When I Found You MP3 CD – Unabridged, December 16, 2014

I knew when I saw that the author was Catherine Ryan Hyde that I would love the book! Very well written, the plot was excellent, and the lessons taught (and learned) were wonderful! Highly recommend!!!

Interesting story. The characters all have unique personalities.Nathan is the father I think most people would love to have. He is intelligent, wise and devoted. His self-control is above reproach.Nat is constantly lied to about his identity. He is raised by his strict grandmother and becomes a rebellious teenager.Some may see Eleanor as selfish, but she’s been a widow for a long time and when she takes the plunge into marriage once again she realizes that it’s not the life she wants to live.Carol’s character is not flushed out enough to understand her actions. She’s pretty, moral, and lives in a single parent home with an obnoxious father. She may have been flattered by Nat’s attentions in the beginning, but it’s hard to understand why she would agree to marry bad boy Nat, ex-con, unemployed, who dreams of becoming a professional boxer after knowing him for only a matter of weeks. Later, when separated from Nat for years, she makes no effort to find a new partner.The story’s ending is emotional and similar to others by Hyde. There are tear jerking scenes and characters who have difficulties early in life finally achieve their happiness.All in all, a pretty good book but feels heavily edited from a much longer story.

Just read this short paragraph, let the words sink in, then close your eyes and visualize what you've read:"Nathan McCann stood in his dark kitchen, a good two hours before dawn. He flipped on the overhead light, halfway hoping to see the coffeemaker all set up with water and grounds and waiting to be plugged in and set to percolating. Instead he saw the filter basket lying empty in the dish drain, looking abandoned and bare."Sometimes when we read an opening passage in a book, the words fit together so well, so perfectly crafted, that it creates an indelible image that sticks with us. This is the case with Catherine Ryan Hyde's When I Found You, a stunningly moving story of honesty, faith, perseverance and the human spirit.Nathan McCann was a middle-aged man, married but without no children. While out hunting with his dog, he found a newborn infant in the woods, and assumed that the child was dead. But when the baby moved, Nathan's existence was changed completely, and that event became the beginning of a chain of events that span a lifetime.Nathan took the baby to the hospital, quite taken by this small life that he had found. He wanted to adopt the boy, but the child's maternal grandmother claimed it. Nathan couldn't forget him, so he visited the child's grandmother and gave her a request: that when the boy was old enough, that he was to be told the truth. The grandmother gave her word that at some point she would introduce the boy to 'the man who found you in the woods.'The boy was named Nat in honor of Nathan, and for the next fifteen years lived with his grandmother. Nathan watched the boy from a distance, not involved in his life, and sent birthday and Christmas gifts. Because she wanted to protect him, the grandmother chose to not to tell Nat that his own mother abandoned him. Her reluctance to be truthful with him caused problems, and he began to grow into being a troubled young man. His misbehavior resulted in the grandmother taking Nat to Nathan to raise, as she could no longer deal with him.The appearance of Nat into Nathan's life brought frequent turmoil and battles. Nat was an angry young man, seemingly angry at everything in the world; Nathan was a man of principles, believing in always telling the truth. The tumultuous relationship between a father and son who are not blood relatives had some profound effects on both of them and the others in their lives. Yet this story, spanning a period of about thirty years, will surprise the reader with it's range of human emotion and how bonds can be strained yet not broken.There are many books that can touch ones emotions and tug at the heartstrings. But there are few that are as well written, that can delve so deeply into how one tiny moment can be the catalyst of lifetime of events, of how one flash of faith can set off an amazing chain of human emotions that can be so profoundly moving. It's a tale of unconditional love and unwavering faith that few can match.Author Catherine Ryan Hyde has a way of writing, of putting her words together, that makes us visualize as we read her words. Her earlier work, Pay It Forward, resulted in not just the highly acclaimed film of the same name, but a worldwide movement that continues to grow to this day. As a personal note, that book had been my favorite of all her works until I read When I Found You, and now I have two... different books in all respects, yet with a common bond in dealing with perseverance, human emotion and spirit.5/3/2012

I was so excited about this book. I LOVED the movie Pay it Forward (didn’t read the book) and the premise of this story seemed so intriguing! Especially since the Amazon raters were out in MASS giving this book almost 5 stars with thousands of ratings, I was eager to start listening (purchased Audible version), but maybe my expectations were just too high from the start because it fell significantly short.This was a very nice and almost touching story. But it was not a good book. The dialog felt a little forced and I never felt connected to the characters. Even at the end, without giving any spoilers, I didn’t feel even a little sadness – which for me is very rare (I’m way too emotional when I’m emerged in a book). It felt way too long, and I was hoping for an ending far before it actually ended (and it’s not a long book, just dragged to the point of feeling that way). I was honestly fairly bored through the whole thing and kept waiting for some sort of climax or twist or breathtaking moment that never came.I have no idea how I am the only one who felt this way. All the other reviewers seemed to really really enjoy this novel. But I am not one of them. There’s a possibility that part of that was due to the terrible narrator on the Audible version, but even taking that annoyance out, the story was not gripping or even a little remarkable. I feel let down. And a tiny bit miffed that I wasted such precious time that could have been spent on an actually decent book.

Every once in a while you read a book that makes you wish you could be a part of the characters lives...Nathan just seems like the loveliest of gentlemen and just so inherently good.I usually read to quiet my head before sleep, but this story kept me up! Even woke me up to read more!!For a really good read with wonderful characters that is such a feel-good experience, this is a sure thing!!Off I go to find my next read by Catherine Ryan Hyde!!

I really enjoyed this book. The story is very believable and you you feel empathy with the two main characters of the book. Even when Nat is acting out you don't dislike him because he's a troubled sole and most people in his life don't allow for that until he meets Nathan and his love is unconditional.

Great read!The story unfolds in an American town, where very believable characters are living their journey. A young unwed mother’s actions set the scene for the older,very stiff accountant,Nathan, and the unwanted baby,Nat. The story unfolds around cottage life, the boxing gym and relationships. Excellent observations by the author;characters are true and honest.

très touchée par la tendresse et l'humanisme qui se dégagent de ce roman bien écrit aux personnages très attachants avec leurs défauts et qualités

Este libro muestra de manera muy inteligente cómo educar con amor.La narrativa es bastante fluid y entretenida.Vale la pena

I was touched by the story and I've learnt about resilience, patience and choices in life. Liked it very much!