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218 reviews for:
Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search
Martin Sixsmith
3.49 AVERAGE
218 reviews for:
Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search
Martin Sixsmith
3.49 AVERAGE
A misnomer. Philomena's story takes up less than 100 pages of 461, it's mostly about the son. Disappointing and very sad in places. Maybe the movie is different?
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Sixsmith stumbled into an interesting, engaging story, but didn’t quite know what to do with it. The jacket is a bit misleading—this book is 95% about Philomena’s son and only 5% about her. I would’ve liked to have seen both of their stories given the care that Michael’s had, though suppose that perhaps Philomena preferred not to be in the book.
I enjoyed reading this, but thought the largely reconstructed dialogue supposedly from interviews read very stiff. It would’ve been better to just summarize these conversations with brief mentions to specific dialogue, rather than try to make this read like fiction. I didn’t like that the author tried to invent feelings and thoughts for the subject of the book, either, who was not around to confirm or deny this.
Additionally, after finishing this book I’ve read testimonies from folks that appeared in it saying that not only were details completely invented and false, but the author did not approve these changes before publication of the book. Given that this is not the author’s story to tell, I take issue with that and am disappointed to learn that much of this book is hearsay. I won’t be reading anything else from this author.
I enjoyed reading this, but thought the largely reconstructed dialogue supposedly from interviews read very stiff. It would’ve been better to just summarize these conversations with brief mentions to specific dialogue, rather than try to make this read like fiction. I didn’t like that the author tried to invent feelings and thoughts for the subject of the book, either, who was not around to confirm or deny this.
Additionally, after finishing this book I’ve read testimonies from folks that appeared in it saying that not only were details completely invented and false, but the author did not approve these changes before publication of the book. Given that this is not the author’s story to tell, I take issue with that and am disappointed to learn that much of this book is hearsay. I won’t be reading anything else from this author.
emotional
slow-paced
It wasn't what I expected. I figured mother and son would get equal part about there struggle to find each other. It is more of a biography of the son. You see his entire life from the start. You only see the mother when she gives birth and then in the end. You only get four pages to learn that Philomena has been thinking and worrying about her son the whole time. I did want more of a switch up between their stories. I understand the original book title was "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee." Just because they made a movie doesn't mean the need to change the title. The first title lets you know it is about the child. Philomena makes me think it will be mostly about the mother.
With all that being said, I did enjoy the book. I felt for him. I did get angry at some parts, but that is how things are different in the 50s from now. I am not Catholic so I will no judge the religion since I know nothing about it.
With all that being said, I did enjoy the book. I felt for him. I did get angry at some parts, but that is how things are different in the 50s from now. I am not Catholic so I will no judge the religion since I know nothing about it.
Het is hartverscheurend, het begin. De flap suggereert dat de moeder op zoek gaat naar het kind, maar het boek beschrijft het leven van de zoon. Op zich een ontroerend en goed verhaal. Pas de laatste 40 pagina's gaat het over de moeder
Horrible to think it is true, very interesting and sad.
I liked parts of this - but some went too far (conversations the author couldn't have been privy to, imagining what was in Michael's head..... These things do not belong in so-called non-fiction!). There is no balance either - I wanted more Philomena, and more of her search, but instead it mostly focuses on gay sex. I have no problem with that - I'm rather interested in the AIDS epidemic, actually - but it's not the book I was expecting to read. Then I come to Goodreads and see that the top review is from one of his sources saying he made up a lot of the content. That's terrible, and I feel completely differently about the book now. *sigh*
So, so sad. I really thought it would be more of an uplifting story, but so much sadness for two lives.
The story of Philomena Lee and the son she was forced to give up are compelling, but I have several issues with this book. First of all, Philomena's life isn't depicted much beyond the first section of the book and I would have loved to read in more detail about her life after leaving Sean Ross Abbey, where she gave birth to and cared for Michael (then Anthony). For another, the author attempted to write what is effectively a biography of Michael Hess as a novel, and there is simply no way the author could have known that many of the scenes and dialogue occurred, given that some of the subjects had passed away by the time he was writing the book. Moreover, many of the people described in the book come off as one-dimensional, with the exception of Michael. However, I've read that people who knew Michael dispute the way he is characterized in the book, which is disappointing.