The Stolen Child

By: Keith Donohue

Narrated by: Andy Paris, Jeff Woodman

Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

This critically acclaimed debut by breakout author Keith Donohue flawlessly blends fantasy and realism into an utterly unique fable, inspired by a W.B. Yeats poem, that has been described as a bedtime story for adults.

Seven-year-old Henry Day is kidnapped and renamed "Aniday" by changelings, ageless beings who inhabit the woods near his home. The changelings also leave behind one of their own, who flawlessly impersonates Henry except for one noteworthy detail: the new Henry is a prodigiously talented pianist. Both Aniday and Henry settle comfortably enough into their new existences, but both are haunted by vague memories of their former lives.

A fresh take on the search for identity that will appeal to fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.M. Barrie, The Stolen Child triumphantly announces Donohue as a fresh voice in contemporary fiction.

©2006 Keith Donohue (P)2006 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

• Winner of Audio Publishers Association 2007 Audie Award, Science Fiction

"An impressive novel of outsiders whose feelings of alienation are more natural than supernatural." (Publishers Weekly)

Captivating and compelling

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both the story and the performance. The story was original, never boring, and I was sad when the book ended. If you liked "The Time Traveler's Wife," you will also like this book.

Such a cool story!

I love books that bring my imagination to life. It is so well written and narrated that you get lost in the story. I don't usually read books that contain "supernatural" ideas, but this story was definitely a good listen.

Interesting & amazing

Very interesting author and his thought process was extremely creative. Unique viewpoint and highly enjoyable style of writing. This is my first exposure to both him and the narrator. It was quirky and memorable. This is quite different from your normal book subject, but does a fantastic job of painting a story that is truly amazing.

Qualifies as a great book you are sad to hear it end.

Was completely pleased with the narrator and the book content.

good book

good book great narrators I like the double story I recommend this book to everyone

Amazing!

I love this book!! I’ve listened to it a million times! And it should be made into a movie!

dissapointing

I decided to listen to "The Stolen Child" after hearing a favorable NPR review. The book was well read, but the story is weak and over reliant on tired metaphor. This might be a fun quick read, but it drags on far too long as an audio book. Skip this book and just read the poetry by Yeats that inspired it.

Couldn't Bear to Listen to It

What would have made The Stolen Child better?

Another reader.

Any additional comments?

The reader for this was so dreadful that I decided I'd have to read the book in paper, it is still waiting to be read because my list is very long.

too long

Interesting concept but it went on and on and on and, well you get the idea. I rarely fail to finish a book (especially audiobooks) but I just couldn't bear anymore and I quit.

The Stolen Fantasy

Fantasy, once a genre all its own, has so encroached on Sci-Fi they are often counted as one. As a traditional Sci-Fi fan, I am not at all sure this is a good thing. In my now distant youth (alas!) the best Sci-Fi was packed with with both adventure and meaning. The latter could take the form of alegory, or philosophy, or social commentary, or show the unsuspecting where science and technology were taking us. Today, it seems I always feel cheated. What is this book about other than the fantastic events of the story? There is nothing except, perhaps, a tad of titillation with the fantasy, and I cannot help but association that with the fantastic, which in my day was virtually synonymous with absurd.

Blah! Yuck!

It doesn’t matter how sappy an author writes or how profound the author tries to make a subject—bad is bad and stupid remains stupid. The story contains contradictions and overblown writing that made me cringe. Also, a greenstick fracture doesn’t have bone sticking out of the skin. The character of the older Henry Day is not likeable, and that narrator made the character worse. It was difficult to make myself finish this book.