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The Lazarus Child [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Robert Mawson (Author), Allison Janney (Reader)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 3, 1998
It takes just a moment for a family's life to be changed forever. For a twelve-year-old boy to dash across the street for a pack of peppermints. For his seven-year-old sister to follow him into traffic. For a bus to swerve out of control. And with that terrible moment, a family's search begins for the unlikely miracle that will put together their shattered lives -- and bring their daughter back to life...

In a small hospital room little Frankie Heywood lies in a coma so deep, no one -- not even those who love her the most -- can reach her. It is a parent's worst nightmare. For months the Heywoods have kept an uneasy vigil at their daughter's bedside, waiting in vain for the least sign of hope. Now the experts are telling them that prolonging Frankie's existence may be damaging to their son Ben, who is slipping deeper and deeper into a dangerous emotional isolation. Their marriage already strained to the breaking point, the Heywoods are desperate. Against the expert judgment of all around them, they grasp at their last chance: the brilliant neurologist Elizabeth Chase.

Lizzie Chase knows what it's like to lose a loved one to the darkness. She has dedicated her life to coaxing children back from the brink of oblivion. Her revolutionary work offers the only hope to families like the Heywoods. It has also drawn the unwanted attention of those who, through ignorance, greed, or fear, would do anything to stop her. But Lizzie and the Heywoods refuse to be stopped. They are certain that somewhere, just beyond their reach, Frankie is waiting for the lifeline that will lead her back to them.

The Lazarus Child is that rare story that touches you in a way you didn't know you could be touched. It is an unforgettable testament to the power of love, hope, faith -- and the inexplicable magic of family.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A real Sleeping Beauty comes haltingly to life in this slick but topical New Age thriller, the second novel (but the first to be published here) by British writer Mawson. When Alison Heywood evicts her husband, Jack, from their Cambridge, England, home for sleeping with his secretary, 12-year-old Ben has to take over the chore of walking his seven-year-old sister, Frankie, to school. After ducking into a store, he emerges to see her and her playmate Isabelle struck by a van; the accident kills Isabelle and leaves Frankie in a coma. The Heywoods decide to send her to the Perlman Institute in Virginia, run by charismatic Dr. Lizzie Chase, who occasionally has success reviving comatose patients with such controversial methods as sexual stimulation, recreational drugs and heavy metal music. The metaphor of indulging kids rather than censoring them is laid on thick in this emotionally manipulative narrative. So are the digs at the self-righteous types (led by a senator whose son died at Perlman) who try to close down the Institute. Meanwhile, Frankie's family and Lizzie's clique of friends are exceptionally clever and compassionate in their fight to keep the Institute operating. Mawson hits all the bases by weaving in whatever hot issues come to hand: alternative medicine, the "right to die" and the problems of medical bureaucracy. Yet he dilutes the climax by setting it in a dim dreamscape where hypnotized Ben fights to return Frankie from "the other side." The contemporaneous, real-world abduction of Frankie and Ben from the authorities who have occupied the Institute provides a showcase for Mawson's considerable strengths: witty dialogue, savvy characters, surprise developments and rapid pacing. Naturally, by the time the little girl comes back to life, her mum and dad have patched things up, and this three-hanky resolution may well justify the novel's pre-publication interest. Agent, Christopher Little; editor, Francesca Liversidge; Literary Guild main selection. (Aug.) FYI: Bantam bought The Lazarus Child in a preemptive, "seven-figure" bid.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

British journalist Mawson's first novel to be published in the United States, this heartbreaker features a comatose child whose parents turn for help to an unorthodox neurologist. A Literary GuildR main selection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Audio CD
  • Publisher: Random House Audio (August 3, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553456024
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553456028
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,907,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars a great escape, January 17, 2000
By A Customer
If you're willing to suspend your disbelief for most of this novel, sit back, relax, and marvel at the wonderful imagination of Mr.Mawson you'll enjoy this book. I found it fascinating, exciting, and a wonderful escape from my own life here with four healthy children. Mr.Mawson takes the reader into the unknown world of the coma victim as various interesting characters attempt to bring an innocent child back to the conscious world. There are plot twists and enough surprises to keep one guessing.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars I was disappointed, given all the hoopla re the book., October 19, 1998
By 
This review is from: The Lazarus Child (Hardcover)
There seemed to be a lot of interest in this book, so I ran out (actually bought on amazon). The subject matter was interesting, but executed in a too-slow, too-schmaltzy manner. There are lengthy dream sequences that were pure torture to read. I suffered through them, only to reach a completely unsatisfying ending. Blechhhh.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Not on my top ten list, December 28, 1999
This was a great book in the beginning but, as it wore on, the pace became slow and predictable. The last few chapters of the book were unclear and, honestly, annoying to read. All in all, I gave this book two stars.
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