The Stolen Child

deep character study fantasy

Mischievous hobgoblins (an oxymoron) abduct seven years old Henry Day and replace him with an identically looking doppelganger. Over time the human Henry adapts to living with the hobgoblins though he notices major differences between him and his ¿family¿ for instance unlike him, they never seem to get older or wiser. The replacement Hobgoblin Henry uses his skills of a copy cat to create a successful musical career stealing the sound from talented humans he too has adjusted to being a human life. --- Still over the years the two Henrys consistently feel out of place in their respective world, and that sense of not belonging grows even as they adjust to their environs. Neither can hold a relationship for even a small time period as their alienation widens. Soon each looks back to their early childhood to try to learn why they feel like such an outsider, but their memories are murky at best and seem impossible to have been real. Impossible that is until decades later when Henry meets Henry. --- Though a fantasy, THE STOLEN CHILD is more a deep character study that digs inside the souls (can a hobgoblin have a soul?) of two individuals who have always felt estranged and unhappy with their respective lives as neither believe they belong. The story line cleverly rotates between the Henrys over the years with each passing chapter in their lives just compounding the sentiment of alienation with those around them. Fans will appreciate this powerful yet low keyed (at least the paranormal elements) tale star strangers in a strange land though each has grown up as part of the landscape. --- Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Book

Sounds cool

A Magical Reading Experience!

I really enjoyed this book. The plot is original and the writing is lyrical. I truly cared about the fate off all of the characters which, to me, is one of the hallmarks of an excellent book. If you grew up reading and loving books such as The Secret Garden and The Princess and The Goblin then you should thoroughly enjoy this book. It has also inspired me to research the Changling Myth on the Internet and how it has persisted throughout time.

Best book of the year !

From the first page, this book demands your attention......and gets it! Donohue uniquely uses the subject of Changlings to explore the question of nature vs. nuture. I have given this book as a gift to many friends.

A Book for Thinkers

I finished this book several days ago and it still has a grip on me. The contrast of the two perspectives is what made this book work so well. Timelessness vs. time, Adult vs. child, Growing up vs. stunted 'emotional' growth, living vs. existing. There are unanswered questions in this book, and its not all spelled out for the reader. So, if you do not like to think and if you like the author to do all the work don't bother reading this. Also, this book is Character driven, not action driven. It is a search into the very fabric of who we are and who we are not. Be ready for those one-liners that make you stop reading and say 'wow...let me think about that a second' and be ready for the desire to jump into the story. There is one line in the story I think readers should keep in mind when they finish the book, 'Novelists construct elaborate lies to throw off readers from discovering the meaning behind the words and symbols, as if it could be known.' This is a great book. And I think I will always be haunted by it, it has changed me.

Great story

I was hooked on this story from the first few pages. The chapter alternatate and each chapter is told from Henry or Aniday's perspective. A great story & towards the end you keep turning the pages as fast as you can read to see how everything turns out.

Great concept, disappointing story line

I kept reading this book, waiting for the good part to come, but it never did. Cool concept and I liked the supernatural bits, but it fell short of my expectations. Disappointing all around. I would not recommend this book.

One of the Best Books in Years!

I really loved this book...it was an amazing story of the search to find oneself and coping with some of the tragedies in life. The story depicted remarkable friendships and the beauty of finding peace admist others. It also shows the reality of being haunted by, and coming to terms with, the past.

A marvelous find

I probably would not have selected this book if I hadn't read newspaper reviews about it. Initially, I found it good but not particularly engaging. However it develops into a compelling and completely riveting story. The depth of the character development is amazing. The language is almost poetic at times - but there certainly is satisfactory action too. The performers on the unabridged CD are perfect. While the conclusion is completely satisfying, I was very sorry to reach the end. It was a tough act to follow!

A piece of Neverland

Where it wasn't a gripping page turner like some books, it still had a edge to it that kept me going to the end. I wish we could've followed the characters a little farther into the future just to have the aching question answered but with a little imagination you can easily turn it into a happily Ever After for everyone.

The redemption came a little too late

While I liked the book, and the format with which Donohue set it up I somehow found myself feeling a little empty when the book ended. Simply, when it ended i wasnt pleased or displeased, just kind of reflective.

BORING!!!!

The only reason I kept reading this book?.....I was waiting for the good part to come but it never did! Nothing exciting ever happens, I would not reccommend this book to anyone.

Everyone loves a faerytale!

I am nearly halfway through this wonderful book and I am already hoping Donohue will write another similar book. The jacket description had me curious but I was wary of how the story would be told. But now I am astonished! I'm always up for a different kind of read. Bravo Mr Donohue!

A tremendous read!

My son Shaun gave me this book as a gift for my birthday. As an avid reader, I must say that this is by far the best book I have read this year. The characters are compellingly drawn and their interactions speak to a larger truth regarding what it truly means to be human. His sense of scene and place are breathtakingly detailed and beautifully rendered. I absolutely and enthusiastically recommend this book.

A Sad Tale

I bought this book because I had heard the original poem sung by Loreena McKennitt. The story behind it was a little hazy until I understood the discussion in the first chapter of the story. As this story developes, Aniday becomes more like the nymph children he now lives around and Henry becomes him in the real world. This book is very sad, and it shows how innocence can be stolen so very quickly. This applies to all of us in our lives today.

Peter Pans' 'Lost Boys' meets Tolkien

I LOVED this book. I picked it up after recognizing the title as something that I heard some buzz about. I am not a big fan of books that take too long to get into or that go into too much detail and this book definitely grabs from the very beginning. It is richly written, simplisticly constructed and very intriguing. I loved how Donohue combined the real world monotony with the magical world of the changelings so that every moment seems important and interesting. The end result is a very touching, adventurous and captivating tale that completely absorbs the reader. I cant give this book enough praise!

Captivating

This book is excellent. It is written vividly and paced easily, every minute you spend reading it is a pleasure. Not a moment is boring, and it leaves you with that thoughtful feeling you get after finishing a really good book. I would definitely recommend The Stolen Child to others.

mesmerizing

This is the best novel I've read in a very long time. It kept me up at night and moved me to tears. The Stolen Child has that magical quality of haunting the reader after the book has been closed.

Not convinced

I had bought this book, and kept it on the shelf a while, then read all the reviews here and decided it trumped my others waiting to be read.... While the book was original and the writing style good, I could not connect with this book in the way the previous reviewers mentioned...I thought the flip flop between the two story lines was mildly annoying, and never really grabbed me. I thought the Henry Day/Aniday characters evolved in a slightly unbelievable way...it took waaayyyy too long for them to make thier personal growth, and when they did, it happened too fast...so basically I thought the pace was off. I would recommend this to a very limited crowd. PS I loved the Lord if the Rings series, hated the Harry Potter series...

Ian McEwan meets J.R.R. Tolkien

Don't be fooled by all the 'bedtime story for adults' reviews. This is a REAL book by a REAL author. THE STOLEN CHILD is the best novel of 2006, by a wide margin.