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Product Description
The Guardian, Nicholas Lezard, October 2001
'Had it not got so nerve-wracking towards the end, I would have read it in one go...This is haunting stuff.'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
The Jewish Chronicle, Jonathan Self, October 2001
'Little Boy Lost is a gem.'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This wonderful book is the story of a man's search for his son, lost in France during WWII. On a deeper level, it is the story of a man's search for himself, rediscovering his capacity for love after the experiences of war. Hilary Wainwright saw his son John just once, the day after he was born in Paris. Hilary's wife Lisa was working for the Resistance and was captured and killed by the Gestapo when John was a baby, and the child disappeared. After the war, Hilary is contacted by Pierre, a friend of Lisa's, with news of a child who may be John. Hilary sets out to find this child. His search takes him through the devastated French countryside to the small town where the child lives in an orphanage. Hilary's growing relationship with little Jean (the name given to the child) is very moving. Hilary's resistance to love, to being hurt again is vividly portrayed. Jean is a delightful child, a representative of the many thousands of children left orphaned and lost by war. The reader longs for these two lost souls to fall into each other's arms. By the end of the novel, I didn't care whether Jean was Hilary's son or not. The unsentimental yet deeply moving style of the novel is totally engrossing, once started, I could hardly bear put it down.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
...and I don't cry over books as a rule. I don't know quite how to describe this lovely book - execept to say it is almost unbearably poignant at times. Originally published in 1949 - it tells the story of Hilary Wainwright and the search for his young son. In 1942 Hilary learns his son - who he believed was being cared for by a woman in occupied France, and who had rescued the child following Hilary's wife's death - is in fact lost, possibly somewhere in France. In 1945 Hilary goes in search of his son, with the help of a french man Pierre. But Hilary is a tortured soul - a poet - he now finds himself resistant to feelings of love since his wifes death, and wonders if he really wants this child at all. I found this such a wonderfuly moving book, and one that at times made me furious too, and I had to put it down and walk away from it at times. It is however hugely memorable, and the sort of book I will read again.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I can't begin to praise this book enough. I am a critical reader and I read a lot, and for this to be in my top ten it has to be something special. I keep on recommending it; to be honest, I beg people to read it because it it so good - and it's short, so quick to read! It is beautifully written, restrained and controlled in style, as it deals with a man's search for his missing son. This war-damaged man, bereaved and unable to express love, is as moving a creation as the little boy, Jean, who may be his son. The scenes where they go for walks together, especially when the man gives the boy a gift, are touching and yet never sentimental. The picture of post-war France is also unforgettable. It is impossible to put down and also has one of the most perfect (ie fitting) endings I have ever read (So many books just don't end well...). Once you've read and enjoyed it, try more Persephone books - they are fantastic!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A most enjoyable read
I thought this book was really charming and portrays post-second-war France vividly. We have just read it in the our Book Club and it provoked a lot of discussion as, even though... Read more
Published 3 months ago by AnnM52
little boy lost
A beautifully written book which has an amazing ending
Thoroughly recommend this book as it searches the inner
soul of a man.
Thoroughly recommend this book as it searches the inner
soul of a man.
Published 6 months ago by jem
Lives forever!
This is one of those books that lives in the memory forever. I first read it when at school and it has been with me ever since. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Honesty Pays
A very emotional read
Little Boy Lost is the second book I've read by Marghanita Laski - the first was The Victorian Chaise-Longue. However, I found the two books entirely different. Read more
Published 14 months ago by H. Skinner
A SYMBOL OF ITS TIME
This is a fantastic, many-layered book which deals with a father, separated by war from his wife and son. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Clive A. H. Still
'Little Boy Lost' - Delighting the finder.
A charming book. Thoughtful and thought provoking. There must have been so many people who had no idea of where their family was after the war. Read more
Published 21 months ago by buttercup bex
A big decision
What a fabulous little book, yet again, from Marghanita Laski. I only read The Victorian Chaise-Longue a month or so ago so when I saw this book in a random independent bookshop in... Read more
Published on 7 May 2010 by Boof
A really clever book
I have read this book at least twice every year and it never fails to delight. The story is remarkable and the writing skillful.
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by Phil
Unbelievably good!
This book is an absolute treasure - evocatively written and with an ending to take your breath away.
Published on 31 Jan 2010 by DavidRef
A Classic That Shouldnt Be Lost
Little Boy Lost is the tale of Hilary Wainwright's search for his son who has been lost in France. How could a child be lost in the wilderness like that, well it is France in the... Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2009 by Simon Savidge Reads
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