Marti Leimbach is the author of several novels, including the international bestseller Dying Young, which was made into a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts. Born in Washington, D.C., Leimbach attended the Creative Writing program at University of California, Irvine, and Harvard University. She currently lives in England and teaches at Oxford University’s Creative Writing program.
“Gripping. . . . A tale of a mother’s fierce devotion. . . . Leimbach has a gift for emotionally searing fiction leavened with humor.” —People “Timely and uplifting.” —The New York Times Book Review “Amazing. . . .[A book about] tangled relationships, compassionate moments, fear and joy . . . and along the way there are moments of grace. . . . Gives us reason to hope.” —The Washington Post“Hard to put down. . . . Leimbach’s strength is in creating characters who are human and fallible and become imbedded in your heart.” —USA Today
Leimbach (Dying Young) notes on the back of the galley that she has modeled her title character on her own autistic son; the result is moving, frequently funny and never mawkish. The novel is narrated by Melanie Marsh, an American woman living in England who seems to have it all: Stephen, a rich if somewhat starchy husband; Emily, a vivacious daughter; and an adorable son named Daniel. But after a normal infancy, Daniel is beginning to behave strangely-throwing tantrums, walking on his toes, still seeking his mother's breast and refusing to talk. As Melanie unravels, Stephen remains in denial, until the dreaded diagnosis of autism is delivered. The marriage falls apart, but Melanie does not. She embarks on a frustrating, heroic mission to get the best treatment for her son, eventually entrusting his care to Andy O'Connor, a behaviorist with a dubious reputation. But his unorthodox methods get results, and soon, a bit too predictably, a romance blossoms between Andy and Melanie. While the novel lacks the literary ambition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Leimbach does succeed in making us care about Daniel and his progress. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
"Gripping. . . . A tale of a mother's fierce devotion. . . . Leimbach has a gift for emotionally searing fiction leavened with humor." -People "Timely and uplifting." -The New York Times Book Review "Amazing. . . .[A book about] tangled relationships, compassionate moments, fear and joy . . . and along the way there are moments of grace. . . . Gives us reason to hope." -The Washington Post"Hard to put down. . . . Leimbach's strength is in creating characters who are human and fallible and become imbedded in your heart." -USA Today
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