At its heart, Leaving Time is an emotional story about mothers and daughters. So that automatically makes it an enjoyable book for me. 
While I can truly appreciate all of the research that must have gone into writing this book, there was SO SO MUCH about elephants. Too much, in my opinion, and that took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. Some parts were so rich in detail and science that I found them boring and a slog to get through. 

But just like Mad Honey, I was captivated by the mystery of the story and I loved how it all unraveled by the end. I certainly couldn’t have guessed the ending from the beginning. 

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy Jodi Picoult (and not just her novels featuring a court case), and who enjoy emotional mother-daughter stories. Or, if you love elephants.