Would you listen to Leap again? Why?
I'm still thinking about the characters days after finishing the book and I'm curious about which of them was speaking in some of the conversations. I might get the print version to clarify.
What other book might you compare Leap to and why?
Once while listening I thought of Endless Love by Scott Spencer because both novels capture the all consuming passion, thrill, and tenderness of young love.
Which character – as performed by Samuel Johnson – was your favorite?
The main character, Joe. The narrator did a masterful job of conveying the heart and soul of a wounded young man as he recovers from a lost love. Mr. Johnson has an intense, soft-spoken, raspy but youthful voice that is just right for the story.
If you could take any character from Leap out to dinner, who would it be and why?
Elise, the forty-something graphic artist whose marriage is in danger. She too is recovering from a great loss and in the process has learned much about herself as a wife and mother.
Any additional comments?
Leap is a compelling and original story that carefully builds a universe of comfort and hope around the experience of lost love. It's compassionate and intelligent and the characters all sympathetic and complex. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and recommend it highly.
I have one note about the production. There seemed to be no attention paid to providing natural breaks (sometimes even *breaths*) between chapters or between the switching from one parallel story to the other. It was confusing and distracting. I don't understand how the sound editor can let this happen.