Philomena: The True Story of a Mother and the Son She Had to Give Away (Film Tie-in Edition)

So having been exploited by the Catholic church as slave labour Philomena has now been exploited by Martin Sixsmith. Having lost her son once she has been robbed of her son a second time by this character assassination. Were I his mother I would be distressed to read the graphic and indulgent reimaginings of homosexual experiences, scenes of sado-masochism and depravity which the writer lingers over. Disturbing for his family both in Ireland and the USA . Michael did not leave a journal, he has been cheated yet again by this exposee of his secrets. Michael's partner and relations are still alive and must have been upset by this intrusion which is actually erotic fiction not biography. ' Pete ' who was Michael's partner has given this book 3 out of 10 for accuracy in an interview.The backgrounds of Irish and American politics however are excellent - news to me that the orchestrator of baby sales, Arch-villain of Dublin, McQuaid, was a paedophileBut glad to say it is not framed as a story of forgiveness , I have just seen the Youtube video of Steve Coogan with Philomena receiving an award for the film. He said to the audience, " this is a story of redemption.'" Whose ? The nuns who are the ones who need it have not apologized and are not redeemed.

Others have provided a far more cogent overview of this tragic tale than I could, so I won't attempt to duplicate what they've already written.I had expected this to be a tragic account of the heartless theft of children from unmarried women in Ireland, which it is. Having not seen the movie, what I didn't expect was it to deal with the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the US against the backdrop of the Reagan era, which is heartbreaking.This is a beautifully written yet easy-to-read book, that manages to maintain its momentum from start to finish. Whatever you're looking for, this book will tick your boxes.

I saw the movie first and found it profound and moving. In many ways, though, it's a counterpoint to this book, rather than a film of the book.The book is essentially a biography of Michael Hess, but done in a curious way. Conversations are written out verbatim, as Sixsmith imagines they must have happened. Granted, he had all the right sources, but it gives a false aspect of objectivity to what is actually a recreation, however inspired, of what might have happened and might have been going through the mind of Michael Hess at different times in his life. After all, Sixsmith never got to speak to Hess himself.That said, what Sixsmith has written is a profound meditation on various things:first, the meaning of being adopted, thinking that one's mother abandoned one, and the restlessness instilled in a soul as a result;second, the conflict of a public persona (the Republican, 'pro-family' party) and a private reality (a gay identity) and the problems that creates;third, a description of the life of affluent Washington in the 70s, 80s and 90s;fourth, internal conflicts of a male gay lifestyle: stable, effectively 'married' life with a partner, and then a life of anonymous, charged (kinky?) sexual encounters;fifth, the tsunami of AIDS that swept through the gay community in the later 20th century before effective treatment was found.As it's this strange amalgam, it may be unsatisfactory for some: if you're interested in the adoption stuff, there's too much on gerrymandering reform in American politics in the 1980s; if you're interested in HIV AIDS, then the Irish stuff from the 50s is pointless; crucially, if you're interested in Philomena Lee herself, who is the centre of the film, then be warned that the book is 85% about Michael Hess.Much as I enjoyed this book and was moved by it, I think Coogan created something greater when he developed this story into a film. By switching the focus on to Philomena, and Sixsmith's relationship with her, he was able to delve more deeply into the issue of adoption, from the biological parent's perspective, and then also move onto an amazing example of forgiveness.Very little of this is in the book. It's still good, but it was made to be even better through the film.

The clue is in the title for those who expected more about Philomena. That will probably be in the forthcoming film. Mike, the lost child is a troubled soul, angry and unable to accept himself for who he is. I understand the adopted child needing to know where they came from otherwise they don't understand who they are, but the adoptive parents need sympathy too. Marge was a dedicated mother and Doc a good provider, but neither he nor the older three brothers seemed to accept Mike properly into their family. Mike would never have had the education or risen to the dizzy heights of US politics if he had stayed with his birth mother. That doesn't excuse the baby 'factory' run by the Catholic Church in Ireland though. It was cruel and insensitive to all concerned. Mike's reckless promiscuity was at odds with his otherwise educated legal mind, and he knowingly risked infecting those he loved. He must have possessed real magnetism because people respected and forgave him. It was very sad that he and Philomena missed each other by just a few weeks in Ireland, but at least she did eventually learn the details of his life. I personally thought that there was too much homosexuality in the book, but I enjoyed the political history of the White House and its various occupants through a couple of decades. All in all a good read.

Having missed the cinema film I decided to buy the book. Left confused as to whether this is the same as the film (I believed so as film cover was same as book cover) I cant say I didn't enjoy the book because I did, HOWEVER the story was not of a mothers desperate search for her adopted son, but a story of Michael Hess's life in politics and his struggle with his sexuality. A good read, but not what I was expecting or hoping for. We see a brief history of Philomena herself as a young girl who gave birth in the strict nunnery, but after a chapter or two of this (which is a fascinating read) the majority of the rest of the book is her adopted sons new life. I am hoping the DVD is better when it comes out and more what i was expecting????