Lost & Found

by Kitty Neale

The gritty new drama from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Nobody’s Girl.

Bullied by everyone around her for years, has Mavis Jackson finally found happiness? Or is it a case of going from the frying pan straight into the fire?

BULLIED

Taunted by everyone around her, including her mother Lily, 15-year-old Mavis Jackson is devastated when her only ally, her father Ron, leaves home to beat his gambling addiction. Forced to walk the streets in search of junk to sell, the future seems bleak.

BRIBED

Until an unexpected fairy godmother arrives in the form of Edith Pugh. Struck down with a debilitating illness, she needs help around the home. In Mavis, she sees the perfect solution. Especially as she has ulterior motives…

BLAMED

Meanwhile, Ron has fallen off the wagon and disappeared. Best mate Pete doesn't know where he is and has to break the terrible news. But does he have another reason for his sudden interest in the Jackson family?

BETRAYED

Back at Edith's, Mavis revels in her new job. But when Edith reveals her true motives for taking Mavis under her wing, she faces a monumental decision, one which could change her life for ever…

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2009

Reviews

[Helen O'Mahony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book very hard to put down. Thought it ended abruptly though. Could have done with another chapter.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books. They go back to an earlier time where family mattered and times could be hard but somehow it all works out. A good escape in between the more serious books. A little cheesy sometimes but I still love them.

[Mardi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read. Bullying, bribery, blaming and betrayal fills the lives of Mavis, Lily, Edith and Alec. It is a rollercoaster of emotion. The characters are strong and hold the story together. I will add there are triggers that some people may find disturbing. 3/5.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a touching book!

[Kimberley Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

From an underestimated bright kind but bullied young girl.Mavis turned into a strong bright artistic mother.Beginning in the fifties,it was a tough read of hardship and in some ways neglect,the mentality of children should be seen and not heard that lingered on greatly...so great that I felt it was dated with how Mavis was treated,which held the novel captive that slowly twisted into a very modern novel of abuse (despite at this point being set in the sixties)something that is very well spoken about today and that's what's important...life after abuse.The light shines in different ways,so much brighter when you set yourself free from bullying,abuse and your past.Mavis was born grey,became a shadow and now she's full of colour,the shadows and colours jumping from word to word,page to page.🌹
Each character didn't falter,wether you liked them or not,each one offered you an emotion to bathe in,it's always remarkable when you have such an emotion for a character,each day I was wondering what Mavis was upto,I was really rooting for her and ready to battle side by side with her especially with how vicious her mother was towards her,a mother and daughter relationship can be very tested and this novel exposed that in deep frustrating ways and gradually became love which most importantly was real.
Rightly or wrongly I couldn't help but have some empathy for Lily,she didn't know how to be a mother,she also had it tough.I found myself wanting to dive into the book and just show her and plead to her just how precious Mavis was and same goes for Mavis regarding Pete.Everything circled in such a turbalence but triumphant way.
🌹The ending flowed just as it should, I think if it carried on a few more chapters it would lose Mavis.She's a nurturing soul in which she had to find her own self worth and to have us following her next chapter in life may have been rushed to build up her trust and such,a good story is a real raw story and her story may have been forgotten if it was to go ahead with Tommy..I do wish Mavis her freedom but also to be loved and I have a feeling she would be just fine and for me that concludes an ending to a worthy,strong read

[Margaret Hislop · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a let down.

This is the third book in a week that I've read that's left me wishing I'd never read it. Why do some authors insist on abrupt endings with so many loose ends! I feel cheated that I gave my time to this book just to feel so let down. Right until the ending I was enjoying it but it feels like reading a book only to find there's pages missing at the end. What a let down this was.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book - easy to read and characters you care about.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost & Found by Kitty Neale

Mavis is 15 and has not had an easy life - no friends, not even an ally in her own mother, except for her father but he drinks too much, gambles too much and eventually he leaves. As a result her and her mother had a tough time paying the bills and Mavis had to beg neighbours for their cast offs so her mother could fix and clean the junk up and try to sell it.
Mavis is a talented and natural artist but she has a big problem she can't read - not from lack of trying but the letters just do not stay put on the page! During the 1950's of Mavis's short school career few educators knew about reading disabilities and did not know how to try to help her learn. Her mother treats her daughter as if she is much more impaired than just a reading problem. Mavis has no confidence and is always nervous about making potential mistakes.
Things finally seem to go her way when a kindly neighbour, Edith, takes an interest in her, offers her a job in her clean & organised home. Unfortunately, Edith has selfish motives for her interest in Mavis.
In very little time Mavis is married to Edith's violent and controlling son, caring for Edith who has a degenerative disease, & raising her own two children and she is only just barely in her 20s!
Over time her mother looks past Mavis’s problems with reading and sees her strengths and also communicates her love to her daughter and Mavis finds the strength to leave her dangerous living situation and begin the process of forging a new life for herself and children.

[Louise M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost and Found by Kitty Neale is an easy read set in the 50s and 60s in working class Britain. Other people take over Mavis's life from her birth until she is in her twenties. She has dyslexia, so does not succeed at school thus becoming an easy target for bullies. Mavis marries to escape her home life. Her husband is also trapped, but this time by his mother. Characters of a variety of social classes come and go. Political and social influences are explored and the resultant consequences for people are part of the plot. Eventually, Mavis realises that she can be the master of her own fate. Would I recommend this book? Only if you like stories about women, set in times safely past, and if you enjoy reading about people overcoming adversity.

[Nona · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was what I would call close to a Mills and Boon but without the gush.
Many of the scenarios are unbelievable - the main character's life as a child being ignored and abused and yet loving her mother?? Another is the main character's response to her disagreeable husband and mother in law. Evaluating the physical work and waking hours of this character she would have been lucky to have 3 hours sleep per night.
It was easy to listen to, but not a book I would recommend.

[Cherith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...I was enjoying it right enough but near the end turned the page thinking I was going on to a new chapter and...that was it!
Yes I guess I could fill it in but it was like her editor was a school marm and said 'right, time up! Pens on your desk!'

pffft

[Kaye Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this slightly out of order, but it is perfectly fine to read as a stand alone. An easy read that is much the same as the other Neale books. Good historic story of life in low-income English burbs. Drama, romance and a touch of sadness. Neale fans will enjoy.

[Kimlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, simply put, was a tear jerker.
I am a crier, so if you are one like me , then get ready, the characters are relatable, situations interesting and feelings valid, I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

[Jen Avis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book, and was thinking I’d quite like to read some more from the same author, but then they ending was so abrupt I don’t know if I would. Needed another chapter or two to end properly.

[Louise Borg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good bedtime reading.

[Jen Roe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book

[moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story.and easy read,

Would recommend reading this one first as the story continue in the other book. Nice easy read. Didn't want to put book down.

[Yvonne Simcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book ..loved it

[Mrs H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

I really enjoyed this story and I felt like it was a film in the making. On to the next book by Kitty.

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant read by Kitty Neale. I just love her books.

[Linda Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

poor ending

This was a good story, if slightly long winded. However, things weren’t totally tied up in the end, which was annoying.

[Abigail T · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!!! Not my genre of book at all but I thought I would give it a go one day as my mum had bought it me for Christmas and I had nothing else to read. ( The days before my Kindle)

I really enjoyed this book which was well written and a great storyline ...the characters are fantastically portrayed and I will be reading more from KItty ...if this is not your usual type of novel please give it a try as I did

[Sarah Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Another enjoyable read from Kitty but the end was disappointing and cut short. I found myself infuriated with some of the characters but Mavis hopefully got a happy ending

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have rated this four stars if it wasn't for the fact that I actually thought the book was missing a few pages as it ended so suddenly.

[Yvonne Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really enjoyed it. Liked the main characters and the storyline -a very gentle but page turning read. :-)

[Dale Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really good book. Would highly recommend :)

[Rowlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

[Tracy Wainwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one.

[pauline etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disappointing end

Enjoyed the book but was let down by the ending. I didn't realise it had finished until l turned the page and found the credits