Stolen

by Susan Lewis

Life can change forever in an instantLucy Winters' parents have always been there for her. Loving, gentle, and kind, they have given her everything she could have wished for. Now, estranged from her husband, Lucy has moved to the country to take over their thriving auction business. From the moment she begins to prepare for her first sale she knows she's made the right decision, and she dares to hope that at last she is living the life she has always dreamed of. But then, quite suddenly, her world is thrown into turmoil as she discovers a shocking truth that forces her to question everything she has ever known. It becomes frighteningly possible that the very people who should have protected her are the ones who have betrayed her in the most devastating of ways. Can she ever forgive them? Can they ever forgive themselves?

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Chick Lit

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.


Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.

Reviews

[Kim Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.M.FlippinG! That was my reaction when I finished this book. Another amazing and incredibly emotional story from the fabulous Susan Lewis who comes up with the most unexpected plot lines that you can imagine.

Stolen is a story about Lucy Winters, whose parents have always been nothing but wonderful to her, who decides that she’d like to leave a life in London where she has always felt that something is missing, to take over the family auction business in a small village in the country. Her daughter Hanna is going with her, much to Hanna's disgust, while son Ben is taking a year out to travel the world. Lucy sees this as a trial separation from husband Joe who she is leaving behind in London. He is an out of work actor and is in her eyes a drain on her and her resources. When she arrives in Cromstone, she couldn’t be made more welcome and makes some wonderful new friends, not realising just how much of an important part they will be playing in her future. She finally feels that she is starting to get her life together when astonishing events that she discovers, uncover a lifetime of lies and deceit and she is not sure if she will ever be able to forgive the people who are involved.

I simply could not tear myself away from this book. With the riveting story spanning 584 pages, I found that I had to make myself go to sleep at night and was very nearly late to take my little boy to school one day as I’d been reading it far longer than I should have! I thought about it while I was at work, trying to put the pieces of the jigsaw together. I even forgot about the dinner in the oven last night, as I was so into the story trying to find out how on earth it would end. I sat and sobbed my heart out at one point last night, quite devastated by the actions of some of the characters. This book really got under my skin – can you tell?

Susan is an incredible author. The characters are so real and the places so authentic that you become involved in the plot very quickly becoming mesmerised and extremely concerned about people and events and I even heard myself sighing and gasping in certain places! Yes ok – a bit freaky even I admit! She weaved a web of intriguing coincidences, which finally came together in a stunning climax and I honestly felt that I’d really gone through the mill with the characters in this book and felt completely exhausted when it was over. I love it when you have finished a book, but are still worried about the people in it. Ok - I think I’m going to quit now before you all realise that I really do need to get out more!

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great family drama that I couldn’t put down. Also loved the addition of the teenage sarcasm which I can relate to! Made me laugh. Was a little cheesy at the end but doesn’t everyone love a happy ending!

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted this book to be good. It sounded so good and the reviews were good. But by the time I was 50 pages in I couldn't stand any of the characters; the narcissistic, soap-opera has-been husband, the drug-crazed, whiny, out-of-control teen-age daughter, and the victimized, poor-me wife and mother.

I was done. Who cares? Not me.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am only at page 94, but this is an engrossing, powerful story. The five page prologue begins with a horrifying scene when Rosie, struggling to get off the London tube with her three year old daughter, Alex and twins protesting in their pushchair, sees the train departing with Alex still on board. Any mother could identify with this situation, and my attention was immediately captured, with memories of the McCann's coming to mind. The next chapter focuses on Lucy, separating from her husband Joey, and moving from London with her stroppy teenage daughter Hanna, to take over her parent's auction house business in the Cotswolds. There are enough signals to indicate where this is going to lead, though I must admit I was slow to pick up on a key clue......I can 't put it down. I have had a very mixed reaction to Susan Lewis' books, but this shaping up to be the best yet.


Well I rushed to finish it, and perhaps inevitably it did not stay at the initial high pitch. I enjoyed reading about the auction house business and was moved by Lucy's emotions when she discovers the truth about her childhood. Some elements of the story strained credulity I.e. That all key protagonists happened to settle in the same Gloucester village. Rosie remained a shadowy and we learnt little about her post-losing Alex. Somehow John just seemed just too perfect. The final outcome for Brian and Daphne was very predictable. Although there had been one reference to Daphne praying in church, Lucy gives no mention of growing up against a spiritual background, so Daphne's preoccupation with "God's intervention" comes out of the blue. Yes, the end is too sugary sweet, but getting there was an absorbing read.

[Lucy Dawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Life is too short to read books that bore you. I've struggled through about 200 pages of this and it's just not holding my interest. Due to the way it's written we are already told who has been stolen and by whom, the only bit I didn't reach was the why. And I found I didn't care enough about the why to continue. Add into the mix subplots about an auctioneering ring and a moody teenager and the main plot felt watered down and padded out with loads of superfluous characters. I only have 1 Susan Lewis book left to try and I can't say I'm looking forward to it.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, engrossing read that as soon as I had finished the prologue, I was hooked! Was close to a five star for me, but the few chapters after the prologue took a little to get into and I thought, oh no, another book with a heap of characters I cannot connect with! But after a few more chapters, I was totally invested. I loved the storyline, the characters (except for Lucy's husband Joe who drove me crazy) and how it all came together in the end.......for someone wanting a book to get lost in for a while (and at nearly 600 pages it is a while) I recommend Stolen.

[Fibaroobi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book- set up was interesting and intriguing, easy to read with mostly likeable characters. I found myself sneaking off to have a quiet read. I am a sucker for a happy ending but it just got way too syrupy for me at the end- with page after page of descriptions of the perfect family Christmas- every thing turned out OK, everyone partnered up with the love of their life plus they got renovations! The central romance involved too many cases of dark meaningful looks laced with longings of desire- I think attraction could perhaps be written about in a less clichéd way. Didn't enjoy this as much as Don't Let Me Go & No Child Of Mine. Will probably check out another of Susan Lewis's though.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I have ever read should a powerful start to a book in a long time. I was hooked for the first few pages as I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to poor Alexandra and her distraught mother, Rose.

I didn't like the fact that the dreadful Maureen and Godfrey had virtually the same name as the village the story was set in, and I found myself becoming increasingly irritated by this!

I also found the coincidences a little unbelievable and everything just a little too convenient for everyone (without giving the story away).

Definitely not Susan Lewis's best book and very expensive for the kindle edition.

[Iv Aleks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm,not impressed.I found the first half of the book boring and too long full of small things and nothing really happening.Then everything starts to clear and move and flip in the second half of the book and suddenly everything happens in 30 pages.Why had to be than so long?Although I do like happy ending,this one was so soapy that made me sick.I think this book had to be 200 pages,all the rest was nonsense.Not the best of Susan Lewis and I've got 5 more of hers waiting to be read and I am now a bit concerned what to expect.

[Tee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book because the storyline had such great potential to be fabulous. However, having worked it all out very early on, the only thing that kept me reading was finding out WHY Lucy's "parents" did it. I sat down to read Daphne's letter to Lucy in excited anticipation, but was very quickly disappointed by the "God's intervention' explanation. I thought it was a bit of a weak cop-out to be honest.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel

Having never read anything by this author before, I was unsure what to expect.

The description of the novel was intriguing as were many if the reviews.

I loved the characters in the novel and his well they were written. I aso loved the storyline and how realistic the author made it.

At times, I felt the novel dragged and could have been condensed. Otherwise, it was an interesting and relatively engaging novel.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy moly that was TERRIFIC read. had me in tears of joy and sadness on more than one occasion which to me is the sign of a good book. Susan Lewis writes so well that you feel a real attachment to the characters and can really feel the emotions on the pages (hence the tears). definitely one to recommend to others.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The prologue really sucked me in! The first few chapters were slow moving to sort out the who what when where , but after that it was an easy and delightful read. I suppose some people would say " oh that was so predictable etc etc" but i liked it.

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gutted it was finished. Really enjoyed it, from start to finish. Would recommend it. I was hooked from the very first page, and thats what I like about a book. I hate it when it takes ages to get involved and think which character is which, but my heart was pumping straight away!!!!!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy reading with a storyline that insists you read to the very end. However, said "end" is disappointingly predictable and so sugar coated it made me quite nauseous!

[Jeni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book but the characters were a bit two-dimensional and all the loose ends were tied up just a little too neatly for my liking. Intriguing story however.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out really interesting then got cheesy and predictable which annoyed me. Ending was stupid.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea for a story but so long and draggy in the middle I wouldn't recommend.

[Aj · Rating 2 out of 5]

When, oh when am I going to stop using reviews to determine what I read???? This book was rated at 4-plus stars on Amazon and I cannot think why. It was pretty awful, in my opinion. The story is about a young child who is stolen from her mother by a man whose own daughter has died. Wouldn't a person think there would be some suspense or action or mystery or even a little excitement? There was none of the above. All events take place 30 years later in a quaint English village where the charming residents do nothing but talktalktalktalk. Everyone's identity is revealed very early on and then it was nothing but more jabbering. I skipped page after page and missed nothing! I only finished this book because I wanted to see how the author would deal with the perpetrators. Everything was tied up so neatly it was laughable.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was entertaining but confusing. For a while I thought the events of the train station were never going to be resolved and we were just going to move along to 2 other stories that were somehow tethered together. Little by little in a badly-written way, the two stories merged to one. So many situations were introduced--I suppose to add interest?, suspense? to the story that were never resolved. By the middle of the book, the reader was able to resolve the main issue of the book only waiting to flesh out events.
Lucy's husband was a thoroughly unlikeable character. He was written as a paper cut-out doll and his role in things left you wondering how he and Lucy ever came to be married and parents.
The ending was a little too "happily ever after" but only because the author never explored the areas that could muddy that ending.

[Kathleen A · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I decided to continue to read this book! I was very confused in the beginning to the point of checking the title again on my kindle. I thought I had changed books somehow! What a magnificent story with so many twists and surprises! A little slow and confusing in the beginning and a little slow at the end, BUT worth the read and time!!!

[Tershia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction grab me - it had the makings of a interesting story line. Sadly, I found it way too drawn out and then everything unfolding rapidly towards the end of the book, as if the author rushed to complete it.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few Susan Lewis books. I enjoy the style of writing and the twists and turns in each book.

This isn’t the best - just a little too unlikely if I’m honest (not wanting to give anything away). Nonetheless an enjoyable read

[Lori Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Stayed up way past my bedtime to read this book. There were few English words that I struggled with but I managed. A book about family secrets that can’t stay secrets forever.

[Ozetta Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

suspenseful and compelling to read

Te story takes a new way to draw you in, and has several twists and turns to keep you interested. It is a story that could be true, and heartbreaking and heart warming at the same time..

[Nicolette Bosman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family intrigue and adventure

An enjoyable, although occasionally predictable, read. Well plotted and presented with a feel good ending.

Friends become family and vice versa as the long ago mystery unfolds.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book went from five stars down to three stars for the last 50 pages or so. An excellent book that ended with too much Christmas bullshit for my tastes. I’m giving it four stars, but the ending pages were a huge disappointment.

[Shyyyy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still thinking about Daphne and Brian. I know for a fact that what they did was wrong. But what they only did was loving lucy . My heart broke for them . They are so kind, and i hate they killled themselves. They deserve a happy ending, idk . This book is indeed deeply moving .

[Gill Schell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars : A page-turner and easy summer read. Just too full of coincidences to make it real.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

completely surprised by the ending.

my first book read for this author , really enjoyed it.