Rest of Her Life

By Laura Moriarty

Book Overview

In The Rest of Her Life, Laura Moriarty delivers a luminous, compassionate, and provocative look at how mothers and daughters with the best intentions can be blind to the harm they do to one another.

Leigh is the mother of high-achieving, popular high school senior Kara. Their relationship is already strained for reasons Leigh does not fully understand when, in a moment of carelessness, Kara makes a mistake that ends in tragedy -- the effects of which not only divide Leigh's family, but polarize the entire community. We see the story from Leigh's perspective, as she grapples with the hard reality of what her daughter has done and the devastating consequences her actions have on the family of another teenage girl in town, all while struggling to protect Kara in the face of rising public outcry.

Like the best works of Jane Hamilton, Jodi Picoult, and Alice Sebold, Laura Moriarty's The Rest of Her Life is a novel of complex moral dilemma, filled with nuanced characters and a page-turning plot that makes readers ask themselves, "What would I do"

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401309437
• ISBN13: 9781401309435
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Another amazing book

For a second novel, this one stands out among the best and proves that Laura Moriarty is not a flash-in-the-pan. I'm glad she waited to publish this book because it is as excellent if not more so than the Center of Everything. I found the characters believable and the story engrossing. Can't wait for the next one!

An amazing second novel!

I was looking forward to this book for months after reading The Center of Everything, which was Moriarty's first novel. Once again she wrote a unique story with characters that were beautifully developed. She has a real talent for getting the complete character of a mother right, even when they are mothers that you may want to hate. I can't wait for her next book!

smart, literate and unique

This novel weaves a spell. It starts when a teenage girl kills a classmate in an auto accident. It's a tough subject, but Moriarty handles it with grace. The ramifications on both families, and, in fact, the entire community are believable and honest. This is sure to be grist for some wonderful book club discussions.

Another slam dunk for Laura Moriarty

Once again, Laura Moriarty proves that she has the most amazing instincts for character development and dialogue. You really feel like you know these people. They are three-dimensional: you don't always like them, but you GET them. I can't wait for the next one!!!