What Was Mine: A Book Club Recommendation!

The book is great . Couldn’t put the book down .

Loved the emotions I felt while reading this book.

Beautiful book but have also read this under another name

What was mine was well written. I had never read a book about kidnapping before and it was very interesting. The different relationships that are formed and how a kidnapper can justify waht she has done. You get to really know the main characters. A good read.Candice

"Simply told but deeply affecting" was an accurate description of this book. Part One, involving the abduction itself, was the most exciting and the most moving part. The story is told from the alternating viewpoints, a few of which felt a little unnecessary, but because of this we are able to connect with and empathize with each of the main characters involved. The author has such a way with language that I could actually picture the scenes as though I was experiencing them myself. "My hands keep returning to the empty Snugli flapping against my breast. Each time I touch it, I hope the baby will somehow be there". That is a very human behaviour that I can picture myself doing. Part Two was slower but still compelling. Part Three fell a bit flat for me. It's the first time I've ever imagined myself re-writing an ending. The resolution given to us in part Three was kind of lackluster and dragged on a bit. I found myself getting impatient, hoping something a little more exciting or meaningful would happen, that there would be some redemption regarding the awful act that had been done. Instead the story continues to be told simply and quite matter-of-factly. I could not feel the emotions that I had felt in Part One. Nevertheless, I liked the book and the characters enough that I didn't feel the need to start skimming or jumping ahead, and I still read the book in a day. At the end, we are sort of left to imagine what probably happened where I felt that the author could have given us more. For that reason, my rating went down a star.I don't claim to be a writer, but the ending I pictured was something like this: The baby grows up well taken care of and loved but later on develops a medical condition of some sort which ultimately could be cured by donations from biological family members. The "abuctor mommy" feels conflicted but finally sacrifices her own freedom and reputation (false though it is) by contacting the child's family for help. Thus follows many emotions, angst, etc. and the novel is wrapped up with some kind of lesson regarding redemption and forgiveness, the strength of a mother's love etc., while at the same time bringing about justice. I think that could possibly have made it a 5 star book, but that's just my opinion.