When Your Lover Leaves

by Susan Trott

Ronda Thompson begins to lose her grip on sanity when her enjoyable and fulfilling life is punctured by two dramatic a lover's unexpected abandonment for his wife and a rapist's rampage through her neighborhood

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Kelly K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book more than 20 years ago and have read it at least a half-dozen times since then. Something about the main character, her relationships, her sense of self, and her struggle to overcome heartbreak has always touched me. It's a relatively short novel but reads so much deeper.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved this book until it progressed to a point where the character was the lunatic her friends claimed she was becoming and I could no longer respect that development in her character. It didn't click with me. It felt like the original intentions of the novel were misplaced or that an ending hadn't yet been conceived and that the author just let her narrator ramble on until she could ramble no longer.

It was quirky and well written, but overall the quality deteriorated as the story progressed and even though at last, near the very end of the tale, the main character's best friend did acknowledge that in fact the wife of the man the main character cheated with was the wronged party and not the main character herself. That was interesting and I felt that should've been explored all along but wasn't.

I didn't particularly care for the protagonist whose name I can't remember because I found her so vapid and self-absorbed.

I'd recommend it because it is funny and the author is smart and clever and it's amusing entertainment.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a Trott fan. I discovered Trott when I was in my early 20s. Twenty years later, I picked up this title and loved the book (again). I enjoy how Trott does not make her protagonist a damsel in distress; however, Ronda is a real woman who tries to handle ( sanely) the loss of her love to another woman.

[grundoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I'm working on filling the large gaps in my Trott collection, starting with this early one. Her talent and style are certainly in evidence, though a bit unpolished, but noticably missing is an element of strength that I've come to expect from her protagonists.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book a long time ago and loved it. I actually recommended/loaned it to people, which is something that I never used to do.

[Leshawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Trott makes me so happy!

[Margaret Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago. It helped me deal with a broken heart. I am forever grateful.