Maureen Joyce Connolly

Wow! Little Lovely Things is an amazing debut novel by Maureen Joyce Connolly. This book was absolutely heartbreaking, especially reading it as a parent. It was hard to read at times and it wouldn't normally be a topic that I would choose. As upsetting as some of it was, Connolly's story telling was amazingly powerful and I am so glad I stuck with it. Her ability to build such detailed characters allows you to actually take on not only the perspectives of these grieving parents but also the kidnappers.

Amongst this families heart break, you are able to see the struggle of what becomes of a family that is torn apart, persistence and resilience in the face of the unknown and just how much of a difference a stranger's help can make. There is so much emotion in this artfully told story and I look forward to reading much more of Connolly's writing in the future.… (mais)

4.5 stars.

Taking place during the early to mid 1990s, Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly is a heartbreaking, suspenseful novel about two little girls who are kidnapped.

Almost finished with her residency, Claire Rawlings is a busy mom of two daughters, fifteen month old Lily and four year old Andrea. Husband Glen is a teacher who also coaches to supplement the family income. While on her way to work with the girls, Claire is suddenly taken ill. Leaving her daughters asleep in the car, she dashes into the ladies' room where she passes out. During that brief window of time, Lily and Claire vanish. The police immediately begin searching for the girls, but will any of their scant leads help locate them?

Native American Jay White is ready to get his life on track. While en route to the place where he hopes to start fresh, he makes a shocking discovery. After meeting Claire, Jay feels a kinship with her and the two inexplicably remain in touch over the years. Despite a few struggles, Jay has completely turned his life around when he meets one of his new neighbor. When his long suppressed intuition begins speaking to him, will Jay trust the feeling that something is not quite right with his new acquaintance?

Over the course of four long years after their daughters' disappearance, Claire and Glen never quite get their fractured marriage back on track. Claire has never dealt with her overwhelming guilt for her daughters' kidnapping. As she and Glen continue to drift apart, is it too late to save their once happy marriage? And will they ever find the answers to the questions that continue to plague them about their children's kidnapping?

Little Lovely Things is an emotional novel that is quite captivating. The characters are multi-dimensional with true to life weaknesses and realistic strengths. The storyline is fresh and imaginative and the various settings are vibrantly developed. Although not a traditional mystery, Maureen Joyce Connolly keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the novel hurtles to a dramatic denouement. The conclusion is a bit abrupt yet satisfying. An outstanding debut that I truly enjoyed and highly recommend.… (mais)

A special thank you to Edelweiss and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Rawlings is suffering from what she perceives to be an allergic reaction, but because she is a medical resident, she still has to go in for rounds. While driving to work—with her children in the vehicle—she is forced to pull over when her symptoms become unbearable. What seems like only moments later, she wakes up on the floor of a gas station restroom only to discover that her car, and her daughters, have been taken.

With no leads and no trace of her little girls, Claire is losing hope with each passing hour. A witness comes forward but proves to be unreliable and their hopes are dashed. The unspoken guilt and blame start to fracture Claire's marriage and she is barely keeping it together.

Little Lovely Things is a study in tragedy and how even small decisions can have a great impact on life's trajectory.

This book was completely captivating from the first chapter and had so much potential. The depiction of Claire's anxiety and sheer panic over her missing children was emotionally wrought and incredibly tense.

One of the more interesting characters is Jay White, a Native American with the gift of sight. He has feelings and visions of what happened to Claire's girls. Although dismissed by the police, Claire keeps in touch with Jay as he is a source of hope. The Native American folklore also provides a compelling dynamic to the story that would otherwise be flat without it.

Connolly's contemporary offering is told from multiple points of view that was stalled by the nonsensical secret language of the Irish Travelling Gypsies that kidnapped the girls. Not only was this hard for the reader to understand, but it completely detracted from the narrative. Claire's perspective was where she excelled—the writing was heartbreaking and fervent. Where the narrative completely lost momentum was with Moira's (abductor) point of view and unfortunately, by extension Andrea/Colleen's (the eldest daughter) which should have been a more pivotal role.… (mais)