Customer Reviews

Once Was Lost

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a pastor's kid, Samara Taylor is supposed to have a good relationship with God and an unshakable faith. But a lot of things in her life have made Sam a doubter. With her alcoholic mom in rehab after a DUI and her father more concerned with his congregation and appearances, Sam can't help but feel as if God doesn't exist. And that feeling is only compounded when a local girl is kidnapped, turning her whole community upside down.

Once Was Lost is a blunt novel of faith and what happens when everything you believed in is changed irrevocably. Sam is a very convincing and relatable character that readers will be able to connect with on any level, especially as her doubt about her beliefs is something that nearly ever person has confronted at least once in their lifetime. She brings up issues that some people may not think about, like not being included with friends because of her beliefs and who her father is. Zarr also does an excellent job at portraying the tense setting as the whole town deals with the kidnapping and fear begins to control others and accusations are slung left and right.

The best thing about Once Was Lost though is that it doesn't concentrate on the all of the things that go wrong, like the kidnapping, Sam's mother's DUI, or inappropriate relationships, but rather examines its affect on Sam and her faith. Once Was Lost isn't a hugely dramatic novel full of twists and turns, but it is a gripping, sometimes heartbreaking look at how ordinary people learn to deal with a less than perfect world. Zarr's latest book is an excellent, non-preachy look at faith and religion that any reader, believer or not, can enjoy.

I had not read any Sara Zarr prior to Once Was Lost, but I certainly want to now.

I love a great contemporary book, and that's exactly was this was. The characters were real, the problems were gritty, and the struggle with faith was very well portrayed. The entire book was so realistic and flowed so well that I had no problem finishing it in a day.

I guess I'm not even really sure what to say about Once Was Lost. The title fits perfectly, Sam's struggles are not forced and her solutions aren't, either. The ending isn't abrupt nor something you're necessarily expecting, and I was completely satisfied as I turned the last page.

Book Cover: 5/5
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 9/10

Overall: 45/50

This is a well written look into the life of a teenage girl, who happens to be a pastor's daughter. The author does a great job letting us into the main character's world- the pain of having to appear perfect, the financial pressure that comes from having your money come from parishoners, and the stress of family life.
Having grown beyond the angst of the teen years, I wasn't sure I was up for a novel about the drama of growing up- but I read the whole thing in one sitting. The plot flowed smoothly, there were no loose ends left over at the end, and the writing was well done. My only complaint is that I wasted so much emotional energy on people who don't really exist, but that happens when you read a good book. Go out and buy this one so you can pass it around when you are done, and don't forget your box of tissues.

Sara Zarr took inspiration from the Elizabeth Smart disappearance and ran with it to a completely different place, filled with authentic experience and emotion, one that speaks to adults and young adults. It's a novel about faith and doubt when the world intrudes upon already shaky ground, inevitable during the coming of age years, recurring in the adult ones. I believed in the characters, have known people like them, saw bits of myself in several. This isn't light reading, but I was engrossed and never felt preached at during the journey of self-discovery and faith seeking. This isn't a Christian novel, per se, but handles the questions and concerns better than many of the books published specifically for that market. Overall, it is about losing the safety of childhood and discovering one's own faith along the way. Zarr doesn't offer easy solutions or trite answers, but they are real ones, at least for this character and I was fully invested in all of them by the end of the book.

This is only the second christian fiction book that I have read. This was amazing read for me at the juncture in my life. I have found what I have been missing and growing in my own spirituality, so this book was very enjoyable and inspiring for me at this time. I loved Sammy's character; she effectively portrays the wandering christian that is in need of guidance. She is the child that has been had the adult guidance, but now needs to re-evaluate and decide on the future of her own spirituality. In Once was Lost Sara Zarr created a world that is easy to relate and believeable. The sins and struggles that were previewed in this book kept it honest and humbling. Her ability to combined a entertaining young adult read with a lesson shows true talent. I look forward to see what else this author has to offer.

Because I absolutely loved Story of a Girl and Sweethearts, I had to give Once Was Lost a try. Even though I'm not religious and definitely don't read Christian fiction, I thought maybe, just maybe, Sara Zarr could break the boundaries of religious fiction and let me actually enjoy reading a novel that is Christian-based. That didn't happen. The basic story of the novel kept me interested - the whodunit mystery, Sam's turmoil and the circumstances of her family life. Sara Zarr definitely knows how to write angst without it coming off as whiny and self-pitying. But the church aspect, for me, was an impasse that even Zarr couldn't bridge. The whole church aspect came off so creepily -- (spoilers from here on) Sam's pastor father who was most certainly having an affair with the youth group leader, and who positioned himself as spokesman for the missing girl's family. Maybe it was the writing, or maybe it's my impression of Christians colouring my opinion, or maybe it was the fact that this was a story based on a crime where anyone and everyone could be a suspect, but the pastor and the youth group leader thoroughly weirded me out, when I'm not sure they were supposed to. When you actually find out who the perpetrator is, it makes no impact because he's barely present in the novel at all. The story also ended on too much of a neat, tight, happy note. From her previous two novels, I know that Zarr doesn't shy away from a somber, open ending, which is exactly what this story needed and where it was heading the whole time. The compact happy ending felt false, but maybe that's the way Christian novels are required to end - to help people keep the faith.

Simple Twists of Faith

Who says teens aren't much concerned with faith issues? Sarah Zarr perfectly captures the endless days and nights of nail-biting tension after a friend/sister/classmate goes missing while the eyes of the community turn with suspicion and fear on one another. What happened to Jody? Who will be next? Who can you trust? Does God care? The multi-layered themes, plot and subplots of this skillfully written novel weave a spell and make for a most satisfying read.

This book is part mystery, part coming-of-age novel and part spiritual awakening saga. It has elements of a family drama and glimpses of romance, but it's really just a quiet novel about finding peace within yourself while everything else is falling apart around you.

Samara Taylor is a pastor's daughter. But she's also the daughter of a drunk and a teenager struggling to hold onto her faith. Yet she's painfully shy and lives on the outskirts of society despite having one of the most visible positions in her small community. Simply, she feels lost. And when a younger girl from her father's congregation goes missing, she doesn't know how to talk to anyone about her fears and heartache when it's Judy who needs their full attention.

While I'm not quiet by any stretch of the imagination, nor did I grow up in a small town or have an alcoholic parent, I connected with Sam. Not being able to talk about important things and being unsettled by a changing future...those are all issues I've faced. Some people refer to it as a "crisis of faith," but to me it's more of a rite of passage into adulthood. Only a lot of people doesn't come out the other side still holding fast to their belief in God.

There is the internal quality to Zarr's books that I love. I can feel the essence of the narrators without being forced into their heads, like I can put myself inside of them rather than having them jump onto the page, fully formed. It's like being able to see an entirely new side of myself in each new character. And that's something that no other author has ever been able to do for me.

Fifteen-year-old Samara Taylor lives a lie. To the outside world, she and her family have the perfect life. But in reality, she feels like she's exploding into a million pieces. And her parents, the ones who should be able to put her back together, barely notice her plight.

Sam's pastor father, who is always helping the congregation with their problems, rarely leaves any time to spend with his own wife and daughter. While her mother appears perfect in every way --- always pleasant, always prepared --- in reality, she battles an alcohol addiction and has recently entered a rehab center. Although performing flawlessly in her role as preacher's daughter, Sam struggles with a new and unnerving doubt that God exists. Throw in money problems and constant scrutiny under the eyes of the congregation, and her life has slipped into a nightmare.

To complicate matters further, a girl in the church has been abducted --- allegedly by someone she knows --- sending the church and town into an uproar. Sam's father is needed now more than ever as he must support the missing girl's family. Sam tries to help out by joining in on the search party and baking brownies with the youth group for the girl's older brother, but her heart is hurting.

What kind of world is this where an innocent girl is kidnapped? What God would let this happen? Or maybe there is no God after all, she wonders. Sam debates whether or not she should talk about this with her father, but he is far too busy. Besides, with him being a preacher, how could he possibly understand? She longs to speak to her mom, who is away at the rehab center and won't return her phone calls. So Sam wanders, feeling more alone than ever.

Sara Zarr has bestowed a unique gift to readers with ONCE WAS LOST. She tackles the intricate (and often delicate) obstacles of faith in a warm, welcoming and nonjudgmental approach. Her character of Sam is relatable and believable, providing a bonding point for readers with her openness, honesty and sincerity. Zarr has a real talent for writing deep and raw emotions, sharing and connecting with readers who may be feeling the same as Sam. She cleverly inserts the kidnapping drama, which both supports the part of the story of Sam's struggle with her faith and provides tension and mystery to keep the pages turning.

This is Zarr's third book for young adults, and her fans will be looking for more almost immediately.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman

After John Green and Barry Lyga, the gods who reign over the Eden-esque world of YA Literature with iron fists (well, not iron fists, so much as skilled pens, but you get the picture), Sara Zarr is the best in her genre. With her first two novels, Story of a Girl and Sweethearts, she introduced beautifully flawed and subtly heroic characters that stayed in my head and, as cheesy as it sounds, my heart long after I put the books down. I anticipated her third novel, Once Was Lost, expecting to devour it in a day or two, cursing myself afterwards, wishing I had cherished the excellence. But, even though it's a short novel, it took a while.

It's a cliche complaint about a book, but the novel is, ahem, hard to get into. I'm not even sure if that's a flaw of the book, though. Our protagonist, the depressed and, well, lost Samara spends most of her time alone, thinking. She thinks about God, she thinks about her mother's alcohol abuse and subsequent departure for a rehabilitation clinic, she thinks about how her father (the pastor of her church) knows how to talk to everyone in the congregation except her, and she thinks about the young girl in her church who has gone missing. We get to known Sam very deeply, so much so that some parts of it read like a diary. Her complaints about her father get repetitive, but instead of this being annoying, it builds the tension in their relationship very nicely. I'd be interested to see some of the friendships between Sam and her youth group friends had been fleshed out, especially with Daniel, but I do think the book, as it is, works well. It's a lot quieter that Zarr's other novels.

Loss of belief and just the idea of being lost in general are the motifs that run through this book, and man, they're great. Every character is lost in their own super tragic and real way, but the thing is, this doesn't seem shoehorned into the plot. How often do you get one of those books that make it painfully obvious that, in some way, all the characters' situations are relevant to the theme? Too often, for me at least. This book is subtle about it, and that is one of the reasons it's as good as it is. It's a slow burn, yeah, and it does lack the little humorous moments and the strong connections between the protagonist and the supporting cast that Zarr's first two novels had, but that is all in favor of the somber mood. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as the other two, which I loved... but I did like it. A lot. It's intelligent, risky, and so painfully true to anyone who has ever felt lost, whether it be a disconnect from a once strong faith, a situation with a family member, or... really anything. The book and its themes are universal, and while it might take a bit more patience to get down to the meat of the story, it's worth it.

8/10