I usually wait until mid to late January before posting my reading plans or goals. Mainly because I'm very optimistic about my superhuman capabilities during the start of a new year but much of that enthusiasm fades over the next couple of weeks. I tend to believe I can read more than ever but reality is usually closer to how much I averaged in previous years. So, to allow myself the opportunity to dream big and then plan well, I take the ambitious goals for a road test during the first couple of weeks of the year. If they still look achievable, great! If not, I will part ways with those that are a stretch. The numbers I have an arbitrary number set in Goodreads for this year but it's not a number I will quote as I tend to change it often and it is intended to factor in the many picture books I read with my kids. But that said, there are three numbers I would like to improve this year (last year's stats in parentheses) - total number of pages read (approx. 11k), average n
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Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is set in a day of a boy's life and is written from his perspective. At the beginning of the book, Leonard Peacock lets us know that he is planning to kill a classmate by nightfall and then end his life. He doesn't reveal his reasons for such a macabre plan yet but proceeds on to insist that he needs to give farewell presents to four people before he carries out his plan. Of course, the recipients shouldn't get too suspicious about why they are getting gifts. The four recipients turn out to be the only people who have had a positive impact on Leonard. A teacher, a neighbor, a girl he met at a station and a boy at his school he barely talks to. It is very clear from the beginning that Leonard's life is far from cozy.
I enjoyed the format of the book. As Leonard goes from one person to the next to give his gifts, he talks about why that person is getting one, how he met that person, and oftentimes, what he will miss about that person. He very much wants someone to suspect something and stop him from carrying out his plan, but while almost everyone responds suspiciously, nobody manages to stop him, although one of them comes close. The person who is the subject of Leonard's wrath also gets a good background and you can see that Leonard is more hurt than angry about his situation.
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock shows how easy it is to misread signals, and how much difference a parent's love and intervention can change things. Leonard doesn't even stay with his mother, who is some kind of a fashion designer in New York. I was a little disappointed that more was not said about his home life even though it was obvious that it sucked. I guess I was just shocked that his mother turned up in his life only to yell at him when he did something wrong. You could almost see that he would do wrong things just to get her attention. Barring the tiny issues, I thought this book dealt with teen issues really well, especially when it comes to what friends and parents do and don't do and what that can change in a person.
I received this ebook for free for review from the publisher via NetGalley.
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