Product Description

‘Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his mother …’As twelve-year-old David takes refuge from his grief in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother, he finds the real world and the fantasy world begin to blend. That is when bad things start to happen. That is when the Crooked Man comes. And David is violently propelled into a land populated by heroes, wolves and monsters, his quest to find the legendary Book of Lost Things.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7972 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Review

'The book's epic villainy, mournful tone and tested morality is the essence of Connolly. Worst of all is the Crooked Man, who ranks with the Travelling Man, the Collector and even Mr Pudd among Connolly's most memorable villains. 'THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS is peculiar and perverse and humane, with an incredibly lyrical finale . . . The novel should earn the author new readers.'

(The Irish Times )

'Brilliantly creepy coming of age novel'

(Mirror )

‘A powerful, powerful writer. I got a very real chill down my spine. This is an amazing book.’

(Jeffery Deaver )

‘Charming, disturbing and outrageously imaginative. A tremendously exciting change of pace.’

(Lawrence Jackson, Producer of BBC Radio 4’s adaptations of John Connolly’s short stories )

'The book is beautifully written ... It is obviously the product of someone with a very powerful imagination'

(Newbooks Magazine )

'John Connolly has a cult following for his crime novel and can clearly plot twists and turns. He has applied that talent to his own life by producing a very different book... a highly original novel using stories that we all know. But think twice before reading his version of Hansel and Gretel to your kids'

(Times )

Synopsis
'Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his mother !'As twelve-year-old David takes refuge from his grief in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother, he finds the real world and the fantasy world begin to blend. That is when bad things start to happen. That is when the Crooked Man comes. And David is violently propelled into a land populated by heroes, wolves and monsters, his quest to find the legendary Book of Lost Things.

About the Author

John Connolly was born in Dublin in 1968. His debut, EVERY DEAD THING swiftly launched him right into the front rank of thriller writers, and all his subsequent novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers. He is the first non-American writer to win the US Shamus award.

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Customer Reviews

A cracking read!
Minor spoilers here!
I've just finished reading this again in preparation for discussion at our next book club meeting. This has to be up there with my all time favourite books and has led me on all sorts of literary paths including properly reading Browning's `Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came'. The Book of Lost Things is essentially a `coming of age book' and I suspect a very much it is a male coming of age book, I am interested to see what why all female book club members make of it!
I'm not going to dwell on the story itself other than to say I defy anyone to not shed a tear in the last chapter. There are lots of interesting reviews of the main story on this site both positive and negative (ignore the ones who couldn't even be bothered to finish the book - if you don't read it, don't publish a review!). I thought however I'd offer some thoughts on the other aspect the book.
Unusually for a novel the last third of the book is a Q&A session with author and a retelling on many of the original fairly tales it draws on, particularly those gathered by the brothers Grimm. I found the interview, re-reading the fairly tales I last read to my own sons many years ago and the author's comments on source material gave a fascinating insight into the authors though processes and the wider cultural norms of European culture that shape us as we grow. Who has not met their own version of the `crooked man' in their childhood dreams?
Given the wide ranging exploration of the key themes in this section of the book my only minor gripe was the omission of any discussions around David's (the protagonist of the story) response to the sexuality of his mentor/protector Roland. I suspect all male children struggle with developing confidence in their own sexuality and accepting the sexuality of others. This is a key theme in this part of the story and to ignore it is the later discussion was a disappointment.
All in all a cracking read that can be enjoyed and discussed at many levels.

Book of pretty good
I bought this on a whim when i was desperate to read something and the cover and blurb sold me. It does have a stunning cover, kudos due to the designers.

I was pretty happy with my impulse purchase. Though not bitingly original, skewed versions of fairy tales have long been a staple of student writing and drama, this was a well written enjoyable read.

Dealing as it does with themes of bereveament and the onset of puberty as well as drawing paralells with fairy tales and fantastical worlds, this book can be considered a reasonable success. However it scratches surfaces too often when deeper exploration was desired. It feels, at times, that the author was overly cautious and dipped his toe rather than dived in.

Some elements, such as the Snow White segment are merely re-jigs of well explored variants of the tale.

That said, the book moves along at a brisk pace and is an enjoyable read. I got through it comfortably in a few days of evening reading and, whilst it would be untrue to say that i was terribly sorry it had ended, i was left satisfied and entertained. Very often that is all you want from a book after all. So, for a diverting,disposable read i would suggest that you could find much, much worse.

Could be a good one for Book clubs. Also, it had a number of authors essays at the end, along with a selection of original fairy tales. A very nice touch and much appreciated by this reader.

Enjoyed very much
Not a huge fan of Connolly's Charlie Parker novels etc but I really enjoyed this. It had me lost in it's world for the duration. I found it different and refreshing. Fantasy, fairy tale, mild horror themes. Yes excellent, yes reccomended. I loved the way fairy tales and characters were interwoven into an adventure for a young boy who'd suffered early in the story.
Now I wish Charlie Parker would get lost so Connolly would write more like this. For me Charlie Parker is the Dirk Pitt of the Private Investigator world. Done to Death.