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Once Was Lost Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,783 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy into the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reasons to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI, and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town goes missing, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel. In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed—about God, your family, and yourself—is transformed
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"I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook read by the author of this book. I enjoyed it so much that I had to continue listening, even when I wasn't in the car so in it came, a perfect listen during a snowy holiday. Ms. Zarr's writing captured the essence of the confusion of teen life in crisis. Although the story didn't end and they happily ever after, we knew that Sam was going to survive. Fifteen is a young age to be confronted with so much, but unfortunately that's life for many of our young folks. I appreciated how Sam chose to deal with her life."
— Mrs. (4 out of 5 stars)
Once Was Lost Listener Reviews
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" This was a well written book about some challenging and scary issues for a teenage girl: one parent's addiction and illness, the other's emotional withdrawal, and when a terrible community tragedy is added to the mix, Sam must deal with feelings of suspicion, trust, questions of faith, isolation, and independence. The story is fraught and intense, and I wish more communication between the characters could have happened, but that teenage reticence (not limited to the teenages here, by any means) is all part of the package. "
— Shauna, 2/19/2014 -
" There are not very many YA books that deal with religion, but this one deals with it honestly, a tragedy within the community causes the pastor's daughter to question her faith. This book moved slow, and it was not a happy book, both because of the mood within the community and the narrator's own struggle with depression. However, it was real, and I think sometimes teenagers need to be reminded that not everyone has the answers or that other people struggle with the big questions too. "
— Mandy, 2/7/2014 -
" The reaffirmation of Sam's faith didn't work for me at the end. She was questioning through the whole book, and then all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, she's just sure that God exists, and that's enough for her. Even though all her concerns were never addressed. But then, I'm an agnostic. I'd probably recommend it to Christian teens who also like true crime? "
— Miko, 2/2/2014 -
" This book was a quick read that dealt with the questioning of faith and the frailty of family. I picked it up on a whim, but really enjoyed it in the end. "
— Stephanie, 2/1/2014 -
" I like that Zarr was able to write about religious kids in a way that made them come across as normal and natural. That's so rare these days. "
— Melanie, 1/30/2014 -
" Some people say the ending to this was unrealistic; I say it was hopeful. "
— Rebecca, 1/19/2014 -
" A slow read for me. I never really got caught up in the story, and the book just kind of puttered along. I thought the missing child portion was rather weak, although I did like Sam's quiet character and narrative. "
— Cassi, 1/9/2014 -
" I had a hard time with this one. I listened to the audio and stopped mid way through. I am going to try to read it over the summer and give it a second chance. "
— Julie, 12/7/2013 -
" Another successful young adult selection - I have been so impressed with the young adult fiction. This particular story is very near to my heart as the main character is the daughter of a preacher. Excellent story and wonderful characters. "
— Heather, 11/22/2013 -
" A marvelous book about forgiving, forgetting, and friendship. You can't miss this one. "
— Karen, 3/31/2013 -
" This book give me insight on life and belief...A sad yet wonderful read! :) "
— Syafiqah, 9/4/2012 -
" I'm still not feeling Sara Zarr 100% but this one was the best one I've read of hers so far, even though I was looking for an atheist protagonist and ended with a "God loves me" message. "
— caitlin, 4/6/2012 -
" Perhaps my favorite of all of Zarr's books. She is brilliant. "
— Janssen, 12/22/2011 -
" It was okay...it was actually kinda depressing but it had a cute ending =) "
— Sabrina, 9/20/2011 -
" I thought this book was boring and was dragged on and didn't have enough going on. "
— Sarat34, 5/31/2011 -
" i just started reading just got to the pretty good part "
— Iryna, 5/23/2011 -
" A book about faith that is thankfully not preachy. Very slow, complex plot that discusses how communities react after a tragic event. The cover is pretty, but not my favorite. "
— Alison, 5/15/2011 -
" This book made me question my beliefs... weird lol! "
— Elizabeth, 4/25/2011 -
" Very good book. Very real characters that the reader can connect with, a very realistic story. I felt like it wrapped up a little too neatly in the end, but otherwise I found it an excellent read. "
— Karis, 3/4/2011 -
" this book started so good but the end. it ended all to fast and the ending as good as it should have been. i did still love the first half of this book. "
— Sydney, 2/22/2011
About Sara Zarr
Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, California, and now lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the author of How to Save a Life, What We Lost, Sweethearts, and the National Book Award finalist Story of a Girl.