Love and Leftovers

Although I am an avowed Apocalypsies fan, I have to confess that I was skeptical about this one, because I'm really not a poetry fan for the most part. It just never has moved me so much as prose, although I will admit that the best prose does seem to have a lyrical quality to it, so I suppose one could make the argument that all writing is poetry in some sense.

Anyway, this book totally worked for me, and I will definitely be keeping my free copy in my collection. A big part of the reason that I don't like poetry most of the time is that it seems so pompous and self-congratulatory. That totally is not the feeling I got from Love & Leftovers. It's more like Marcie just thinks in poetry; it's who she is.

In fact, I think the poetry is what made the book really work. I didn't much like Marcie, because she did some things that are completely unforgivable in my opinion. She's not a great person by any means. However, because of the format, which totally seems like a window into her character, I could help being drawn in and caring about her, despite wanting to give her a serious shake most of the time.

Love & Leftovers is a beautiful book and, because poems are short, can be read in just a few hours. If you like Sarah Dessen, I think you'll like Love & Leftovers.

Marcie went along when her mom went to their old summer house for a few days. Once she starts at the local school, she figures this is more than a vacation. She misses her boyfriend and group of close friends back home. Her mom is in a downward spiral of depression and Marcie is left all alone.

I admit I was very concerned about reading something in verse, but I needn’t have worried. After the second page/poem, I was hooked. Every chapter is a different poem written by Marcie and I was surprised at how much emotion and imagery Tregay managed to put into each poem.

"Do you hate the person
who tapped the first domino down?
Or do you hate the domino
for not standing up for itself?
And if you are the second domino,
and you get toppled, do you hate yourself?"

The verse was actually quite easy to read and I finished the book in just a few hours, which also spoke to how much I enjoyed it.

The plot wasn’t especially unique, but the way it was written and the unexpected direction it took made it feel new and fresh. Every character was represented and I never wondered how or why they did the things they did. Even with so many people in Marcie’s life, I didn’t feel like anyone was missing anything.

The dialogue was great, I loved the snarky way Marcie and her friends talked to each other. Their group of friends was great; they didn’t fit in with any of the other cliques at school so they made their own, and they were a tight group who didn’t take any crap from anyone.

I love the cover, everything about it is cute and fits the story perfectly.

Gr 8 Up–After bumping into her husband with his boyfriend at the grocery store, Marcie’s mother decides to stay at the family’s summer home in New Hampshire rather than return to Idaho with him. The teen’s life is turned upside-down; she has to start over at a new school away from her friends, The Leftovers, and from her “emo-sensitive rocker” boyfriend. Things start looking up when she meets a good-looking jock who brings her breakfast and takes her to the homecoming dance. Then, when she seems to be settling in, her severely depressed mother thinks she will be better off in Boise, and Marcie is whisked back to her old life, where she comes to understand her father better and questions her relationship with her boyfriend. Told in verse, the story takes a realistic look at the emotional roller coaster that is first love. Marcie doesn’t always make sensible decisions, and she hurts her boyfriend and alienates her friends, but her actions are believable. The Leftovers are an easily relatable crowd: a poetic rock-star wannabe, a manga-drawing tattooed best friend, a geeky swimmer, and a cheerful Girl Scout, to name a few. The author does a terrific job of keeping the plot moving by using poetry to her advantage. Reluctant readers will appreciate the brevity while poetic souls will appreciate the format.
–Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Stark County District Library, Canton, OH