The Lost Mother (Paperback)

by Mary McGarry Morris (Author) "THEY SAID IT WAS BAD FOR EVERYONE, BUT NOBODY ELSE the boy knew had to live in the woods..." (more)
Key Phrases: tall lady, Aunt Lena, Sister Mary Sebastian, Henry Talcott (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
"They said it was bad for everyone, but nobody else the boy knew had to live in the woods." Thus begins the harrowing story of 12-year-old Thomas and eight-year-old Margaret in Morris's powerful sixth novel. Reduced to living in a tent in Vermont during the Depression, the children and their father, Henry Talcott, a butcher who must travel daily seeking work, are barely surviving their abandonment by the children's reluctant mother. The shattered family aches with the desire to bring home beautiful, troubled Irene while Henry crumbles into a "whipped man... worn down and grim," and Thomas takes on the role of caretaker. Henry's longtime friend Gladys shows the family rare kindness, but a longstanding animosity between her crotchety father and Henry makes it impossible for the Talcotts to accept her charity. In typical Morris fashion, the author paints a brutal landscape and authentic characters with delicacy and precision: from the chaotic household of Irene's alcoholic sister to the creepy relationship between a sick boy and his doting mother, who wants to adopt Thomas and Margaret. Never one to shy away from the messy and bleak, Morris (Songs in Ordinary Time; Vanished) unflinchingly illuminates the bitter existence of neglected children and their inspiring resilience, once again proving herself a storyteller of great compassion, insight and depth.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Abandoned by their mother and bankrupted out of their home, Thomas, 11, and Margaret, 8, are forced to grow up too quickly, surviving hand-to-mouth with their father in a tent in Vermont's woods during the Great Depression. While the man does his best to care for their physical needs, he is too besieged by worries about survival to spare any tenderness. The children are convinced that their mother will return, and their continued hopefulness and loyalty to her is perhaps the most heartbreaking element of this tale. As much as this is a story about Thomas and Margaret, it is also about the ways in which severe hardships bring out extremes in human nature. Irene fails her children most tragically, but they are let down more subtly by most of the other adults with whom they are involved. Morris's stark language evokes the loneliness and disconnectedness of two children desperately trying to find their way back to their mother, only to face her rejection a second time. All is not lost, however: amid the grasping self-centeredness that dominates many of the characters, one person redeems himself and offers the youngsters the acceptance and compassion they have missed for so long. Painstaking detail provides richness and a valuable history lesson on 1930s America. The central themes of resiliency and hope are a good reminder that even when individuals or communities feel that they have no control over their circumstances, it is their response to those circumstances that makes all the difference.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Library System, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143036459
• ISBN-13: 978-0143036456
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,194 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, November 24, 2004

By	Art from Salem - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Mother: A Novel (Hardcover)

Amazing. I got this book from a friend of mine who owns a bookstore and who knows I am a fan of Mary McGarry Morris. I just finished it and felt compelled to post this review, because the book was so powerful. A real tug at - and from - the heart. I couldn't put it down. Like all Mary McGarry Morris' characters, these characters got so stuck in my head that I'm still hearing their voices. The pacing is breathtaking, often suspenseful. The story is haunting. The writing is beautiful. The character of Henry Talcott is an American classic, as I think this book is destined to be. The Talcott children, Thomas and Margaret, seemed so real that I ached for them in their search. Gladys, old Bibeau, Jesse-boy, the Farleys, Aunt Lena, Sister Mary Christopher, are all fabulous characters and very believable because of the depth and precision of their portrayals. I think "THE LOST MOTHER" is most like "VANISHED", Mary McGarry Morris' first novel which was nominated for major literary prizes (and which before this was my favorite novel by the author). "THE LOST MOTHER" and "VANISHED" share a simple tone and lyrical voice that make both books flow. In the end, it is a haunting melody, a joy to read, and tremendous on all fronts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Put Down, March 5, 2005

By	Leslie "Leslie" (Winnetka IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lost Mother: A Novel (Hardcover)

I literally could not put this book down and have continued to think of the characters after finishing the book. If you like
Elizabeth Berg or Kaye Gibbons, you will love this book. Excellent read!

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the name of love, February 21, 2005

By	Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lost Mother: A Novel (Hardcover)

It is the nature of childhood to view the world from an innocent perspective. When Irene Talcott abandons her husband and two children, Henry Talcott must leave eight year-old Margaret and twelve year-old Thomas with whatever family can temporarily care for them. Margaret is gregarious, with a constant need for attention, but her brother is not prepared to assume the role of mother. This Vermont family shoulders a familiar burden in the years of Great Depression, beset with the constant threat of poverty and homelessness.

Leaving Margaret and Thomas at the homes of relatives, friends and neighbors until each becomes unbearable, the small family is faced with insurmountable problems: Gladys Bibeau loves the children, more than willing to help her lifelong friend Henry, but her senile father demands all of his daughter's attentions, jealous even of the children; Aunt Lena and Uncle Max depend upon Lena's income as a hairdresser to support them, her clientele become scarce as her daily drinking alienates even her husband and puts brother and sister in jeopardy; Mr. Farley, now the owner of the Talcott's farm, is happy to see Henry in reduced circumstances, but his wife, Phyllis, covets the charming and pretty Margaret, scheming for custody of the girl, while barely tolerating Thomas. The Farley's crippled son, fifteen year-old Jesse-boy, is delighted with the prospect of Margaret living in his house, his curiosity about the opposite sex bordering on the deviant.

The children's naiveté contrasts sharply with the self-serving hypocrisy of Phillis Farley, a woman who sacrifices their fragile innocence for the satiety of her broken son, his mind as distorted as his invalid body. The good intentions of Morris' complex characters are warped by their selfish motives and innate lack of compassion, as the author deftly exposes the indifference of a bureaucratic system blinded to its own inadequacies. Brother and sister still reeling from the loss of their mother in this classic battle of good and evil, the ill-intentioned masquerade in sheep's clothing. Even in the most extreme conditions, Thomas and Margaret never lose faith in their father's love for them. Their mother, the beautiful Irene, is deeply flawed, yet even she is sympathetic, driven by longing for a better life than her marriage offers, crippled by guilt but incapable of giving her children the emotional security they deserve.

Stunningly imagined, this chilling tale is consistently fraught with tension, the human condition this author's forte. It is impossible to imagine more frightening circumstances than those the Talcott children endure in the name of love, clinging to their faith in the one man who may avert a fate to terrible to bear. This extraordinary novel never misses a beat, rolling like a freight train towards its shocking conclusion, a novel that will not be quickly forgotten. Like the desperate boy and girl in The Night of the Hunter, Thomas and Margaret leave a lasting impression on the reader, a compelling glimpse into the dark heart of an indifferent fate. Luan Gaines/2005.