Book Review: Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt
Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt
Publisher: Algonquin Books
October 4, 2016
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
It’s 1969, and sixteen-year-old Lucy is about to run away with a much older man to live off the grid in rural Pennsylvania, a rash act that will have frightening repercussions for both her and her older sister, Charlotte. As Lucy’s default caretaker for most of their lives, Charlotte has always been burdened by having to be the responsible one, but never more so than when Lucy’s dream of a rural paradise turns into a nightmare.
With precise, haunting prose and indelible characters, Cruel Beautiful World examines the infinitesimal distance between seduction and love, loyalty and duty, and most of all, tells a universal story of sisterhood and the complicated legacy of family.
Lucy and Charlotte are sisters. Charlotte is studious and straight laced. Ever since their parents died when they were small children, Charlotte has felt responsible for Lucy. And keeping Lucy in line is a hard job. She’s not studious and is kind of flighty. She doesn’t always make the best decisions as evidence by the fact that she runs away with her boyfriend William, who is currently her high school English teacher. They move to an isolated area in the middle of nowhere and Lucy soon learns that William isn’t the man she thought he was.
The description on the inside flap of this book said it was “set against a backdrop of peace, love, and the Manson murders,” which I was looking forward too since I’ve always been intrigued by the Manson family and have read books and listened to podcasts about them. However, I was disappointed that they were only briefly mentioned and didn’t have much bearing on the story. The other criticism I have is that although the book is set in the 1960s, the characters say words and phrases that weren’t common until later like, “It is what it is.”
Cruel Beautiful World was one of my book club’s selections. Lucy’s relationship with William gave us a lot to talk about. I won’t say much more because I don’t want to give anything away.
The characters in Cruel Beautiful World are complex and well-developed. All of the characters have a rich back-story, especially Iris, the girls’ guardian. There were a couple of surprises in the plot that I didn’t see coming. As Lucy’s relationship with William progresses, Leavitt creates an atmosphere thick with foreboding that kept my stomach in knots. I enjoyed this book and think it makes for a great summer read.
