A review by caitlin21521
Philomena (Movie Tie-In): A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty-Year Search by Martin Sixsmith

3.0

So! The title change is misleading, and I'm sure they changed it so people would connect the book with the film, but the original title of The Lost Child is much more fitting, as this is really about her son, not Philomena herself. I was also under the impression that this would be more about the quest to find each other.

I just wish it had been a bit better written - the dialogue at times did not really feel authentic. I also wish we got more of a glimpse at Philomena's life after she left the Abbey; it was evident how much she went through afterwards, but it just gets kind of summarized in the epilogue. I'm very curious how the film is.

EDITED TO ADD: I took out the middle section of what I had written, because in the reviews, there's one by Susan Kavanaugh, who features prominently in the book. I would suggest reading what she has to say: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/870006187?book_show_action=true&page=1