Age of Consent
Written by Marti Leimbach
Narrated by Jennifer Woodward
4/5
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About this audiobook
A powerful, compelling, topical novel about a relationship between a radio DJ and a teenage girl from the author of DYING YOUNG and DANIEL ISN’T TALKING
Radio DJ Craig Kirtz took a shine to Bobbie when she was only thirteen years old, embroiling her in a secret life of sex and drugs.
He remembers their relationship as a love affair. She remembers it as abuse. Thirty years later, she
returns to her hometown to testify against him.
He denies the charges. And he has a witness Bobbie could not have anticipated – her own mother, who is now Craig’s wife.
Marti Leimbach
Marti Leimbach is a fiction writer and a core tutor at Oxford University’s creative writing program; she is best known for her international bestseller, Dying Young, which was made into a major motion picture. She is also the author of The Man from Saigon and Daniel Isn’t Talking, among other novels. Dragonfly Girl is her first YA novel. www.martileimbach.com
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Reviews for Age of Consent
9 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Age of Consent by Marti Leimbach is an unflinchingly honest novel about a woman who was sexually abused when she was a teenager who finally tries to get justice thirty years later. The subject matter is dark and disturbing yet the rambling, disjointed narrative does not do the topic justice.
In the late 70s, Bobbie became the victim of a sexual predator whom her mom later married. In 2008, Bobbie brings charges against him for the long ago crime. What should be a compelling court case in the present becomes muddled by extraneous details and a meandering storyline that flashes back and forth between past and present. The present day narrative is concise yet contains a few troubling coincidences that diminish the impact of the court case. There is evidence that could corroborate key facts in the case, yet somehow the prosecutor fails to see it. The courtroom scenes fall flat and the lack of clear resolution is a bit of a disappointment when taking into consideration the fact that a key witness has an epiphany that could turn the entire case around.
The flashbacks contain horrifying details of fifteen year old Bobbie's abuse at the hands of twenty-eight year old disc jockey Craig Kirtz yet these details are often lost in tedious passages that do little to explain why Bobbie was drawn to a man with absolutely no charm or redeeming qualities. Bobbie's scenes with Craig are harrowing and her fear and disgust are palpable. The fact she kept the relationship a secret from her mother is easy to understand since teenagers often remain silent in these types of situations. Bobbie's shame later in life is realistic as is her underlying belief she is somehow responsible for what happened to her as a teenager. Bobbie's explanation for the series of event that led up to her involvement with Craig occurs so late in the story that it almost feels like an afterthought.
However, what is most perplexing is why Bobbie's mother, June, was so thoroughly enthralled with Craig in the first place. Yes, his job as a disc jockey made him a "celebrity" of sorts, but his behavior is so appalling that is impossible to understand what she found so appealing about him. And the fact that June was able to overlook and explain away certain details that should have been major red flags is mindboggling.
Age of Consent by Marti Leimbach does manage to end on positive note but overall, the novel is a bit of a disappointing read. While some parts of the story are unsatisfying, it is a gritty and realistic portrayal of how sexual predators groom their victims and coerce them into keeping silent about the inappropriate relationship. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This was just not a great book to me. The subject matter was a horrible reality that is beyond disturbing in itself - but it wasn't the subject matter that caused the two stars....it was just the lack of story. It was just was all over the place and I felt it difficult to understand any of the characters. It was like looking through the windows of a house---you see activity and events - but really don't understand the reasoning behind the actions. Even Barbara - who I guess we know the most about - I didn't have any understanding of her at all. No depth.
I really expected this to be extraordinary (even if in a painful way) - but it was fell flat for me:-( - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll start out by saying that this is a difficult book to read but that as a mother or a daughter or a woman, its a book that you should definitely read. It's a novel about abuse of a child but told in a way that I've never read before and in a way that's really made me think about how evil some people can be to other people.First the triangle - June is a young widow - not real attractive but she would love to find someone to love. Bobbie is her 13 year old daughter - she is very cute and extremely smart and plans to go to college someday. She loves her mother deeply and tries to take care of her. Craig Kirtz is a local disc jockey who becomes a friend to the small family. June has a major crush on him but it was Bobbie that he was interested in and Bobbie that he seduced at the young age of 14. June has no idea that there is an on going relationship between Craig and Bobbie until years later when Bobbie brings charges against Craig for sexual abuse.The novel alternates between the past and the present. The reader learns how Bobbie felt during her teenage years and how it affected her as an adult and why she decided to come back to her home town and face Craig and her mother again. By facing her past, she had to re-live it all again.This is a fantastic novel about a difficult subject. It was so well done that I had trouble putting it down once I started and I was unable to start a new book once I finished it because the character of Bobbie kept resonating in my mind.Thanks to Goodreads for a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.