What do you think?
Rate this book
Missing Julia
A powerful and compelling story which explores one of the most difficult decisions we might ever have to make.One morning in October, William Harris is confronted by the shocking disappearance of the woman he loves.Julia Seymour has vanished without trace - from his life, from her daughter's and from her own. Her sudden departure seems to be both deliberate and final.But William is determined to find her. In the days that follow, he tries to piece together what might have driven her away. His search takes him to London, to India - and to Julia's life before he met her.In the process, William discovers secrets about Julia's past that challenge and disturb his view of all they shared together. Secrets that illuminate the present in ways he could never have expected.Praise for Catherine Dunne'A real touch of Jodi Picoult . . . a domestic setting . . . tension . . . and a little bit of darkness'Arena Arts Review, RTÉ Radio 1
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
16 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Dunne
23 books118 followersMost writers serve a very long apprenticeship.
I became a fulltime writer in 1995, but I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. From short – very short – stories as a child to the usual excruciating poetry as a teenager: I’ve probably being putting words on paper for almost half a century now. What a thought.
As a child, it took me a few years to learn that there was a difference between reading and writing. For me, if you loved books, then of course you were going to try and write your own. But that was an almost impossible ambition in the Ireland where I grew up. I did the next best thing: the thing that kept me closest to books. I became a teacher, and I taught, very happily, for seventeen years. I loved teaching and still very much enjoy the Creative Writing workshops that I often facilitate.
But writing increasingly became a compulsion, almost an obsession. Nothing else satisfied in the way that writing satisfied, and so I continued to attempt poetry, short stories, non-fiction essays, honing my craft, serving my apprenticeship, until I finally finished my first novel, In the Beginning.
In the Beginning was published in 1997 and was very well-received, both critically and popularly. It was translated into several languages and went on to be shortlisted for the ‘Bancarella’ – the Italian booksellers’ prize.
A Name for Himself followed a year later, and was short listed for the Kerry Fiction Prize.
Between 2000 and 2014, I have published seven further novels: The Walled Garden, Another Kind of Life, Something Like Love, At a Time Like This, Set in Stone, Missing Julia and The Things We Know Now.
My non-fiction book, An Unconsidered People was published in 2003.
I’ve also written short stories and non-fiction pieces for various publications, among them Moments, Travelling Light, and Irish Girls about Town.
I receive a lot of requests to discuss various aspects of the creative process: the role played by inspiration, imagination, dedication and craft. I can’t answer all of these questions individually, so part of this website has been dedicated to a ‘Readers’ Forum’ in order to attempt to answer the most frequently-asked questions.
I became a fulltime writer in 1995, but I’ve been writing ever since I can remember. From short – very short – stories as a child to the usual excruciating poetry as a teenager: I’ve probably being putting words on paper for almost half a century now. What a thought.
As a child, it took me a few years to learn that there was a difference between reading and writing. For me, if you loved books, then of course you were going to try and write your own. But that was an almost impossible ambition in the Ireland where I grew up. I did the next best thing: the thing that kept me closest to books. I became a teacher, and I taught, very happily, for seventeen years. I loved teaching and still very much enjoy the Creative Writing workshops that I often facilitate.
But writing increasingly became a compulsion, almost an obsession. Nothing else satisfied in the way that writing satisfied, and so I continued to attempt poetry, short stories, non-fiction essays, honing my craft, serving my apprenticeship, until I finally finished my first novel, In the Beginning.
In the Beginning was published in 1997 and was very well-received, both critically and popularly. It was translated into several languages and went on to be shortlisted for the ‘Bancarella’ – the Italian booksellers’ prize.
A Name for Himself followed a year later, and was short listed for the Kerry Fiction Prize.
Between 2000 and 2014, I have published seven further novels: The Walled Garden, Another Kind of Life, Something Like Love, At a Time Like This, Set in Stone, Missing Julia and The Things We Know Now.
My non-fiction book, An Unconsidered People was published in 2003.
I’ve also written short stories and non-fiction pieces for various publications, among them Moments, Travelling Light, and Irish Girls about Town.
I receive a lot of requests to discuss various aspects of the creative process: the role played by inspiration, imagination, dedication and craft. I can’t answer all of these questions individually, so part of this website has been dedicated to a ‘Readers’ Forum’ in order to attempt to answer the most frequently-asked questions.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 19, 2016
This book wasn't particularly bad, but it don't think it was particularly good either. Saying that, the second half was certainly a lot better than the first half, which I thought was rather slow and took me a while to get into. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, especially Julia. I didn't really understand her motives for what she did. Ok, so she assisted in the euthanasia of a friend's mother and, after being threatened, finds out that she could go to jail for that. I understand why that would concern her. She decides that she has to run away from all her family in order to make sure that they are kept out of whatever drama could ensue from the truth about this assisted killing coming out. That I also understand. But what I don't understand was why she then left all these clues for William to follow her, if she was so certain that loving him meant running away from him and keeping him out of everything. That's like saying, "I can't involve you in this, I have to get as far away from you as possible even though I love you. But because I love you and can't live without you, here are some clues that will lead you to me." It just seems so contradictory. As for William, I can't understand why he was ok about this. Julia had carefully planned running away from him with no trace, yet had made it possible for him to chase her around the world to find her. And then the first thing he does is propose? I don't understand why Julia couldn't have just trusted him in the first place and they could have gone to India together to escape the possibility of jail. And after all that, that threat was removed so easily in a passing sentence at the end of the book. It just seems that this was a whole book about a plot that didn't really have to happen at all.
The reason I give it two stars is because this book does raise some interesting points about euthanasia and whether it is considered ethical to help someone to die when they have had enough of living with a certain condition. Also, the section at the end where the author talked about what it's like to write and what her characters mean to her deserves a star on its own! Why she couldn't have used that brilliant poetic writing in her story is beyond me!
The reason I give it two stars is because this book does raise some interesting points about euthanasia and whether it is considered ethical to help someone to die when they have had enough of living with a certain condition. Also, the section at the end where the author talked about what it's like to write and what her characters mean to her deserves a star on its own! Why she couldn't have used that brilliant poetic writing in her story is beyond me!
August 5, 2017
Adoro quest'autrice, fino ad ora non ho trovato nessuno che riesca a parlare delle donne e per le donne come lei. Anche questo libro mi ha emotivamente coinvolta nonché sorpresa, soprattutto perché il titolo è fuorviante: protagonista non è tanto la storia d'amore tra Julia e William quanto la dignità della vita e della morte, l'accanimento terapeutico e il testamento biologico. Data la tematica, il finale è forse un po' troppo scontato, quasi fuori luogo, ma rimane comunque un libro intenso che fa riflettere.
December 1, 2014
Hmmm ... not what I was expecting at all. I was hoping for much more! The beginning is quite good ... the whole mystery surrounding Julia disappearing and leaving "clues" behind ... but it rather quickly falls a bit flat when the whole mystery becomes obvious very early on. A bit slow reading, but having said that, I still wanted to finish and resolve the story.
November 14, 2014
Una storia d'amore e una serie di eventi che portano a cambiamenti radicali di vita per la protagonista e per l'uomo che la ama; una rosa fedele di amici e una buona dose di suspense, tutti elementi che favoriscono una scorrevole e piacevole lettura.
February 2, 2019
A well written and enjoyable read overall. However, the mysterious and intriguing start fizzles out and the second half of the plot is disappointingly predictable.
July 28, 2018
"So the book starts with Julia packing her things up and leaving her home and her life for a purpose to her destination. But the problem here is no one knows about it.
The following day after her departure when her boyfriend and her daughter are unable to find her they lodge a missing person complaint.
In the admist of all the rush William julia's boyfriend finds a clue which he's unsure of whether it's really a clue or his own imagination. But as the story progresses William decides to drop out the plan and of taking official help and find julia on his own with help of that single clue.
As the story unfolds chapter after chapter Williams finds several strings attached to that single clue which leads him to discover many more clues left by julia for him and he meets some of her old acquaintances and friends which helps him to learn more about julia and most importantly the past from which she is running away.
---------------------------------------------------
I was very excited for this book but the book didn't serve it's purpose to meet my expectations.
Initially the book caught my interest but later I was drifting apart from the story because
a) The book gets too long with unnecessary details
b) The suspense and punch of aderlaine rush is missing
Which I usually expect from a thriller
And also not to miss the suspense is no longer a suspense because by the middle of the book you come to know about julia's secret and her purpose.
What kept me going with the book was ofcourse Julia's Character i was curious about her more than the actual plot what is going to do next ? how's she's going to manage ? Will she go back ?
To sum it up it's a good book but not a great one.
But not recommend for the people who hates big books because the book clutching excitement of a thriller is majorly missing in here.
The following day after her departure when her boyfriend and her daughter are unable to find her they lodge a missing person complaint.
In the admist of all the rush William julia's boyfriend finds a clue which he's unsure of whether it's really a clue or his own imagination. But as the story progresses William decides to drop out the plan and of taking official help and find julia on his own with help of that single clue.
As the story unfolds chapter after chapter Williams finds several strings attached to that single clue which leads him to discover many more clues left by julia for him and he meets some of her old acquaintances and friends which helps him to learn more about julia and most importantly the past from which she is running away.
---------------------------------------------------
I was very excited for this book but the book didn't serve it's purpose to meet my expectations.
Initially the book caught my interest but later I was drifting apart from the story because
a) The book gets too long with unnecessary details
b) The suspense and punch of aderlaine rush is missing
Which I usually expect from a thriller
And also not to miss the suspense is no longer a suspense because by the middle of the book you come to know about julia's secret and her purpose.
What kept me going with the book was ofcourse Julia's Character i was curious about her more than the actual plot what is going to do next ? how's she's going to manage ? Will she go back ?
To sum it up it's a good book but not a great one.
But not recommend for the people who hates big books because the book clutching excitement of a thriller is majorly missing in here.
August 30, 2018
NO! Avevo già letto, e apprezzato, un altro titolo della Dunne ed ero convinta che anche Tutto per Amore mi sarebbe piaciuto, tanto da inserirlo nella mia lista di 5 libri da 5 stella Ma NO!
Innanzitutto non capisco la struttura del volume che parte lento (ma proprio lento lento lento) con minuziose quanto inutili descrizioni e poi, da pagina 200 circa, accelera il ritmo fino a diventare quasi un riassunto. Laddove la trama inizia a dipanarsi e sembra entrare nel vivo, l'autrice inizia a correre fino ad arrivare ad accennare alla conclusione dei problemi che viene presentata in maniera fugace, in due pagine, di fretta e senza alcun approfondimento. Cioè, il grave e terribile problema che manda in crisi la protagonista e la costringe a fuggire abbandonando la sua vita e l'uomo che ama si risolve improvvisamente (e in maniera davvero scema) nella mezza pagina finale ... ma come???
No, davvero no!
Innanzitutto non capisco la struttura del volume che parte lento (ma proprio lento lento lento) con minuziose quanto inutili descrizioni e poi, da pagina 200 circa, accelera il ritmo fino a diventare quasi un riassunto. Laddove la trama inizia a dipanarsi e sembra entrare nel vivo, l'autrice inizia a correre fino ad arrivare ad accennare alla conclusione dei problemi che viene presentata in maniera fugace, in due pagine, di fretta e senza alcun approfondimento. Cioè, il grave e terribile problema che manda in crisi la protagonista e la costringe a fuggire abbandonando la sua vita e l'uomo che ama si risolve improvvisamente (e in maniera davvero scema) nella mezza pagina finale ... ma come???
No, davvero no!
February 22, 2018
This is really a 3.5 star, but I'm rounding up because I liked the novel. The characters were interesting, the plot was engaging, and perhaps most importantly it made me think.
However, one major issue I had (**warning: spoilers**) was with the author's factual mistakes in her portrayal of India. I've lived in Chennai for almost 2 years, and feel strongly that someone writing about this beautiful, diverse culture has a duty to represent it accurately. Just a few discrepancies to illustrate: Hampi is a 12 hour drive from Chennai (not a feasible day trip), a sari is about 6m long (not 12 yards), the primary language in Tamil Nadu is Tamil (Hindi is almost never on signs, except at train stations), and most villagers do not speak conversational English unless they are fairly wealthy (which the orphanage workers certainly would not be).
Still, the narration is well done, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their curious and ethical minds being exercised.
However, one major issue I had (**warning: spoilers**) was with the author's factual mistakes in her portrayal of India. I've lived in Chennai for almost 2 years, and feel strongly that someone writing about this beautiful, diverse culture has a duty to represent it accurately. Just a few discrepancies to illustrate: Hampi is a 12 hour drive from Chennai (not a feasible day trip), a sari is about 6m long (not 12 yards), the primary language in Tamil Nadu is Tamil (Hindi is almost never on signs, except at train stations), and most villagers do not speak conversational English unless they are fairly wealthy (which the orphanage workers certainly would not be).
Still, the narration is well done, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys their curious and ethical minds being exercised.
May 13, 2017
A holiday read. Annoying characters, couldn't really identify with them. And if you're prepared to help someone die, why not stay and fight for that cause rather than running away. And if I'd have been William, I'd have been livid that the person who supposedly is his soul mate wouldn't tell him the truth rather than have him chase her across continents in order to find out the truth. Not very satisfactory
February 10, 2022
This was a slow read for me. It was interesting but didn’t suck me in. I enjoyed trying to discover why Julia left and watching the lengths William was willing to go to find her. However, the ending felt rushed. Suddenly a bunch of things were being thrown in and your brain is spinning trying to keep up because some aren’t clearly spelled out - and then you get an epilogue that sort of brought it full circle but in the same breath didn’t make a ton of sense. I enjoyed it (minus the ending) but didn’t love it.
July 26, 2018
Was a nice read. Tho soo much I found missing and couldn't really get the point. It was easy to read and feel the story but in the end I had much more expectations, a serious boom! but well got slightly disappointed.
January 9, 2020
Very dull. I skipped most of the book, and found the conclusion an anti-climax.
November 17, 2020
Just ok
Romantic mystery. But no mystery to it, obvious what was going to happen.
Romantic mystery. But no mystery to it, obvious what was going to happen.
January 14, 2021
A story that is told very well though a bit heavy handed in it's climax. An enjoyable read for all that.
January 21, 2023
Un libro leggere, che si beve d'un fiato, scorrevole, con una storia che mescola maternità, morte, politica e storia. E quella voglia di fare del bene e rendersi utile, tipica delle donne.
October 14, 2016
Probably 3.5 stars. I couldn't really warm to the main character and found her quite annoying and selfish. I found the story interesting however and a quick enough read.
October 29, 2011
Julia Seymour is a 59 year old, retired Doctor, she has a daughter
Melissa, 2 grandchildren and a partner William, so why would she plan
to disappear taking all her possessions with her? William though they
were happy and was going to propose, William is determined to get to
the bottom of her disappearance and find her but does he succeed? He
starts to trace Julia’s friends, but is he prepared for what he finds
out in the process?
This book is a bit slow at times, one chapter is about Julia the other
about William, its split into 3 parts, I was worried I wouldn’t be able
to follow the story, but I couldn’t out this book down, I wanted to
know if Julia would be found. I would definitely recommend this book
and will look out for more books by this Author in the future.
Melissa, 2 grandchildren and a partner William, so why would she plan
to disappear taking all her possessions with her? William though they
were happy and was going to propose, William is determined to get to
the bottom of her disappearance and find her but does he succeed? He
starts to trace Julia’s friends, but is he prepared for what he finds
out in the process?
This book is a bit slow at times, one chapter is about Julia the other
about William, its split into 3 parts, I was worried I wouldn’t be able
to follow the story, but I couldn’t out this book down, I wanted to
know if Julia would be found. I would definitely recommend this book
and will look out for more books by this Author in the future.
June 24, 2011
Another of those books where your looking to give half a star instead of a full one.
Had quite a good story but when you boiled it down perhaps the whole thing could fit in one or two pages.
You see a strong woman with strong women friends.
Somehow the women all seem to have their own money. Lots of it. No bother having expensive meals, living in expensive houses, hopping in taxies & on to long plane flights at the drop of a hat.
A lot of the books I've read lately seem to have obnoxious off spring and dodgy husbands.
In fact I'm now dying to read a real different type book again like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Had quite a good story but when you boiled it down perhaps the whole thing could fit in one or two pages.
You see a strong woman with strong women friends.
Somehow the women all seem to have their own money. Lots of it. No bother having expensive meals, living in expensive houses, hopping in taxies & on to long plane flights at the drop of a hat.
A lot of the books I've read lately seem to have obnoxious off spring and dodgy husbands.
In fact I'm now dying to read a real different type book again like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
September 12, 2014
This novel addresses end of life decisions and how society deals with those who exercise their right to die and punishes those who assist them. It describes the complexities of this issue and how perhaps your perspective changes when you are faced with a serious illness or long-term suffering without the possibility of recovery. The characters are credible and flawed, although the denouement is perhaps too neat and tidy and happy-ever-after. I can't say that it's an enjoyable read but it is most definitely thoughtful and balanced in it's portrayal of an important contemporary issue.
June 6, 2011
Un libro emozionante, ma che cade in un romanticismo di maniera, soprattutto nel finale. Ho sempre letto con interesse e piacere i libri di Catherine Dunne , apprezzando il suo pragmatismo e la capacità di raccontare storie “banali di vita vissuta” con attenzione, senza cadere nella retorica e nella melassa dei sentimenti.
In “Tutto per amore” ho trovato l’ impianto della storia emozionante, ma la narrazione diventa spesso ridondante, con dialoghi smielati e poco credibili.
In “Tutto per amore” ho trovato l’ impianto della storia emozionante, ma la narrazione diventa spesso ridondante, con dialoghi smielati e poco credibili.
May 9, 2011
Seems like I've waited a long time to read a book as good as this one. I love the way the author developed the characters and told this story of Julia and William. It is also nice to read a story with mature main characters and second love found later in life. A compassionate and heart-warming tale.
March 19, 2011
a lovely page turner.
July 13, 2011
Simply awful.
July 23, 2011
slow but keeps your attention i enjoyed the twist
December 27, 2020
The build-up is good, but it ends a bit flat in my opinion. The reason Julia leaves is not too plausible to me, it seems like she opted for flight rather than fight when the going got tough.
September 15, 2011
A little gem of a book, I loved it. A tender story of Julia who needs to run away, and of William who she knows will find her. Beautifully written , great characters.
October 6, 2011
Una trama scontata dalla prima all'ultima pagina ed inoltre, secondo me anche una pessima traduzione...
December 30, 2011
Bello ma finale banale!
February 23, 2012
A very slow read and not a great storyline. Having said that it was well written and I did "have to finish it".
April 30, 2012
Unreadable. Fusty dialogue, unappealing characters, useless descriptions of unrelated events (e.g. boy on ferry medical incident).
I gave up prior to completion; it was that bad.
I gave up prior to completion; it was that bad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews