The Abstinence Teacher

I think @Reggie made an important point about why I like Tom Perrotta books and other people feel lukewarm: his characters are morally ambiguous.

I don‘t love books with these characters, but I will reread them like crazy! I find I‘m more likely to get a different take on these books than ones with a more consistent good/evil axis.

Strangely enough, I feel disappointed if a short story collection doesn‘t have ambiguous characters. š¤·š¸»ā€¨ā™€ļø¸

Megabooks Thank you for your insight @Reggie ! š’ 4y

Reggie You‘re welcome. I remember being in my 20‘s and reading Little Children thinking-what the hell is going on in the suburbs. But he was probably closer to the truth than I gave him credit for. They didn‘t create a show called Desperate Housewives because everyone was behaving. Lol anyways, I also liked his Mrs. Fletcher. (edited) 4y

Megabooks @Reggie I think Election is my favorite, but I really like Mrs. Fletcher too. Little Children is my next of his to reread! 4y

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Hooked_on_books I like morally ambiguous characters. They‘re more real. Especially in our ā€everything has to be black or white, right or wrong, us or themā€¯ world, they are a refreshingly nuanced, real middle ground. 4y

TheLudicReader Morally ambiguous characters are all of us. Who‘s perfect? Sure as hell not me. 4y

Chelsea.Poole That makes total sense! I prefer to read about characters who are more lifelike and to me that's not a perfect person or a totally evil one. 4y

Reviewsbylola I love Perrotta too. Morally ambiguous feels genuine to me. Maybe that‘s why I like his books so much. 4y

reluctantangeleno Flawed and complex characters are a must for me, because that is real life. We're all good sometimes and pieces of shit at other times, and if a book doesn't capture that reality of being a human being, it doesn't speak to me at all! 4y

Megabooks @Hooked_on_books yes, I think your point about the binary of the world right now, especially on social media (other than Litsy), it‘s nice to read about a neighborhood or a school where everyone is a bit screwed up and a lot real. 4y

Megabooks @TheLudicReader exactly. If it gets too binary, right/wrong, I might as well pop in a Marvel movie. Not that there‘s anything wrong with that, but most of the time I like more true-to-life characters. 4y

Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole yes! It‘s refreshing for a character to behave unexpectedly or be imperfect. 4y

Megabooks @Reviewsbylola yes!! Perrotta‘s great. I think Reggie definitely nabbed why I like him. 4y

Megabooks @reluctantangeleno preach!! That is so true. I find this type of book so much more interesting. I think I also like it when authors push reality a bit...make someone 2% worse than they‘d behave in real life. Emma Cline did that so well in Northeast Regional in her new short story collection

Daddy

Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks oh no, now you've made me want to try

Daddy

reluctantangeleno @Megabooks I looooved The Girls, but haven't picked up Daddy yet! Worth the investment, sounds like! Thanks for the recommendation š‘¨š¸» 4y

Megabooks @reluctantangeleno @Chelsea.Poole I hope y‘all do try it! I really enjoyed it. 4y

84 likes16 comments

Megabooks

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

pick

This is one of those mediocre books I love.

The plot is interesting. It‘s W era abstinence politics playing out between an evangelical church and a small town health (sex ed) teacher. Caught between is a former addict, soccer dad, and recent convert to the church.

While I like this book, I‘d hesitate recommending it. There‘s something unfinished about it. The narration is just okay too. 3.5āļø¸šˇ§

Reggie Tom Perrotta always writes those morally ambiguous situations and characters. 4y

Megabooks @Reggie totally agree. That‘s why I love him. I love open ended stories. (That‘s what makes me such a short story fan.) And I think that‘s one reason that some readers get frustrated with Perrotta. This book gets 5āļø¸ in my heart and desire to reread. I love rereading Perrotta‘s books. He‘s an author I get something new from every time. But I don‘t think this is his best work. 4y

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Reagan

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

I finished Vivian Apple at the End of the World and I really enjoyed it. I‘ve moved on to The Abstinence Teacher and I‘m sensing a theme here š‚ reading break to make pancakes! Coming in right now at about 6 hours, I‘m so excited! #24in48 @24in48

35 likes

DoonTheGoon

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

pick

As always, never disappointed by Perrotta's writing. He has a way of developing complex characters who constantly challenge your perceptions of them - they're real people with real flaws. This story was a striking reminder not to judge others; we cannot understand another person's choices unless we've followed their path. Surprisingly romantic and boldly honest, this book was another satisfying glimpse into the world only as Perrotta can see it.

Elma I bought this awhile ago at a thrift store. I might just have to push it up my tbr pile. 5y

DoonTheGoon @Elma I'm a huge fan of this author - his work is so raw and real. Highly recommended! 5y

Samplergal He‘s such a wonderful writer. Loved Little Children. 5y

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DoonTheGoon @Samplergal Ugh Little Children is my favorite of his. Love love love. The movie is really excellent too! 5y

Megabooks This or Election is my favorite of his books. 5y

DoonTheGoon @Megabooks I haven't read that one! It's been on my list of books to buy forever - might have to make it a priority then! :) 5y

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DoonTheGoon

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

Reading by book light. :) Nearly done with this one - I absolutely devour Perrotta's books.

wildwoodreads I need that book light in my life! 5y

DoonTheGoon @megzlynn I love it! It even has a warm light and cool light setting! 5y

IamIamIam That light is gorgeous!!! 5y

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DoonTheGoon

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

The irony isn't lost on me that I'm reading this book in the waiting room of an OBGYN ultrasound office that usually caters to pregnant women.
- -
I'm not expecting - just here investigating a missing IUD. Wish me luck!!!

Bklover Hope you find the pesky thing!!! 5y

DoonTheGoon @Bklover Thank You! It appears to be in place - the doc just couldn't visualize the strings so we had to check! I'm very relieved. š 5y

IamIamIam So glad that puppy's where it needs to be! I love my kids, but some days I love my IUD a little more. š‚š‚š‚ 5y

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DoonTheGoon @IamIamIam I'm hoping that it "gets along" with me. I just got my first one last month and other than my missing strings it's been great! Placement was awful, but I think it'll be worth it! 5y

IamIamIam @DoonTheGoon Good luck to you!! I always had a hard time with serious pain, so much so that contractions weren't all that big of an issue. šµ I have never felt so comfortable before. This device was a real game changer for me! Hoping you have a great reaction! š¤— 5y

DoonTheGoon @IamIamIam Thank You!!! ā™� 5y

LibrarianRyan Ughh I get it. Hope all goes well. If it doesn‘t work out I have the implant and I love it!! 5y

DoonTheGoon @LibrarianRyan Good to know!!! Thank you for the well wishes!!! 5y

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DoonTheGoon

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

My favorite part of the night. Book and bed time. ā™�
-
With a "happy light" off to the left to combat those winter blues... which I hate to admit are already plaguing me. ?

Bklover Hope your happy light helps you. A friend of mine uses one and his doctor said to sit next to it for at least 30 minutes with his eyes closed. Sounded like a weird suggestion but he said it helps. You can still see the light with your eyes closed. Great time for an audiobook š’›š’›š’› 5y

DoonTheGoon @Bklover Thank you! Yeah the sucker is super bright... I'll have to try that method and hope that I don't fall asleep! Hahah! ā™� 5y

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ShariEstaLeando

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

pan

Quite possibly the worst book I have ever finished. Trite, simplistic, contrived. A pathetic waste of paper. Was it supposed to be satire? It was ridiculous, but far from funny.

BookishTrish I felt like this about

Mrs. Fletcher: A Novel

ShariEstaLeando Luckily I picked it up from a Little Free Library, but I think I will recycle it in the recycling bin... 6y

4 likes2 comments

Yournewfriendsams

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

so-so

The Abstinence Teacher is told from two POVs- a sex-ed teacher with liberal views and a born-again Christian who is struggling with his faith. It had potential for interesting insights but literally nothing happens in terms of plot line. The best part is a kid saying Donald Trump is her hero to her fathers dismay. Seemed funny given our current state of the union. I didn't hate this, but it's probably not worth your time IMO. āļø¸āļø¸

Reviewsbylola That's too bad you didn't like this one. It definitely wasn't my favorite Perrotta but I liked it well enough. 8y

Yournewfriendsams @Reviewsbylola I really love Perrotta. Sadly, this one just didn't do it for me. Tim's fight to overcome addiction with the help of religion was an storyline though! 8y

MissCarrieLou I really liked that one, although it's been several years since I've read it. I love Tom Perrotta. I read mostly women authors and he's one of the few men that I count as a favorite. 8y

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KikiLovesBooks It's been a while since I read this one, but it definitely didn't leave the same impression as Little Children or even The Leftovers. It was just meh for me also. 8y

Yournewfriendsams @MissCarrieLou looks like I'm in the minority with how I felt about this one. I'm probably just in a grumpy mood š¬ Ranking Perrotta amid a bunch of badass female authors is a big compliment! But I agree, he deserves it š™š¸½ 8y

Yournewfriendsams @KikiLovesBooks The Leftovers was my intro to T.P. I'm a sucker for that kind of mystery/scifi-ish novel. Also, I really liked Little Children too! 8y

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Yournewfriendsams

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

Having trouble getting into this one despite loving Perrotta's juicy storytelling. It's just too nice outside in PDX to focus on anything.

LitHousewife I DNFd this one for the same reason. š¢ 8y

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BkClubCare

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

pick

So satisfying to finish a book on a flight going home. I enjoyed this but must think some more... Three words: sad, intriguing, clever?

Reviewsbylola I really enjoy Tom Perrotta. I'd say Little Children and Election are my favorites. 8y

AvidReader25 His books, including this one, always leave me feeling the same. Sad and clever just about sum it up for me. 8y

BkClubCare Goodness, there are scathing reviews on gr. Whew! Glad I read them after. 8y

BkClubCare Meant to tag @Avidreader25 to that last comment 8y

AvidReader25 I feel like it's always better to read the reviews later! 8y

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BkClubCare

The Abstinence Teacher | Tom Perrotta

My first Perrotta. His books have been on my must-get-to list for a long time. This title satisfies the "profession" category of the What's in a Name Challenge. Got 100+ pages in on my flts to KCMO.

Angelala007 I got this one recently. Looking forward to your review! 8y

Megabooks This is my favorite of all the books by Perrotta that I've read! 8y

Gulfsidemusing I've been meaning to read him, too. 8y

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