise on modern life, so this wasn't a great chaser (not that i knew that at the time, of course).

      But man, what bleakness.

      Little Children is the story of how nobody is really happy or in control, and trying to change it only makes things worse. There are brief, fleeting moments of happiness that collapse into ever-lengthening echoes of despair the minute you start to time them. Also, the story of a registered sex offender (and accused-but-not-actually-convicted child murderer!) plays a big role.
      So I feel somewhat justified.

      I can appreciate the argument that the novel is only trying to represent "reality," and I will concede the plotting is at least probable, if not super likely. But this is where my "two books where the predominant theme is people are terrible in a row" thing kicks in. I understand (and subscribe to!) the idea that people, in general, are kind of terrible. Individual persons, though, tend to be less so.

      Every character in Little Children feels like a consolidation of the worst traits of humanity distilled into an individual, which (in my experience) is precisely opposite of how it works. People as a whole are scumbags; Your neighbor probably isn't too bad. Though we like to joke that hipsters and suburbanites are terrible people, for the most part they're just mildly annoying when they congregate and generally tolerable on their own, short of fashion sense. Perhaps there's some sort of assholic magnet that drew those people together, or maybe it was something in the water. Regardless, you don't see that kind of bitterness and poison among a group of people outside of that ABC show The Slap, which I don't think anyone is confusing for reality anytime soon.

      Which is not to say this was a bad book! Merely depressing. Just make sure you're ready going into it.
    • 3/5
      I really don't think I have anything particularly insightful to say about Perotta's Little Children. Essentially, I found it to be a readable, likeable book about some mostly unlikeable people,and some of those were remarkably unlikable. Several times as I read I thought, "are there really adult men who are as big a goober as Larry Moon?" Course there are, but I suppose I have steered clear of them. Todd, "the prom king", is a sweet enough guy, but thoroghly confused. In fact, all the central characters are confused, confused about how they have washed up on the shore of adulthood so completely ill-equipped and so desperately off the mark from what their earlier lives seemed to promise. However, other authors have treated the same theme with greater power. One would be Ford with his brilliant Revolutionary Road, a book which, I believe, was published the same year as Tom Perotta and I were born. Revolutionary Road was perfectly nuanced, hitting a deeper chord of truth and emotion. Often described as a writer of darkly comic books, Perotta may allow this stance to water down the possible poignancy and intensity of his story.

    • 5/5
      I love Tom Perrotta the way 13-year-old girls love Justin Bieber. This is my second time reading this book and I loved it even more the second time. I rarely read books with a "perfect ending." There is usually something lacking. Not here. The conclusion is just right. And the pace of the last 50 pages is so perfectly frantic. I love it. There's a perfect balance of humor and sadness. The characters all seem real. We all know these people in our lives. Great, great, great.
    • 3/5
      I wasn’t sure how I was going to like this book when I picked it up for many reasons. A huge one being that the only other book by Tom Perrotta I’d read was The Leftovers, which I had really high hopes for, but it left me completely unimpressed. On the other hand, I really enjoy reading family dramas and wanted to give Tom Perrotta another shot. Little Children left me with a much better impression. Although there were still things I didn’t enjoy about the book, it was a good read overall.Sidenote: WHAT'S WITH THIS GUY AND OPEN ENDINGS? Seriously.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book, for the most part; though, I can't say I was all that thrilled with its WTF ending. I thought the conclusion of the movie version was more fitting.
    • 3/5
      This book was fun and entertaining until the last 20 pages. There is no resolution to any of the "dramas" of any of the characters. This I found to be annoying.
    • 3/5
      This was quite an easy quick read. Set in modern American suburbia, two bored parents begin an extra marital affair. This is very much a character study. Thought provoking rather than earth shattering.
    • 3/5
      This book was suggested as discussion material for the upcoming Yale Reunion. I read it quickly; I usually do not favor novels of the current time. The first chapter had amusing comments on the background noise of child rearing and suburbia in the recent past, then the author concentrated on his characters, all of whom are sexually obsessed. The handsome stay at home dad, Todd, "the Prom King" enthralls the ladies at the playground, and starts an affair with one of them, Sarah. He almost elopes with her but is injured at the end of the novel. His wife Kathy is a film maker, and makes him regret losing her sexuality. The prison released sexual pervert is harrassed by an ex-cop, and at the end, there are resolutions, hugs, and relief. Characterization is deft, and the motives, thoughts and feelings are true to life. Often, in these novels, one thinks the main character is too stupid or blind not to notice what is happening in the plot, but that is not the case here
    • 3/5
      This book is really about a bunch of middle aged suburbanites who should have never gotten married and had kids in the first place. I should also mention one of the main characters is a child molester, which is just really a difficult subject for me.
    • 3/5
      Not really my style, but a quick and interesting read.
    • 4/5
      What I like most about Perrotta’s characters is that they seem so real, so normal, flawed but basically OK. I feel like I both identify with them and I really know them, that they are my friends and neighbors. His latest novel is no exception. Set in the suburbs, it chronicles a summer in the lives of several people who aren’t quite sure how they ended up where they are, who didn’t consciously make the decisions that led them to this neighborhood, this marriage, this life. Two of the characters, Todd and Sarah, begin an affair that plays out like a high school romance, even culminating in Todd’s victory on the football field with Sarah cheering him on. But Perrotta doesn’t try to deceive us that life is this idyllic teenage fairy tale. Life is not ideal; it’s more often confusing or messy or just plain work, and we the readers are a little relieved and glad when the novel leads us, and Sarah, to this conclusion. Because that is more satisfying than the fairy tale.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my top five favorite books. The first time I read it I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Essentially I wanted to hate the two main characters, since ultimately it is about two adulterers. Yet, I didn't. I didn't hate either of them, and came away from it actually feeling some strong emotions for both.This book made me think, made me laugh, made me cry. It was truly the whole package.I love the way he writes. He has this way of making it feel authentic. The characters seem real, like you could pass them on the street anyday.I reccommend this book to anyone who loves books. It was fantastic.
    • 4/5
      Another good novel from the author of 'Election'. It is a sharp satire that still manages to show a lot of compassion to its characters (even the most flawed of them and those that I felt really didn't deserve it).
    • 4/5
      I liked this book - harmless fun in a "Desperate Housewives" kind of way. Didn't take long at all to finish it - great beach book.
    • 4/5
      I was both impressed and depressed by this novel. Perotta is a darkly comic writer. Everything that happens in this book is pretty miserable. All of the characters are easy to relate to, but so unlikeable that it didn't bother me that nothing good comes to anyone. Parents of young children will recognize both playground politics and the frustrations of stay-at-home parenting.
    • 4/5
      I found Little Children to be a highly entertaning read. The characters are so real that I can picture each one so clearly and was easily pulled in to the novel. I watched the film last year, so I already knew the story, but the endings are so different (I perfer the movie ending). The ending, in my opinion, fell a little flat, but I thought the setting (a playground) was perfect. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and do recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly entertaining considering that all of the characters are absolutely miserable.
    • 4/5
      This guy is good at what he does. Little Children is surprisingly gripping for a novel about suburbanites who bore themselves and just about everyone around them. I would have read it in one sitting if I'd had the time. There's a lot of good writing here, and I particularly appreciated Perrotta's use of juxtaposition. Authors often annoy me by jumping inexpertly from story line to story line. Perrotta's moved his focus pretty seamlessly without employing cheap transitions. The ending felt a bit contrived, but at least Perrotta saved it from being overly moralistic by slight turn into the unexpected. I also give him credit for having the brains and the guts to end it exactly when he should have without indulging in unnecessary wrap up after the climax.
    • 1/5
      This book is being discussed in an upcoming book club I’ve been thinking about joining and I have heard some good reviews about it but I just could not bring myself to care about the characters of this story of suburbia, apparently unhappy marriages, and a blatant dissatisfaction with the life of stay at home parenting. I can understand that these topics are a reality for millions and it’s not that I cannot read a book that I can’t relate to personally – I can and have. And frankly there were things I could relate to but I could not seem to care about any of the characters at all. It was like watching a handful of sad people trapped in boxes they’d knowingly climbed into – and being forced to sit inside those boxes with them. The best part of this book was putting it down and being greeted by my own life, which is kind of the opposite of falling into a good book. I feel like I’m trying to make excuses for not finishing this book, like I’ve done some horrible misdeed but at the end of the day I have to remind myself that I have better things to do with my time than read a book I’m not enjoying, whatever the reasons.
    • 4/5
      Interesting and well-written, but nothing particularly new.
    • 4/5
      I couldn't put this book down. Page after page I was totally gripped by the stories in the novel. I loved the pacing of the novel and the characters were really interesting and full of surprises but still felt real.My heart was seriously pounding in the last few pages of the book. I think it was one of the most gripping reads I have had in ages.
    • 4/5
      Little Children, in short, is an absolutely amazing book. I know that the subject matter is polarizing, and in some cases could be considered to be vulgar. I mean, what could better offend human sensibilities than to pose that suburban life is not all that it is cracked up to be. Little Children chronicles the unhappiness and downfall of several suburban families. For those of you, like myself, who live in Suburbia, you might recognize many of these people as shadows of people you deal with every day. Perhaps even recognizing these characters in yourself. This book is dark and sensual, and in many cases, very real. Real enough that I have seen variations of many of these stories played out in my life and the lives of the people I know. I recommend this book to all of those who, like myself, live in the seemingly idyllic middle class neighborhoods, yet see that there is a disconnect from the facade that is shown to the world, and what really occurs.
    • 3/5
      Rather mediocre throughout. The author would have gained an extra star from me if he had pursued the morality-tale ending it looked like he was setting up early in part iv, however he ended up shying away from it instead.
    • 4/5
      The storyline was a bit predictable -- I kept thinking I must have already read the book because I knew everything that was going to happen before it happened -- but I loved the writing style and found the characters to be believable.
    • 4/5
      May's storyline and the how Perrotta ended the novel are the only things that saved this book for me. I considered not finishing it a couple of times, but I'm glad I stuck with it to the end. The last scene was a perfect conclusion.