The Lost Mother

By Mary McGarry Morris
Viking, 2005
Fiction

This story takes place in Vermont during the Great

Depression. The Talcott family is coping with the
abandonment of Irene. She is Henry's wife and the mother of
their two young children, Margaret and Thomas. Henry is an
itinerant butcher and his family is reduced to living in a tent
near the edge of Black Pond. As the winter sets in, Henry is
scrambling to find a proper place for his children to live and
deal with the emotional devastation of the loss of his wife
and the children's mother. Phyllis Farley, a prosperous
neighbor, woos Margaret and Henry to come and live with
her family as a companion to her weird housebound son.
Henry is faced with an impossible situation. He really doesn't
want his children in the Farley household but has no other
means to care for them. The children endure there as long
as they can, then run away to find their mother. When they
eventually find her, a whole new set of problems ensue with
Irene not being financially or emotionally equipped to care
for her children.

Why You Should Read This Book: Things are difficult now
financially, but reading this novel will give you a real
perspective into what being destitute is. The story is a sad
one, but the children are scrappy and resilient .You will find
yourself wanting to reach out and help them, but you will
marvel at the tenacity they have and realize they are capable
of helping themselves with a little help from Henry's good
friends. This is a great story and you will be cheering for the
children with every page.