Rating: 
Summary: Held my interest...mostly
Review: I enjoyed this book and will be passing it on to a few friends. I am not particularly religious, however,I do believe in miracles and the power of faith. I found the "religious history" sections to be interesting and insightful. I was never quite sure where the story would lead - so it held my interest until the very end. My only wish is that there had been more interaction with the narrator/main character and the Virgin Mary - possibly with some "answers" to the mystery of God.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: I finished this book this afternoon, and now I feel a sense of loss. Of course I can reread it, and I most certainly will, but the second reading won't be the same as the first. Like the Uncertainty Principle that Schoemperlen uses as a theme of the book, I feel forever changed as a result of having read this wonderful book. Anyone who loves reading about friendships, especially between women, will like this story. Whether you believe in the Virgin Mary or not, I highly recommend Our Lady of the Lost and Found.
Rating:
Summary: Modern Woman encounter the infinite
Review: I found this book to be entrancing and very touching. It is written in an autobiographical style, but interpolates a great deal of historical information about the life of Mary and her subsequent appearances around the world. Along the way, we muse with the writer on the role and purpose of Mary, and consequently of ourselves, the women of the world. The novel is a personal faith journey. For myself as a Catholic, it prompted an examination of my own beliefs and feelings about Mary. Although I had long ago side-lined her in my religious devotions, it was to her that I turned for help during the final illness of my mother-in-law, because in the "Hail Mary", we use the words, "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death". This became my mantra. My mother-in-law was not a believer, but I felt Mary's presence there helping her at the hour of her death.The novel is a very touching and readable work and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: lovely little book
Review: I have enjoyed immensely this novel. It is certainly not a typical "beach read" where one just gets lost in the characters or action because there isn't truly much character or plot development. The strength of this "novel" is that all the action is the change that takes place within the mind of the narrator and how she changes during and after her week with the Blessed Mother. I was intrigued by the influence of Mary on how the nameless narrator views her life as a single woman writer. The questions she asks herself regarding her place in the world and how the most influential woman in history quietly and graciously affects the way she thinks about herself is quite powerful. Again, not a traditional novel but if you would like a book with real "meat" about faith and friendship, this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: lovely little book
Review: I have enjoyed immensely this novel. It is certainly not a typical "beach read" where one just gets lost in the characters or action because there isn't truly much character or plot development. The strength of this "novel" is that all the action is the change that takes place within the mind of the narrator and how she changes during and after her week with the Blessed Mother. I was intrigued by the influence of Mary on how the nameless narrator views her life as a single woman writer. The questions she asks herself regarding her place in the world and how the most influential woman in history quietly and graciously affects the way she thinks about herself is quite powerful. Again, not a traditional novel but if you would like a book with real "meat" about faith and friendship, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: What a waste of writing talent
Review: I just finished reading the book and thought I'd give you my
opinion, whether you wanted or not. I was captivated by the
beginning, thinking that this gal writes very well. I read it to be
a tongue-in-cheek novel that would be fun. After the first few
chapters, I changed my mind. The rest was painful but I read
it to the end. The further I got, the more I skipped. The middle was a philosophy treatise by an amateur who took
Heisenberg's name in vain a great many times. Linking it to her
own philosophical rantings. The "histories" have no place in a novel. The last part of the book, according to one of the reviewers,
should have been titled, "My Boring Life Story With a Visit From
Mary." It's clear why she never found a love of her life.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of history, even more fun
Review: I was intrigued enough by just the title to buy this book. Not being either Catholic or Christian, I still found this little novel a fast read that got my curiosity going regarding the selection process for saints and biblical history. One needn't be religious to enjoy the details of the friendship that developed between these two women. I felt a part of their relationship thanks to the rich details that laviously fill the book. With every little thing noted from the contents of the guest room drawer to description of the various embalmed hearts in shrines across Europe, the author does not miss much. It was a fast and pleasant read and gave food for thought about finding yourself and making friends. You don't have to be religious to appreciate the tidbits of history thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the book and it held my interest all the way through.
Rating:
Summary: Holy Family On a Raft!! This was good!
Review: I'm a lapsed Catholic but have always had a curiosity about the history of Mary, alleged Virgin
mother of Jesus of Nazareth. Erroneously I thought the book was a fictional account of a made
up visit between a non-catholic unsuspecting woman and the mother of the Devine savior. I found
quickly that it was that and more! Schoemperlen weaved an intriguing tale that left my imagination
to wander. Several times she had me convinced, because of excellent historical research and clever
writing that indeed Mary did come to visit and refresh herself at the authors home!
Perhaps it was slow at times, but only served to let me recover between giggles of delight.
I've recommended this to all of my Catholic and Non-Catholic (especially recovering Catholic)
friends.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed.
Review: I've read all the favorable reviews and I just want to say that I was disappointed in the book for 2 reasons. First, there wasn't much interaction with the main character and Mary. Mary seemed to be reduced to playing the role of "maid" to the homeowner. I kept wanting to get to the part where Mary "came alive" but the author seemed to keep her in the background doing chores or going along for the ride while errands were done. Case in point: The author describes her life full of "irony" and the Mary character replies with: "thought you said 'ironing'." Hello? Where's the inspiration in that??
My second reason for not liking this book was that I thought it was actually 2 books in one. I'll admit, the history was interesting but it didn't belong in between the chapters of the fiction. It could have been a separate book while the story of Mary's visit could have been reduced to a short story. There just wasn't enough happening between the characters to hold my interest.
Just one person's opinion....mine.
Rating:
Summary: Boring, pretentious and dishonest
Review: If you are expecting a creative and moving account of what it might be like to have the Virgin Mary visit for a few days you'll be vastly disappointed. This book is all about the author's own exploration of the Marian stories. In the right hands, that might be enough to make an interesting read but Schoemperlen isn't talented enough to pull it off. The protagonist is distant and pretentious right from the start -- she's a sucessful author of serious books, a great cook (I guess it's the gourmet version of zucchini & barley casserole she makes for Mary) and talented decorator. No problems, no stress, she's got a nice house in a nice neighborhood, has the money to do what she loves but she wonders why other people are envious of her good fortune. In 10 pages Schoemperlen develops a dislikable and unknowable character. Why should we care what she thinks about life's big questions. The visiting Mary plays a very small role here; she's overshadowed by stories of historical sightings and the author's own mussings. The central character has no real dialogue with her visitor. Mary tells her stories (not usually in the first person) uninterrupted and without embellishments, color or explanation beyond what is available in existing research. Even more unfortunate, about half-way through the book our protagonist declares that it's now time to tell Mary (and us)even more about herself. And so she drags the reader through her incredibly mundane - but tremendously well-examined - life, while leaving out any details that might provide a bit of true connection. Without such a connection, the character's thoughts on Mary, religion, love and faith are of no interest whatsoever. They are, in fact, annoying.
The tiny bit of wit scattered here and there are just not enough to counter the book's overall tediousness.
A very close friend started reading this at the same time and got so bored with the book she's actually left the reading group.
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