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New York Times Bestseller
Now a major motion picture starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan and nominated for four Academy Awards: the heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years
When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a “fallen woman.” Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like thousands of others, to America for adoption. Fifty years later, Philomena decided to find him.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Philomena’s son was trying to find her. Renamed Michael Hess, he had become a leading lawyer in the first Bush administration, and he struggled to hide secrets that would jeopardize his career in the Republican Party and endanger his quest to find his mother.
A gripping exposé told with novelistic intrigue, Philomena pulls back the curtain on the role of the Catholic Church in forced adoptions and on the love between a mother and son who endured a lifelong separation.
Anonymous
Posted Tue Jan 21 00:00:00 EST 2014
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Philomena is a grand book. The writing is top notch. It is a heartbreaking yet inspirational story. I was a bit surprised by the storyline. I thought it was going to be about a mother’s search for her son, but it was more about the life of the son – rising up in the Republican party, his lifestyle as a gay man, and his battle with AIDS. Even though it was different than what I expected, I still really enjoyed this book.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Dec 06 00:00:00 EST 2013
I thought this story was going to be about a mothers search for her son after being forced to give him up it ended being a very long book about the sons rise and struggle with the Rebublican party, his gay lifestyle and then his battle with AIDs All of my hope while i was reading this arduous account of his life came to an end when he dies never finding his Mother, and when she finally finds him she has to settle for a gravestone Although this was a very true and touching story, I felt completely let down at the end--very sad
7 out of 20 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Jan 22 00:00:00 EST 2014
I enjoyed the film so much that i decided to read the book. Mr. Sixsmith unfolds the story with finesse and skill. The film gave a fairly full view of Philomena's experience, but the book reveals an equally well documentation of her son's life, as well. A very good read.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Dec 11 00:00:00 EST 2013
I too thought the book was going to be about a mothers search for her son. I finished the book and was disappointed in the real storyline. First book I will delete from my Nook!
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2014
I recently saw this film then read the book afterward. This is a truly engaging and true story and it shows the heart of love and determination that a mother has for her child. This is a walk through the life of a lady that is honest and open to the reader.
This book is well worth the read.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2014
This was an interesting book with respect to how unwed mothers/adoptions were handled. I was expecting more on Philomena and her search for her son. Not expecting the majority of the book to be about the life of the son.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Feb 12 00:00:00 EST 2014
My husband just finished reading this book - and absolutely LOVED it. I have not yet read it; I am in the middle of another book. But, we ordered this book after seeing the movie, Philomena, which we both loved, and which made us curious about the book. The basic difference between the book & the movie, is that the movie is almost entirely from Philomena's perspective. The book concentrates on the experiences of her biological son. So, if you're a fan of the movie, this book rounds out & completes the story. It answers questions the movie may have left you with. I am looking forward to reading the book, but my husband & I are very much in synch regarding our reading, and so I have no doubt I will also highly regard this book. I may write another, more detailed review after I read it, but that may not be for another month or two.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2014
This wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be about, but very interesting, touching, and educational at the same time.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Feb 21 00:00:00 EST 2014
It is painful to read what these girls go through and I find myself putting the book down occasionally because it is so sad. It is such a fascinating story!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Dec 14 00:00:00 EST 2013
I found the book very easy to read and so interesting that I did not want to put the book down; however, in my opinion, the main character and storyline of the book is not Philomena, It is her son, his life and eventual search for his mother. Philomena, to me, was a secondary character who was addressed in about 1/4 of the book. I purchased the book after seeing the move trailers and reading about the movie. Based on what I had seen and read, I assumed Philomena would be the main character and the storyline would be about her search for her son.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Thu Feb 06 00:00:00 EST 2014
The overview of this book made you believe this was a mother/son searching for one another over a 50 year period. Absolutely not the story! There were 474 pages and only75 pages in the begining and 30 pages at the end were used to write about this so called search. The other 300 plus pages were devoted to the son learning he was gay. Then you had to read about his gay dating, his sexuality, his sex partners and him going to different gay clubs and having sex with numerous men. And if that wasn't enough you had to read about him berating and talking horribly about the Republican Party who he was working for. Then there was the whole AIDS scandal. Bottom line, if you think you are purchasing this book about a mother giving up her son and the son searching for his birth mother DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT IS NOT WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT! If you are interested in homosexuality and dislike the republican party, then this is your book. VERY, VRRY MISLEADING OVERVIEW OF BOOK. Wish i could get my money back!
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2014
Totally different from the movie. It gives you a much wider picture of the emotions involved from so many more prospectives.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 2014
This book was origionally titled " The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee". A more apt title, since the book comes from an entirely different perspective than the movie did. The book primarily takes you through the life of Michael Hess here in America: what his life was like growing up, his relationships with his " sister", his adoptive parents and his new country. His adult life; successes and struggles and his visceral connection with Ireland and his birth Mother. Very little mention of Phillomena as an adult. The book and the movie together paint a more complete picture than the movie alone.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Jan 25 00:00:00 EST 2014
The title and accompanying description of the book indicates it would be a story about Philomena, her dealings with the church during her time of "shame", and how she coped with the removal of her child from her life. Well, it turns out to be the in-depth story of Anthony (Michael), how he was raised, his uncertainties and feeling of rejection, an extreme detail of his sexual preferences and depravity, the onset of the AIDS virus, and the ever changing political climates. Finally in the last 10 pages, in the Prologue, there is a story about Philomena and what became of her life. So title the book what it is: a biography of Michael Hess.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Jan 06 00:00:00 EST 2014
I was really hoping for the story to be mainly about the search, however, this book was more about his homosexual lifestyle and the mistreatment of the mother by the Catholic Nuns, than about the mother's search for a son. VERY DISAPPOINTING.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Dec 28 00:00:00 EST 2013
Wonderingehatthe movie willbe like. So far it is all about the son.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Dec 27 00:00:00 EST 2013
It's hard to believe that people could be so cruel to an unwed mother, not to mention her innocent baby. As a society, and the Irish in particular, we have come a long way. I'm not Catholic, so I can't comment on the church.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Sep 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014
disappointing
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Posted Fri Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014
Did not see the movie, always want to read the book first. Was a really good read, and would recommend to anyone who loves a good story.
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Posted Tue May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014
This book was described as a search by a Mother for her son. It was grossly misrepresented. It is the story of a gay man and his lifestyle with a very small part devoted to his search for his Mother. I wish I had my money back.
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Overview
New York Times Bestseller
Now a major motion picture starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan and nominated for four Academy Awards: the heartbreaking true story of an Irishwoman and the secret she kept for 50 years
When she became pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena Lee was sent to a convent to be looked after as a “fallen woman.” Then the nuns took her baby from her and sold him, like ...