Orange County - The Late Karen Carpenter Stars in a New Love Story - Navel Gazing

Blogs

DA-Cop Sex Romp Breached Ethics, Not Facts Against Rapist

78-Year-Old Arrested for Kicking Cop in the Nuts. Twice!

Finky Gets to the Bottom of What's Stinky in Mission Viejo

Previous: To Do Tonight - 4/16

Next: Magic Johnson Dribbles Into Irvine for Earth Day Chat

The Late Karen Carpenter Stars in a New Love Story

Thursday, Apr. 16 2009 @ 8:30AM

By Matt Coker in A Clockwork Orange, Long Beach

Karen and Richard Carpenter visit the Nixon White House.

National Lampoon years popularized the slogan, "That's not funny, that's sick." Surely, the folks there would therefore see the humor in a novel that centers on a love story with the late Karen Carpenter.

Many readers will have to ask their parents who Carpenter is, but the quick answer is she was the singer and drummer with the hugely popular mild '70s pop duo The Carpenters, which was rounded out by her pianist brother Richard Carpenter. They are the namesake of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Cal State Long Beach.

Two of their biggest songs were "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun." I don't know if those are the still the names of the apartment complexes on both sides of Fifth Street near Lakewood Avenue in Downey, but those were the names on the signs in front of them years after the Carpenters sold them. Karen attended Downey High School, and their parents' home was still there when the duo hit it big.

Karen died at the age of 32 in 1983 from heart failure, later attributed to complications related to anorexia nervosa, which was then a little known disease. In fact, she unwittingly became the poster child for the disease.

So now Leo Mark Bonaventura has penned Leave Yesterday Behind, which involves a Leon Adam Alba III dreaming nightly about "a breathtakingly beautiful dark-haired woman who is asking God for help with her demons." After countless hours trying to figure out who she is, Leon discovers it's none other than Karen Carpenter, and he must delve back in time to get to know the new love of his life.

And you thought "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun" were sappy. If this sounds like your idea of a fine summer read, go to Xlibris.com, which has Leave Yesterday Behind listed at $15.99 for trade paperback, $29.99 for hard bound.

6 Comment(s) / Post a Comment

Dave H. says:

"Sappy"?
Actually, this could be a testament to the fact that sometimes in life, things happen that we don't understand but we have to react to nevertheless.

In this instance, it's a triple-edged sword: why is she in his dream life, what does he need to do for her, and how does he keep this impossibility from overwhelming his real life?

It almost has a "Quantum Leap" feel to it...

Posted on Monday, Apr. 20 2009 @ 6:15PM

Jill Rowan says:

Sappy?
I bought and read this book as soon as it was available. It's a great read and a great love story. It has everything to make a great movie. Karen Carpenter will always be one of those people that we all love to love. This gives us a glimpse of what could have been. Leo Adam Alba is a great character and I for one would love to meet him as well. The book has fun twists and Matt it is a great summer read. Give us more fiction like this...

Posted on Sunday, May. 3 2009 @ 11:10AM

Dan Henkel says:

I was enchanted by Karen Carpenter's voice as a teenager, and I read the book with great interest. I found that I really cared about the main characters and hoped Leo could pull off his extraordinary feat of saving her.
(Full disclosure: I'm helping publicize the book--turns out it's a fascinating read!)
dh

Posted on Sunday, May. 3 2009 @ 6:24PM

Dena Tyson says:

I didn't find this book sappy at all...it's a love story that happens to include Karen Carpenter and if you followed any of her life wouldn't you have wanted her happy? I really loved this book and it was an easy read. I LOVED IT!!

Posted on Sunday, May. 3 2009 @ 7:38PM

Dena Tyson says:

LOVED THIS BOOK! Nothing sappy at all...it's a love story taht involves a woman that SOO many people loved. Bad review..read the book first. Oh and I believe the man's name in the book was Leo Adam Alba not Leon

Posted on Sunday, May. 3 2009 @ 7:40PM

G. Tiller says:

Dismisive comments such as this contributed to the reason we no longer have Karen with us. I thought the theme of the book was facinating and ordered it promptly. My instinct was right...GREAT read!

Posted on Monday, Jul. 27 2009 @ 5:34AM