Rating: 
Summary: A quiet bang
Review: This book was definitely not an easy one to like, especially if the reader is a teen which i am.
I watch Oprah sometimes and when i happened to see her introduce the book of the month idea i was intrigued. So i picked up a copy of this book just randomly from all her selections because i have always respected her taste. But what can i say?
It's not a book for those with short attention spans,nor for those who likes their shakes and quakes in quantities like so many people for example who flock to the "action-packed" action movies enticed by the explosions they see in tv previews( the bigger the better). Rather,it is a quiet bang. A silent emotional book that should be more appreciated bacause in all its aspects it is real. More real than stories with happy endings,or perfect heroes. The imperfect heroine, the mother of this book, is more real than than any MiBs or explosions you see in the big screen. Discard the long descriptions which so many people abbhored (or skip it in the book)and give it credit for being a book that speaks with an ordinary voice and unfolds in a human level.
Rating: 
Summary: Great vacation read
Review: I just read this book on vacation and I couldn't put it down. For all those readers who found Beth "unlikeable:" that's why the book is interesting! If Beth just marched bravely on and made the best of life with her remaining children, there wouldn't be a story. Although this novel does have an exciting plot, it's really about character: about a mother who can't "get on with her life," and who consequently damages the rest of her family. If the point of the book were the plot, Mitchard wouldn't tell you the ending in the prologue. The fact that she reveals the plot at the beginning demonstrates that she is writing a character novel, not a thriller. Her writing is of high quality, and in the passage that explains "the deep end of the ocean," she is close to poetry. As for the use of coincidence--it was one of Dickens' favorite plot devices. Coincidence creates the thrill of surprise, and the author can then go on to develop how the characters react to this unforeseen turn of events. A book doesn't have to be realistic to be good.
Rating: 
Summary: The True Mystery Is That I Kept On Reading
Review: This book droned on chapter by boring chapter. Although loosing a child must be one of the most profoundly painful experiences a mother could have, mid-way through the book I lost interest in Ben's return. Beth was pathetic and many events simply were not believable. The true mystery is how Oprah convinced so many viewers to read this book. Unfortunately, I was one of them
Rating:
Summary: Trash
Review: This book is unbelieveable awful. First of all, I like trendy, trashy books. I'm not snotty about them. I read this for my mom, who liked it. But Jesus Christ, this is utter crap. The writing is so miserably untrue. Anyone ever hear of editing? Her chapters from the POV of Vincent/Reeese are stunningly inept. Those basketball scenes? God, it reads like 8th grade fiction.
The coincidence that Ben is in the same town makes me think the author must despise us all, and think we're as stupid as the publishers who bought this. And Beth, what a terrible mother.You all know that Ben would have been better offwithout this abusinve, self-absorbed witch. America, are these people your heroes? Why are you all buying this? I'm sad. Oprah, what are you thinking?
Stay away from this waste of time!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Beth's Character Is Realistic and This Book IS INCREDIBLE!
Review: I heartily agree with those who have argued that Beth's character realistically reflects the emotional turmoil of a mother in such a situation. I rank this book as among the very best I have ever read (a 10 for me would include Silence of the Lambs, to give you an idea of my personal ratings).
I was especially surprised to find that the resolution of the kidnapping itself was not the primary focus of the book. This novel is about the essence of what makes a family. And it does not at all provide simple answers.
Finally, I was especially impressed by the use of Beth's former profession as a news photographer. I experienced a weird revelation every time Beth looked at the cameras and "saw" how she would have photographed the scene. Each of those settings are in fact similar to what we have all seen on television or magzines/newspapers when the press covers a child abduction. The reader has the very strange sense of being on the inside looking out when he or she compares mentally Beth's perspective with that familiar media portrayal.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely Realistic
Review: As the sibling of a lost child, I find it eerie that the author has not actually lived this experience. Her depiction of the disappearance, family heartache, depression and the accuracy of Beth's character are so close to home that I had to put it down for days at a time.
As to the others critique that is was to long, that it dragged, that Beth "...is not a very likable one-the way she turns inward and abandons the two children she still does have. " When a member of your family disappears it feels as if time is on "slow". Life drifts by you. Although we were older when it happened my mother withdrew from the world and her family. It is not that she did not love us but she had to deal with and focus on the missing one. It took time and compassion to realize this.
Read the book. Relax. And before you judge Beth for not being likable, for being ultra-human, think about how you would react if your child disappeared. You might not be as likable anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Beth the Martyr
Review: Good idea behind the book but the main character Beth is extremely annoying. Beth is not a very happy person and uses her son's kidnapping as an excuse to be an even more miserable individual. She takes it out on her family, a lovable bunch.
Beth is the woman of the 90's you love to loath, selfish and narcissistic. In stark contrast her husband Pat is Ward Cleaver all over again. His heart attack gets her attention and sympathy but only briefly.
Don't waste your summer reading on this one--you'll spend way too much time waiting for it to get interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Little slow start...but worth it
Review: I don't even have children, but when I read this book I felt totally like I was experiencing all the emotions right there with Beth. I felt like a fly on the wall during the whole story, like I was experiencing the same emotions of guilt, and frustration. I really enjoyed reading it
Rating:
Summary: Increased awareness of human emotions!
Review: I am simply stunned by the intense writings by this author. She was able to reach out and grab me (literally) emotionally from the beginning of the first page. I felt as if I were experiencing what each character was going through during the loss of a child.
This book is not depressing but rather a better understanding of how humans cope with tragedy, and how they relate to each other.
This book has certainly opened my heart for each character and has made me pause at the depth of pain one can go through and still survive. I highly recommend reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Powerfully true to life
Review: Although many readers did not like the main character, Beth, I felt as though the author had incredible insight as to what a mother might go through in which is what a mother's worst nightmare.
When I first realized what the book was about, I put it down for several days and decided not to read it. Who wants to read a book about the very thing you fear the most? But, since I had nothing good around the house to read I picked it up and spent the next several hours crying and reading, reading and crying.
A friend of mine lost a child under very similar circumstances. She was what most people would consider an ideal mother, however, her reaction was so similar to Beth's. She also abandoned her remaining children for a period of time, withdrew from friends and wanted to stop living. I now understand her so much better from reading about Beth.
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