Book description
Inspiring the film starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, and directed by Stephen Frears, Philomena is the tale of a mother and a son whose lives were scarred by the forces of hypocrisy on both sides of the Atlantic and of the secrets they were forced to keep.
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Why read it?
2 authors picked Philomena as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
You have probably seen the film version starring Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan—which I also highly recommend! But Sixsmith’s original book demonstrates how an experienced yet disenchanted writer can find their own way, and make an international impact, by helping another person discover the hideous truth.
Philomena Lee was a woman from Roscrea, Ireland, who, after fifty years, could no longer endure the torment of not knowing what had happened to her toddler son, taken from her at a Catholic home for unwed mothers and sold to an American couple. Unbeknownst to Philomena, her son later went searching for…
From Jo's list on nonfiction that reclaim lost history or silenced voices.
This is a real-life account of how Philomena Lee was banished to an Irish convent after a teenage pregnancy and was forced to sign a document that gave the nuns the right to sell her child. She spent decades searching for the son who was searching for her: both being fed lies by the nuns.
The film version, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan is better known, but Martin Sixsmith’s written account of helping Philomena search for her son is more expansive and gives more detail about her son who enjoyed a career in American politics. Philomena Lee is a…
From Dermot's list on institutions run by Irish religious orders.
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