The Stolen Child

A Novel

By: Ann Hood

Narrated by: Jefferson Mays

An unlikely duo ventures through France and Italy to solve the mystery of a child’s fate in this moving, page-turning novel from “a gifted storyteller” (PEOPLE).

For decades, Nick Burns has been haunted by a decision he made as a young soldier in World War I, when a French artist he’d befriended thrust both her paintings and her baby into his hands—and disappeared. In 1974, with only months left to live, Nick enlists Jenny, a college dropout desperate for adventure, to help him unravel the mystery. The journey leads them through Parisian galleries and provincial towns to a surprising place: the Museum of Tears, the life’s work of a lonely Italian craftsman. Determined to find the baby and the artist, hopeless romantic Jenny and curmudgeonly Nick must reckon with regret, betrayal, and the lives they’ve left behind.

With characteristic warmth and verve, Ann Hood captures a world of possibility and romance through the eyes of a young woman learning to claim her place in it. The Stolen Child is an engaging, timeless novel of secrets, love lost and found, and the nature of forgiveness.

“This is a lovely story about two artists meeting in the midst of World War I, a missing baby, and an intelligent, lost young woman helping an old man fix the mistakes of his past. I loved Nick and Jenny from the moment I met them, and had all my fingers crossed that they would find not only what they were looking for, but themselves.”—Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

©2024 Ann Hood (P)2024 Recorded Books

Good characters

I needed to listen twice to keep the
timeframe and characters in order. Although I did enjoy.

What if you made a different decision at some point in your life

This book explores past decisions of several characters spanning decades and 3 countries. In addition to really liking the story, I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of food and wine and of the places the characters visited

Sad ,authentic and yet so very beautiful

I listened to this book from beginning to end without barely putting it down.
The story was so real, the characters so honest, with their weaknesses and bad decisions, which we all make in our lives, and so often regret. How many times we procrastinate throughout our lives and end up missing the boat? As did Nick and Jenny and Enzo and Geraldine.
I was also very moved and laughed as Nick described his getting old, as this week I myself turn 80!!!!! Amazing!!
It is heart warming the way the book ends. Truth and Love do overcome!!

WW I

This was a new twist on war era stories. Enjoyed the characters with their human responses.

Beautiful story, well narrarated

This book made me experience all the emotions, and the narraration was so well done.