Rating: 
Summary: Maguire extends his reach and dazzles.
Review: I really loved both Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and when I received "Lost" for Christmas I was very pleasantly surprised - I had no idea it even existed. I put off reading it for nearly 2 months but when I finally started, I found I had to keep reading. As much as I liked his other two books, I am really happy that Maguire has not settled for simply reinventing another fairy tale. This is not an easy book, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the various layers and themes but it is a very clever book with a protagonist you really learn to care for. Anyone who learned to love reading as a child will appreciate all the references to the British world of childrens books but the story is a serious one about human weakness, need, desire and despair. What disappoints me is the number of very negative reviews that appear here for what I feel is an excellent book. I am reminded that I really don't enjoy hearing people carry on about what they hate or what they think is ugly or stupid. I would much rather hear them tell me what they like and what moved them. If I don't like a book, a movie or music I cut my losses and stop wasting my time and I also don't want to spend a lot of time dwelling on how much I disliked it. This is not the retelling of A Christmas Carol - its a whole lot more - a story not easily forgotten.
Rating: 
Summary: Lost Left Me Feeling Very Much So
Review: I wouldn't feel so disappointed in this book if I didn't find his previous two novels, ("Wicked, and "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister)so creative and original."Lost" just seems to be bogged down by it's own ambition. Leaving behind the fairy tales of his previous books, Maguire sets his story in present day with a very vaguely drawn protagonist named Winifred Rudge. A writer who has stumbled out of the gate with a case of writers block, she goes to England to visit her cousin and do some research on her book. The cousin however is nowhere to be found, and instead she's confronted with two frightened contractors who while renovating the cousins house believe they have come upon something supernatural behind the walls of the chimney.
Maybe it was supposed to be suspenseful and nail biting. I didn't get it. I think alot of the problem for me was a woman I couldn't get a handle on who was the center of the story. Was she mean, nice? It's never really clear. Later a plot point is introduced (that I won't give away), that in another novel could be great,yet here it just baffled me even more in regards to Winnie. It was a bummer to get to the end and think: Who cares? If you've never read Maguire I'd suggest not starting here. Both "Wicked" and "...Stepsister" are much more interesting reads. "...Stepsister" is also being made into an ABC television movie of the week with Stockard Channing.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Book Ever
Review: Not only did this book seem to be written by another person entirely, but apparently none of the editors bothered to read it before they commissioned an artist for the jacket art and tossed it into bookstores. There is absolutely nothing about Dickens or Scrooge aside from some speculations by the main character about her family. The cover is FALSE ADVERTISING. I am an avid reader, and LOVE Maguire, but I was so furious with this book! I FORCED myself to finish it, and when I was done, I closed the cover and hurled the wretched thing across the room. I didn't read another book for six months, I was so mad.Any fans of his might have noticed: "Lost" arrived on bookstands with big posters and displays, right in the middle of the store... however, "Mirror, Mirror" was shuffled into the "new hardcover" section without any pomp at all. Too bad, too, it's a MUCH better book. I guess the author was more interested in cashing in on his popularity than taking the time to write a good book for his fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as everyone says!
Review: I read Gregory Maguire's other three novels before finally getting around to Lost. The reason I put off reading this book was mainly because of the horrid reviews I read on Amazon. But in the end, my curiosity and respect for Maguire's writing got to me, and I picked up a copy. And my thoughts after I finished it? What are people so upset about? I admit, it is possible that my expectations for this book were so low before I even started it that it had nowhere to go but up, but I think it was a good book that told an interesting story. While I will admit that I enjoyed his other novels more, I read Lost in 2 days and got sucked into the book rather quickly. So why is everyone so upset about this book? I think the reason is that Maguire has deviated from his writing formula which won him the hearts of many a reader in Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Reinventing well known fairy tales into novels for adults - what a brilliant idea! But Lost is a modern story about a realistic character dealing with realistic issues. There is a ghost mixed in with the story, but in truth the characters and situations are much more real than any of those found in Maguire's previous novels. The main character is seriously flawed, and in truth one may finish the novel and still not like her. But that is how real people are. Aren't most of us flawed and affected by the hard knocks of life? That is what you will find in the main character of Lost. So, in summary I believe that people disliked this novel because they have come to expect a certain type of story from Maguire and in this case he did not deliver. And honestly, that is not fair. Gregory Maguire is a writer, which let's not forget is a form of art, and he has the right to follow whatever path or train of thought he likes in his novels. It is not fair to pigeon hole him into writing adaptations of fairy tales. Will this result in reduced sales for Maguire if he continues to deviate from this formula? Possibly, but I honestly think if you can step back and look at this novel without expectations, you will find it to be quite enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Maguire got Lost, too
Review: How excited I was when I walked in my local bookstore to find that one of my favorite authors had written a new novel! I rarely buy hardback books, but in Gregory Maguire's case, I have made exceptions not once, but three times. His first adult book, Wicked, remains close to my heart and high on my list of favorites. His second book, Confessions..., although not quite in the same league as Wicked, was still worth every penny and a real joy to read. So it was without any hesitation I grabbed up his newest offering, Lost, paid for it, and whisked it home to start immediately. I knew within ten pages that something had gone terribly wrong. Lost, as it turns out, is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The plot meanders...there are too many rabbits running around begging to be chased...there is not any real resolution at the end. Is it about Jack the Ripper? Or Ebeneezer Scrooge? Or someone else entirely? I'm still not convinced that this was actually written by Maguire. I think that his book must have gotten lost on the way to the publisher. I must admit that I feel some guilt writing this review, because I really am a big fan. But, I haven't given up completely on Maguire. I know he's got another stellar story in him, somewhere. Hopefully, it will be found.
Rating:
Summary: What a disapointment!
Review: I loved Wicked and The Ugly Step-Sister. This book however I couldn't get through it was so uninteresting. Saved your money, do not buy this book!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, but still worth a read
Review: As an avid fan of Gregory Maguire's last two adult novels (particularly Wicked), I had high hopes for his latest fiction venture, Lost. While I don't feel the new novel measured up to the impossibly high standards the previous two set--and what novel could?--Lost is still well worth a read, especially as a first venture into Maguire's literary world. I'll refrain from posting a summary of the plot (although I will warn potential readers: whoever wrote that Publisher's Weekly review above evidently did not read the novel very closely, so don't be expecting too much from it!), and simply say it took me quite a while to get into the book. I was about half way through before I felt things had really gotten started. I was also a little disappointed in the end--the third act, so to speak, seemed too short, to wrap up too quickly and neatly, without enough details to satisfy me. Despite all those criticisms, Maguire is still a master of the form, touching on any number of relevant themes: the nature of love and motherhood, the supernatural, and what it means to be haunted. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: worst book ever by maguire
Review: My first experience with the writer was Wicked...holy moly was it good. Then we read 'Confessions'...super holy moly, really good. Lastly we read Lost. WTF!?!? Bad, Bad, Bad. I am thankful i didnt pick this one up first. The book makes no sense. It seems to me there is a shortage in mushrooms, because Greggy seems to have eaten them all up.
Rating:
Summary: Why did I keep reading?
Review: I muddled through "Lost" for a month before finally finishing it, thoroughly unsatisfied. The main character is so idiotic that I couldn't sympathize with her. Her actions and the actions of the surrounding characters are not the least bit believable, given the course of events. The big interesting question - What is the knocking behind the wall? - is the central and most driving plot point for a short while. It is then ignored for most of the rest of the book, only to be offhandedly explained away with little enthusiasm.
Rating:
Summary: A Defense
Review: I'd like to say that I staved off buying this book and only read it when given it as a gift. Having read Wicked, I thought the jacket copy of Lost looked lame. However. Regardless of the cliche that Maguire uses -- a writer trying to write -- the book comes off well. Although loosely written about Jack the Ripper AND Dickens' Christmas Carol, Lost does deal with love and loss. There are pieces in this novel which are "weird", and can give it a low rating, but really, those who say they couldn't follow the "novel" the main character was writing and figure out, by the end, what this story was trying to tell, really WERE not reading the book even half as well as they should have. The end of this novel left me thinking. And I think although very, VERY different from his fairy tales, Maguire did well by this book.
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