Reviews - Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search

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218 reviews for:

Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search

I enjoyed most of the book. I loved part one and all the things which Philomena went through while living at the house, caring for her child for 3 years before being forced to give him up for adoption. Later on in the book I feel like there was almost too much time given to Michael's sexuality - I get it, it had to be discussed but it dragged on.. What did bother me as well was you're literally dragged on for the the 50 year search for him, you invested all this time, with the book to end with her finding out he is dead (which I don't consider a spoiler - it's a nonfiction book, not a fiction psychological thriller). It wasn't the fact he was dead but it was the fact that, that is how the story ends. After investing all that time, it ends. What happened to her?

katiereads13's review against another edition

5.0

emotional inspiring

a_bibliophiles_book_blog's review against another edition

1.0

It was honestly one of the most boring books I've ever read

prairieraven's review against another edition

1.0

This is a book about a boy who went looking for his mom after a lifetime of wondering about her. A tale of his journey built around the fact his mom (and hundreds of other moms ) was forced to give up her child due to the government and churches agreement to hide the "problem of Ireland" it points out all the social and political issues of the time that are still ringing today. Interesting to read given how this story was come to be written.

alexandrarose's review against another edition

4.0

I definitely read this in English, but I can’t find that edition?

It was a beautiful book, very heartbreaking, and an important insight to a specific part of history often overlooked or silenced.

panda8882's review against another edition

5.0

This. Is. An. Incredible. Story. I cried like a baby as I read the last chapter and I am not ashamed to admit it. What an incredible incredible story and kudos to Martin Sixsmith for giving Philomena Lee the precious gift of knowing her son's life story, since the Catholic church deprived her of that for 50 years.

I saw the movie first, which I also loved, but it tells a really different story from the book. While the movie is more about Philomena and Martin Sixsmith, the book is almost entirely about her son, Anthony/Mike. So in a way, the movie is the making of the book. I loved the movie but the book made you realized what a watered down version of the story it was.

The book includes this incredible Bridge on the River Kwai idea as Mike spends his whole adulthood helping the Republican party ... even though their moral majority politics are so at odds with his life. I would say more about that, but I don't want to give too much away. But it certainly intensified my disdain for the moral majority, their hateful policies, and the Republican party's silent accomplice attitude towards the gay rights movement and AIDs epidemic in the late 80's and 90's. Shameful.

The book also included plenty (although surprisingly less than the movie) about the religious aspect of this tragedy. As a former Catholic, it made me yet again ashamed that the Church seemed unwilling to see past their own judgment and archaic ideas of sin and damnation to help two lost souls find each other... except if there was a bribe involved. They should be ashamed.

So there's a little something for everyone - this incredible human story, and some politics and religious controversy to round it out.

Incredible story told in a compelling, complete way that assured this will stay with me for a long long long long time.