From Publishers Weekly
Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have numbered in the millions over the 2,000 or so years since she gave birth to Jesus Christ. This book, which the author assures us is fiction, purports to describe one such sighting. Without plot, climax or resolution, it is not a standard novel. Rather, it consists of reflections and soul-searching by the nameless narrator, examples of the Marian phenomenon throughout the ages and considerable theorizing about Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle as it applies to historical facts. The narrator (whose life seems identical to Schoemperlen's) assures readers that she is in no way an extraordinary person, yet on a Monday in April, a woman in a blue trench coat and Nikes suddenly appears in her living room, calling herself "Mary, Mother of God" and asking if she can stay for a week to rest up before the demanding month of May, long ago dedicated to her. On the surface, the week is uneventful; the two women talk, shop, cook and exchange confidences. Mary tells of miracles throughout the ages, and the narrator realizes how much she has learned and changed over the years, particularly in coming to terms with being a single woman. None of this is dry material; in fact, it is briskly paced and engaging. Canadian writer Schoemperlen, whose previous novel, In the Language of Love, was highly praised, and whose short story collection, Forms of Devotion, won Canada's Governor General's Award, is a thoughtful and intelligent writer. Readers who enjoy unconventional fiction will find food for thought here. Agent, Bella Pomer. 6-city author tour. (May)Forecast: The eternal popularity of Mary may sell a few copies of this novel, particularly if it is displayed with other spiritual titles, but true Marianites will likely prefer nonfiction accounts of her miraculous appearances. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The action is chiefly cerebral in this novel of a firmly anchored everywoman who endures a Marian vision of Guinness-record-breaking length. The narrator, a single, middle-aged, female, non-Catholic writer contentedly living alone, one day comes upon a modern-day version of the Virgin Mary standing in her living room. Seeking a rest cure from her spiritual duties, Mary asks if she might be allowed to stay for a few days. They spend time together and become friends. The writer anecdotally contrasts their daily activities with biographical sketches and miracles relating to Mary documented by the Catholic Church. The number and variety of these alleged wonders are staggering, and this novel serves as an accessible catalog. The result is a highly intelligent and unique discourse on philosophy and the phenomenon of human faith, but as a novel its appeal may be limited to larger public and academic libraries. Margee Smith, Grace A. Dow Memorial Lib., Midland, MI Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Schoemperlen's gentle, matter-of-fact tone bolsters the credibility of this charming fable. When an obviously weary Virgin Mary appears in the home of a seemingly well-grounded middle-aged writer and announces her intention of staying for a well-earned rest, the two women immediately hit it off and begin exchanging confidences. During the course of her week-long visit, Mary shares snippets of her unique history with her hostess. Enthralled by Mary's first-person accounts of her earthly visitations, encounters, and miracles, the unnamed writer also begins a somewhat painful but ultimately insightful self-examination. This delightful portrait of the Mother of God as an exhausted contemporary female sporting a blue trench coat and white Nikes will appeal to readers seeking an unconventional form of spiritual renewal. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"On an apparently typical Monday morning in April, a middle-aged writer goes into her living room to water the plants and finds a woman standing in front of the fig tree. The woman is wearing a navy blue trench coat and white Nikes. She has a white shawl draped over her hair and she is holding a large leather purse and a small black suitcase on wheels. She is the Virgin Mary. Invited to stay for lunch, Mary explains that, after two thousand years of petition, adoration, and traveling, she is tired and needs some R and R. She ends up staying for one extraordinary and illuminating week." "So begins Diane Schoemperlen's novel. What follows is a magical tale in which Mary becomes much more than an icon. She becomes a kind and thoughtful and funny friend, a woman we can understand, not just one who is revered. As their time together unfolds and their wonderful friendship develops, the narrator learns the remarkable history of one of the most influential and complex women of all time. Along the way, she is propelled into a vibrant examination of life's big questions and begins to discover her own capacity for faith."--BOOK JACKET.

FROM THE CRITICS

Chicago Tribune

Schoemperlen's...intellectualizing is entertaining.

Elle

Our Lady of the Lost and Found satisfies the hunger for both good...storytelling and honest-to-God soul-searching.

Publishers Weekly

Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have numbered in the millions over the 2,000 or so years since she gave birth to Jesus Christ. This book, which the author assures us is fiction, purports to describe one such sighting. Without plot, climax or resolution, it is not a standard novel. Rather, it consists of reflections and soul-searching by the nameless narrator, examples of the Marian phenomenon throughout the ages and considerable theorizing about Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle as it applies to historical facts. The narrator (whose life seems identical to Schoemperlen's) assures readers that she is in no way an extraordinary person, yet on a Monday in April, a woman in a blue trench coat and Nikes suddenly appears in her living room, calling herself "Mary, Mother of God" and asking if she can stay for a week to rest up before the demanding month of May, long ago dedicated to her. On the surface, the week is uneventful; the two women talk, shop, cook and exchange confidences. Mary tells of miracles throughout the ages, and the narrator realizes how much she has learned and changed over the years, particularly in coming to terms with being a single woman. None of this is dry material; in fact, it is briskly paced and engaging. Canadian writer Schoemperlen, whose previous novel, In the Language of Love, was highly praised, and whose short story collection, Forms of Devotion, won Canada's Governor General's Award, is a thoughtful and intelligent writer. Readers who enjoy unconventional fiction will find food for thought here. Agent, Bella Pomer. 6-city author tour. (May) Forecast: The eternal popularity of Mary may sell a few copies of this novel, particularly if it is displayed with other spiritual titles, but true Marianites will likely prefer nonfiction accounts of her miraculous appearances. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The action is chiefly cerebral in this novel of a firmly anchored everywoman who endures a Marian vision of Guinness-record-breaking length. The narrator, a single, middle-aged, female, non-Catholic writer contentedly living alone, one day comes upon a modern-day version of the Virgin Mary standing in her living room. Seeking a rest cure from her spiritual duties, Mary asks if she might be allowed to stay for a few days. They spend time together and become friends. The writer anecdotally contrasts their daily activities with biographical sketches and miracles relating to Mary documented by the Catholic Church. The number and variety of these alleged wonders are staggering, and this novel serves as an accessible catalog. The result is a highly intelligent and unique discourse on philosophy and the phenomenon of human faith, but as a novel its appeal may be limited to larger public and academic libraries. Margee Smith, Grace A. Dow Memorial Lib., Midland, MI Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

What would you do if the Virgin Mary came to visit for a week? Taking off from this entertaining premise, the author of In the Language of Love (1996) falls short, though not for want of trying. The narrator, a fussy but endearing writer in her 40s who lives in some northern suburb, seems an unlikely candidate for divine visitation. But Mary, weary from constant miracle-making, nonetheless takes up temporary residence in her guest bedroom. Despite the casual slacks, brown cardigan, and sneakers, there is no doubt this is indeed the Mother of God. And although Mary requests complete secrecy, she realizes the writer will be too tempted (so to speak) by the material at hand and agrees to allow a book to be written about her so long as it's called a "novel." Presumably, this is the result: a document of quiet mornings spent over coffee and the paper, trips to the mall, and other quotidian events. Anecdotes about Mary's previous earthly visitations and stories about saints and martyrs both familiar and obscure comprise much of the text; they illustrate the strength of belief and narrate the course of history from a Marian perspective. Schoemperlen also makes random forays into the narrator's memory, more often than not including discussions of Pythagorean theory, the nature of truth, the melding of history and fiction, and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Though these tidbits and occasionally endless lists speak to the narrator's larger examination of the nature of fact and faith, they ultimately prove frustrating. The Virgin Mary is sitting right there in the kitchen! Yet Schoemperlen dangles her in front of the reader for 300 pages without ever allowing Mary much to say forherself.The supposed core of the story, meeting the Mother of God, isn't strong enough to balance the tangents. Ambitious and intelligent, but more a collection of fascinating essays than a fulfilling piece of fiction. Author tour