Featured debut author: Brooke Davis - Lost & Found

[EmilyMumsnet]

Our latest featured debut author is Brooke Davis, with her touching new novel about loss and discovery, Lost & Found.

Millie Bird is seven-years-old. On a shopping trip with her mum, Millie is left alone beneath the Ginormous Women’s underwear rack in a department store. Her mum never returns.

Agatha Pantha is eighty-two and hasn’t left home since her husband died. Instead, she fills the silence by yelling at passers-by, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule. That is, until the day Agatha spies a little girl across the street.

Karl the touch typist is eighty-seven and in a nursing home. He remembers how he once typed love letters with his fingers on to his wife’s skin. Now widowed, he knows that somehow he must find a way for life to begin again. In a moment of clarity, he escapes.

Together, Millie, Agatha and Karl set out to find Millie’s mum. Along the way, they will discover that the young can be wise, that old age is not the same as death, and that breaking the rules once in a while might just be the key to a happy life.

Read more about the book here

You can also check out Brooke's excellent top ten writing tips here

This giveaway is sponsored by Penguin Random House

Great just heard I have a copy of Lost and Found coming. Look forward to receiving it and will of course post a review.

Absolutely loved it! Devoured it actually. It's been a while since the last time I couldn't put a book down. Getting it up in the morning proved... well challenging is the least I am gonna say.

Gives a new perspective to grief. And what it means to grow older. Reminds me of the sketch of the lady with the walking stick that sees her shadow on the wall across the street and instead of a double-bended body, she sees a piruetting ballerina :)

The description on the back of a little girl being abandoned in a shopping mall, sounds gloomy and deterring, but the book is written in such a light and humorous way. Mixes hope with despair in such a dexterous manner that there is no way to decide what the prevalent feeling is.

I would definitely recommend it!

Just received my copy. It sounds intriguing. Thank you. Review to folloiw

A book that made me laugh, made me sad, and happy. I loved this book. I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or grab the tissues.Its a book of very mixed emotions.
Sometimesthe characters are a bit unconventional, but I liked them all the more for that.
Very enjoyable book.

I loved the writing style of this book, I could've carried on reading for a few chapters more. Some genuine snorting in mirth as I read in bed (my husband lurrves that sound), and I was really struck by some of the more poignant moments, especially the one between the boy on the train and Millie. A pleasure to read, and I also loved the unconventional characters.

Great debut novel. Lost and found is an absolute delight, sometimes sad sometimes comic and wacky. A very enjoyable read.

Thanks for my copy MN. I loved this book. What a fantastic debut! Millie, Agatha and Karl are warm, engaging characters and despite the reason for their trip, this is a positive, uplifting book.

Loved this book. Sad and uplifting at the same time. Reminds us we are all going to get old if we are lucky. A really different book and beautifully written. Thank you so much well worth the time invested in it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed reading Lost & Found. Lovely characters and a good storyline. It gave an intriguing insight into how people cope with grief and how purpose and relationships can offer a new perspective. A funny, sad, heartwarming read - well worth picking this book up.

Thank you for my copy of the book. I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the writer's style - she's really perceptive and makes the characters' thoughts and feelings utterly believable. I found the ending quite abrupt - I turned the last page and was gutted to find that was it - and I felt a little cheated to not find out how their adventure concluded. But other than that, I really enjoyed the story and will definitely read whatever the author writes next.

I am really enjoying this book! The characters are endearing and the light touches of humour make it a heart-warming story. It's unusual and it's a tale that will stay with me for a long time.

Seven year old Millie is a very endearing main character. You feel sorry for her when her mother is cold to her because she is bereaved.

It is an excellent study of loss from the point of view of different age groups.

The book does not solely focus on bereavement, it manages to be gently humerous.

It also shows the merits of helping older people.

I really enjoyed this book. Lost and found has been written in a fresh and humorous way despite covering sad subjects like death.
I thought the first few pages were particularly well written and I loved the blurb on the back of the book which encouraged me to read it.
I thought that Millie's collection of dead things in a jar was an interesting concept!
I loved this book and would highly recommend it for a refreshing read.

A real love it or hate it 'Marmite' novel... I posted a review for this one. I gave it 2 stars.. Read review to see why!

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I liked the story, which was engaging, with an uplifting ending (sort of!). However the faux naif style was a bit irritating - it was clearly supposed to represent the point of view of a child but was more reminiscent of the book about "The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared".

A good holiday read rather than great literature.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I feel really sad to have finished it. I thought it was written in a quirky way and I thought the characters were intriguing. I enjoyed the plot but would have liked a more conclusive ending to their journey. The theme of grief made it a sad story but it was told in such a humorous way. I found it interesting to read the author's history at the end of the story too. I will definitely be recommending this book.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

I had very mixed emotions about this book. For the most part i found it hard to put down, it is very well written, so it made me feel all sorts of emotions. I found the characters to be an interesting mix and i think that it works well.

The only criticism is that I found the ending to be a little rushed. The last chapter could have been expanded more, as i felt as if i had missed something.

Worth a read and I will be recommending it to friends.

I was picked by MNHQ to review this book, which I received for free. This review is in my own words and reflects my true opinion.

This one was not for me - Millie is a very strange girl and the two older characters were just not believable. I started of feeling really sorry for Millie but as the book went on the whole story lost all creditability. However, it is a very quick read and worth a try as you may just love it.

Thank you for my copy of this book. I am always keen to try authors who are new to me, and also those who deliver something a little different. I picked up this book in great anticipation, having thoroughly enjoyed The Rosie Project. Unfortunately, this was not the case with this book. I found all three characters totally unbelievable. The child, Millie, is old beyond her years, and the two older characters, Agatha and Karl, and just totally incredible. I found that I could not come to grips with the writing style at all. Luckily for me, it was a quick read. It was not to my taste, but many other people will enjoy the offbeat style, and the zany characters.

A charming, funny, sad tale. I really like the way it was structured too, with chapters from the view of each of the three main characters. I'm trying not to drop any spoilers but my favourite part was the dynamic between the two elderly characters. It's so rare that older characters would be written with such an interesting and moving and exciting side. Just fabulous...best book I've read for a long time

Thank you for my copy of this book. It sounds heart warming. Just my kind of book.