The Missing

I loved this Book. But I also love this Author.

Spellbinding. This book starts out as just a story about a man going to see at the end of WWI but turns into a tale involving him, his childhood he never had and a missing child all woven into a tale you won't want to put down.

I 'accidently' chose this book, not sure why. But as I read, I knew why I kept on reading... then mourned when the book was finished. The characters in the book had some serious issues to deal with. The main character, Sam, had an amazing site on the right way to be. He often had sorrow walking beside him, yet he didn't let sorrow become him! the ending of the book was very...more

I 'accidently' chose this book, not sure why. But as I read, I knew why I kept on reading... then mourned when the book was finished. The characters in the book had some serious issues to deal with. The main character, Sam, had an amazing site on the right way to be. He often had sorrow walking beside him, yet he didn't let sorrow become him! the ending of the book was very satisfying, yet the trip to the backwoods was horrifying! Hopefully this was only based on imagination and not on any facts... I like to be naive about the horrors that some people can live in. Now I will keep my eyes pealed for this author!   hide

I was surprised and delighted by this book. I had not read anything by Gautreaux and had no expectations, so his distinct and masculine voice was new to me. I thought he did a particularly good job of description. The beginning was not compelling, and I put the book aside for a while, getting on with other reading. When I came back to it, I found myself drawn in, and then it became a...more

I was surprised and delighted by this book. I had not read anything by Gautreaux and had no expectations, so his distinct and masculine voice was new to me. I thought he did a particularly good job of description. The beginning was not compelling, and I put the book aside for a while, getting on with other reading. When I came back to it, I found myself drawn in, and then it became a page-turner. The plot was well conceived, I thought, and satisfying. I decided to check out Gautreaux's other work, and you can imagine my delight when I found a short story by him in last week's <i>New Yorker<i>. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for this author.   hide

This is the best book I have read in years - it is a story about choices we make and consequences of those choices; it is about responsibility and blame and always doing the right thing. I absolutely loved it and cannot to wait to read more by Mr. Gautreaux.

This book evokes the best of Southern literature from Faulkner to O'Connor to Penn Warren. But there's nothing derivative about it at all. Truly compelling and deeply moving from start to finish. I am heartbroken that I can't keep reading this story.

Great book. Gautreaux's best novel. The book's central character, Sam, was orphaned in his own childhood by the murder of his family and later became entwined in the tragedies of other children -- a French child whose house Sam accidentally destroyed in WWI and another kidnapped from her parents and sold to a childless couple. Sam sets out on an odyssey to find the kidnapped child...more

Great book. Gautreaux's best novel. The book's central character, Sam, was orphaned in his own childhood by the murder of his family and later became entwined in the tragedies of other children -- a French child whose house Sam accidentally destroyed in WWI and another kidnapped from her parents and sold to a childless couple. Sam sets out on an odyssey to find the kidnapped child and repair his own life. The odyssey takes him up and down the Mississippi River on a showboat and through the backwoods of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Much of the book addresses questions of revenge, whether revenge can repair the damage done to Sam and the others. Not to give away the story, but the story of the French child neatly frames the story and provides perspective for Sam's own confrontation with revenge and just punishment.   hide

Great book. Gautreaux's best novel. The book's central character, Sam, was orphaned in his own childhood by the murder of his family and later became entwined in the tragedies of other children -- a French child whose house Sam accidentally destroyed in WWI and another kidnapped from her parents and sold to a childless couple. Sam sets out on an odyssey to find the kidnapped child...more

Great book. Gautreaux's best novel. The book's central character, Sam, was orphaned in his own childhood by the murder of his family and later became entwined in the tragedies of other children -- a French child whose house Sam accidentally destroyed in WWI and another kidnapped from her parents and sold to a childless couple. Sam sets out on an odyssey to find the kidnapped child and repair his own life. The odyssey takes him up and down the Mississippi River on a showboat and through the backwoods of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Much of the book addresses questions of revenge, whether revenge can repair the damage done to Sam and the others. Not to give away the story, but the story of the French child neatly frames the story and provides perspective for Sam's own confrontation with revenge and just punishment. [review by Moss Lane]   hide

I love Tim. He has a way of showing Louisiana in its dirty own way. This was better than The Clearing, but not The Next Step in the Dance. The characters were stronger than ever, but the plot bogged down like a steamer in the Mississippi Mud (that comment there is like a professional critic.) While the story was awesome, and the events terrific, I felt at times, get on with it! ...more

I love Tim. He has a way of showing Louisiana in its dirty own way. This was better than The Clearing, but not The Next Step in the Dance. The characters were stronger than ever, but the plot bogged down like a steamer in the Mississippi Mud (that comment there is like a professional critic.) While the story was awesome, and the events terrific, I felt at times, get on with it! Still, Tim is one of the best writers in the South...   hide