What do You think about Love In The Present Tense (2006)?
I came upon this audio-book as a result of a hold failing at the local library. Frustrated and needing something to listen to as I chop vegetables and do other mind-numbing chores, I quickly perused the audio-book shelves and grabbed two possibilities: something called The Delaney Christmas Carol and this. The Delaney thing was a wash-out, within fifteen minutes I yanked it out of the CD player and replaced it with Love in the Present Tense. The difference was almost palpable: much better writing and impressive vocal performances by the three actors representing the viewpoints of Pearl, a desperate and impoverished teenager living in a very rough part of Los Angeles, Leonard her son, and Mitch, a young man who becomes Leonard's father figure.So I'm not sure about my objectivity about this, having taken it up after a rather bad book. Its rough beginning is misleading about the kind of novel it's going to be; they almost lost me in the first fifteen minutes too. However, it actually becomes a kinder, gentler narrative. There is some violence and sex, but nothing overly graphic or gratuitous. The story weaves back and forth in time and rolls between the three narrators. In this way, it reminded me a little of The Time Traveller's Wife. I'm not sure how I would have responded to it as a reading experience, but the audio-book is well-done and worthwhile.
—Persephone
I have heard great things about Funerals for Horses and Pay it Forward, two of Catherine Ryan Hyde's novels. I haven't read either yet, but recognized her name on the cover of Love in the Present Tense. I picked it up hoping for a nice, relatively straightforward read to balance all the schoolwork I'm currently swamped with. I was not disappointed.Love in the Present Tense revolves around three characters. Pearl, the daughter of a drug addict, becomes pregnant at age 13 with a policeman's son. She kills the policeman when she realizes that he has a family of his own. In her eyes he is just another man incapable of "forever love." Pearl's fragile son Leonard is born prematurely and therefore suffers various physical ailments which she has a hard time helping him cope with. Pearl struggles to support herself and her son financially, but makes sure that Leonard always knows how much he is loved. Mitch, Pearl and Leonard's neighbor, is a bachelor in his mid-twenties busy running his own business and beginning an affair with the mayor's wife.In a sudden turn, the policemen who have been looking for Pearl since she murdered one of their partners find her. She drops Leonard off with Mitch in a moment of panic, and they are not sure if they will ever see her again.The book is told from the points of view of each of these characters. Readers get to see several key events through Pearl, Leonard, and Mitch's eyes, and through the struggles of real life grow to understand the many layers of "forever love."If you're looking for a heartwarming story about truly selfless love, this is your novel
—Alee
Where do I begin. First let me say that I am a huge fan of Pay It Forward. I cried like a baby when I saw the movie, although I am guilty of never reading the novel. So when I heard that Hyde had written this novel, I was pretty excited. And let me just say that I was NOT disappointed. Hyde delivers yet another great story in such a fantastic way. I loved all of the characters and they had such important parts in the storyline. It's an amazing story with a fantastic cast of characters. I recommend 100%
—Devvy
