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When I Found You
by
Catherine Ryan Hyde (Goodreads Author)
When Nathan McCann discovers a newborn baby boy half buried in the woods, he assumes he's found a tiny dead body. But then the baby moves and in one remarkable moment, Nathan's life is changed forever. The baby is sent to grow up with his grandmother, but Nathan can't forget him and is compelled to pay her a visit. He asks for one simple promise - that one day she will int...more
Paperback, 476 pages
Published
September 29th 2011
by CreateSpace
(first published August 13th 2009)
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One morning, hunter Nathan finds an abandoned infant boy in the woods. He wants to adopt the baby, but the baby's grandmother steps forward to take him in. Fifteen years later, the now-teenager has become difficult and the grandmother asks Nathan to raise the young man (Nat).
I did not like this book as much as I'd hoped. The Nathan character is far too "good" to seem like a real person. He shows very little emotion, just steadfastly goes about supporting Nat emotionally and financially, no matte...more
I did not like this book as much as I'd hoped. The Nathan character is far too "good" to seem like a real person. He shows very little emotion, just steadfastly goes about supporting Nat emotionally and financially, no matte...more
Really liking this author, reading several more of her books. Her writing sometimes falls a teensy bit flat in terms of what seems like her personal connection with the subject matter, but it hasn't deterred me at all. I think it allows her to write such a broad set of perspectives reasonably well; no two books are the same. The opposite is someone like Tawni O'Dell, who has an incredible personal connection to the experiences that gives them nearly tangible depth, but all of her books are essen...more
I probably would have rated this book higher if the last half wasn't a disappointment for not living up to the promise of the first half. It's an interesting premise for a story--a man finds an abandoned newborn early one morning when he's hunting in the woods. He actually wants to raise the child, but the infant's family is found and the baby is raised by his grandmother. The man keeps tabs on the boy throughout his young life but does not personally interact with him. The boy is troubled and w...more
This book was about a middle aged man, married but with no children, who finds a newborn baby in the woods when out hunting with his dog. Finding the baby changes his life. He feels he is meant to make a difference for this child. He wants to adopt it but the grandmother claims the child and raises him until he is 15 years old. The grandmother chooses not to tell the boy that his mother abandoned him because she wants to protect him. Her unwillingness to be truthful causes Nat (the boy) to be un...more
Out on a duck hunting trip, Nathan's dog finds what turns out to be a barely living newborn baby boy. Nathan gets the baby to the hospital and at that moment decides he wants to adopt this child. It's not to be, however, since a living relative is found and agrees to take the baby in. Nathan contacts the relative, the boy's maternal grandmother, and tells her that he would like to at least get to see the boy at some point. The grandmother doesn't like the idea of letting the boy know the circums...more
If only everyone could have a man like Nathan McCann in their life. This was an engrossing story that I had a hard time putting down. Full of wisdom and life lessons about unconditional care and the meaning of family beyond a biological bond.
When Nathan finds an abandoned and barely alive newborn in the woods, his life is forever defined by that find. For the newborn whose start in life is a cold and sad one, his is changed too. An ordinary man living an ordinary life has the opportunity to mak...more
When Nathan finds an abandoned and barely alive newborn in the woods, his life is forever defined by that find. For the newborn whose start in life is a cold and sad one, his is changed too. An ordinary man living an ordinary life has the opportunity to mak...more
I was very touched by this book about a baby found in the woods by a man and his hunting dog. It's fiction, but there were many insights that should be used by anyone dealing with youth - troubled or not. Although the gentleman (Nathan McCann) would have liked to keep the baby (named Nathan Bates), it went to the grandmother of the boy. The Nathans become inextricably linked even though they don't actually get to know one another for quite a number of years later. I felt great empathy for nearly...more
May 04, 2012
John
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
friends
Recommended to John by:
a friend
When I Found You: a masterpiece of human emotion...
Just read this short paragraph, let the words sink in, then close your eyes and visualize what you've read:
Sometimes when we r...more
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 r...more
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I've been a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde for some time now, she writes fiction for both adults and children/young adults. 'When I Found You' is a gripping story that asks the question 'could you love someone else's child as if he were your own?'
When Nathan discovers the new born baby, abandoned under a tree in nearby woodland, he is shocked and horrified. The child's maternal grandmother promises him that one day she will introduce the boy to 'the man who found you'. The child is named Nat in hono...more
When Nathan discovers the new born baby, abandoned under a tree in nearby woodland, he is shocked and horrified. The child's maternal grandmother promises him that one day she will introduce the boy to 'the man who found you'. The child is named Nat in hono...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it on the review of one of my Goodreads friends. I had to order it from England because it's not yet carried in the US that I could find, but it didn't cost any more than if I'd ordered it stateside. Catherine is a great author with a very readable style of writing. Some of you may be familiar with "Pay It Forward", which was made into a movie. This is the first of her books I have read, and I will find and read all the rest of them now. It's been long eno...more
Sep 16, 2009
Leah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-2009,
for-review
Transworld offered us some books to review and Catherine Ryan Hyde’s new one When I Found You was one of those. The synopsis sounded interesting so I asked if I could have it. It tells the story of Nathan McCann who, one day, when he goes out hunting discovers a newborn baby. It changes his life in an instant. He wants to adopt the baby but the baby goes to it’s closest relative – his Grandma. Nathan asks her to one day tell the boy – Nat – that he was the one who found him in the woods. Years l...more
Not my usual book. About a young man, married, who finds a baby boy in the woods. The family is found but Nathan still keeps tabs on him. 15 years later, the boy, now a teenager is struggling in life. Grandma doesn't know what to do with him. So she gives him to Nathan, who is a widow by now.
What becomes of this odd way to connect ends up powerful and so engaging I really loved the ending. These two end up becoming bonded in so many ways. This book proves it isn't always blood that bonds and som...more
What becomes of this odd way to connect ends up powerful and so engaging I really loved the ending. These two end up becoming bonded in so many ways. This book proves it isn't always blood that bonds and som...more
As the adoptive mother of traumatized children in foster care, I found this insightful although a little to "neatly packaged." I think character of Nathan would be an exceptional man in the real world...his thoughts, his responses to situations etc...are a little too perfect. That being said, providing love and committment to a traumatized child does indeed look like this story. Loving without expecting love in return. Giving but expecting nothing in return. Providing boundaries and holding a ch...more
An enjoyable read about a man who goes above and beyond the expectations of many, after he finds a new born baby covered in leaves in the woods. Although unable to legally adopt the child as he would have liked because the child has a blood relative - his grandmother, Nathan never loses sight of young Nat, named by his grandmother after his saviour. It's not at all an easy relationship for Nat and he encounters more than a few of life's troubles, some self inflicted. Though I found some of the p...more
If you're a person who enjoys reading books that tear at your heartstrings and has you reaching for that box of Kleenex then the next addition to your TBR pile should be Catherine Hyde Ryan's WHEN I FOUND YOU.
Written in fairly short, chronological chapters that keep you beautifully captivated, this is a poignant and moving tale that begins with a middle aged man and his dog out hunting one morning and develops into a forty year journey through the lives of two individuals whose past and future a...more
Written in fairly short, chronological chapters that keep you beautifully captivated, this is a poignant and moving tale that begins with a middle aged man and his dog out hunting one morning and develops into a forty year journey through the lives of two individuals whose past and future a...more
I started this book looking for a quick, light read....some fluff I could quickly read, enjoy and then move on without having to think/feel or puzzle things out. Boy, that was not what I got! Once started, you just keep going and the questions keep coming....how would you handle the situation? What would you do if you found a newborn baby? How long would you keep beliving in someone? How do you determine what is the most important thing in life? How much is your "word" worth? What difference are...more
May 20, 2011
Aidan Bizony
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
EVERYONE
Recommended to Aidan by:
keen interest
Shelves:
fantasy-fiction
BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT! BRILLIANT!!! 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde is possibly one of the best books I ever read in my life. 'When I Found You' embraces the ideas of unconditional love. It starts out when a duck hunter finds a two day old baby in the woods in October and from that moment on a long up/down story begins. 'When I Found You' was the book that made me start to love Catherine Ryan Hyde. I think that this book is (or should be) ranked as the best book about unconditional love...more
'When I found you' is a touching (there were some tears)story told from two alternating points of view - it's about a relationship that is essentially a father/son, best described as a foster care/guardian relationship.
It's hard going in places but stick with it, and you'll be rewarded.
Some of the thoughts in the book made me think about how I might like to be remembered - and how do I go about making that happen? What have I done in my life that's exceptional? Not that I mean this in a bad wa...more
It's hard going in places but stick with it, and you'll be rewarded.
Some of the thoughts in the book made me think about how I might like to be remembered - and how do I go about making that happen? What have I done in my life that's exceptional? Not that I mean this in a bad wa...more
Nathan McCann went out to hunt and found the body of a newborn baby, which he initially presumed was dead. However, the baby was still alive and Nathan took him to the hospital and when the baby was identified Nathan asked to be involved in the child's life and he drops presents off every year on his birthday and Christmas. The story alternates between Nathan's telling and Nat (as the baby is named) following him as first his grandmother tries to bring him up before handing him over to Nathan.
Th...more
Th...more
I could totally see this book becoming a movie - or maybe it already kind of is (Million Dollar Baby has very similar themes). I loved the character of Nathan McCann - his patience with both of his wives, his unwavering loyalty, his calmness and sincerity. Nathan Bates you feel pity for - in a way it isn't his fault that his life started the way it did, but his choices are entirely his own. Both Nathans end up going through trials and they persevere, grow and learn together. I enjoyed this book...more
I'm already a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde so I like her stories of everyday people leading quietly heroic lives.
Many of her books deal with young people and in When I Found You, we watch the troubled growing up of Nat, often through the experience of Nathan, the stranger who found Nat as an abandoned newborn in the woods.
From the moment Nathan found the baby, barely alive beneath a cover of fallen leaves, he felt a connection that would last the rest of his life.
As in all Catherine's stories, t...more
Many of her books deal with young people and in When I Found You, we watch the troubled growing up of Nat, often through the experience of Nathan, the stranger who found Nat as an abandoned newborn in the woods.
From the moment Nathan found the baby, barely alive beneath a cover of fallen leaves, he felt a connection that would last the rest of his life.
As in all Catherine's stories, t...more
A fifty-year old duck hunter's dog finds a newborn baby in the woods, and the story takes off from there. I really liked the character of Nathan, the hunter: an honest, intellectual and composed man who remembers the boy each Christmas and birthday. It's a quick read, and I guess a bit predictable, but I really enjoyed the writing and the story. Nathan was nice to his dogs (even though his first wife wouldn't allow the dog in the house, which is reprehensible) and nice to his namesake, Nat, who...more
What an absorbing read! I got into this book right away. It intrigued me throughout the book. I thought it was very well written with a lot of emotion, common sense and well being. I normally don't have much time in the day to read, but I found time in between cooking meals and cleaning. I picked it up at any oppotunity as I wanted to know what happens next.
The character were very well explained and portrayed, the narration was not overly long and when conversations were being had between charac...more
The character were very well explained and portrayed, the narration was not overly long and when conversations were being had between charac...more
I’m a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde. I know that I’m in for a delicate treat when I start one of her books. She’s incredibly talented in bringing to life ordinary people doing extraordinary deeds. Her characters are amazingly normal, sometimes living difficult lives; which gives her stories even more believability.
“When I found you” is another of those exceptional stories.
One day, when he goes out hunting, Nathan McCann discovers a new-born baby. It changes his life in an instant. He wants to...more
“When I found you” is another of those exceptional stories.
One day, when he goes out hunting, Nathan McCann discovers a new-born baby. It changes his life in an instant. He wants to...more
Nathan McMann is leaving for his usual hunt, when his dog gets a bit frantic. When Nathan goes to investigate, there is a newborn baby almost half buried. He races to save the baby and finds that he is keen to adopt the child if no one comes to claim it. Someone however comes to take the child - the baby's grandmother. He makes a deal with the woman - that someday she introduces him to the child. What he gets is more than that when the lady comes with a troubled teenage boy at his door one day a...more
Apr 29, 2012
JG (The Introverted Reader)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
received_for_review,
4_stars,
author_american,
nook,
own,
read_in_2012,
reviewed,
setting_us,
contemporary_fiction
Nathan is in the woods early one October morning, heading out with his faithful dog to go duck hunting. Sadie bounds away from him and starts scratching at the leaves on the forest floor. Sadie is a good dog and this is totally unlike her, so Nathan goes to check out what she's found. It's a newborn, obviously abandoned to die in the woods. Nathan realizes the infant is actually still alive and rushes him to the hospital. He feels compelled to adopt the child, but a grandmother comes forward to...more
Coming from the author of Pay it Foward , Catherine Hyde brings to us a novel about a baby boy found in the woods abandoned and barely alive by Nathan McCann on October 2nd 1960. This is an interesting setting to have this book as many are now set in Modern times and I believed prior to reading this , that abandoning the baby in ther 1960's wasn't the norm. Nathan McCann smitten with the child wishes to adopt him , only to be turned down when it is found that he has a grandmother . Nathan visits...more
This book felt like it was written in the 80s, kind of out-dated and weirdly dialogued, so when I saw that it was written in 2011, by the same author who wrote Pay It Forward, I was really surprised. It was a unique story, if there is such a thing, but it was a slow read, and I would't necessarily recommend it. It spans 40 years (1960-2000) and follows the lives of a man who finds a baby abandoned in the woods and that baby as he grows into a man himself.
This book got off to a slow start for me. However, once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. I was teary eyed by the end. As in her book, Pay It Forward, this one will leaving you asking yourself what you would have done in that situation. Or how you can be more like the older gentleman in this story. This was a free Kindle book, and I can't really complain at that price. It makes you think about life and reevaluate the important things.
I can't believe I got this book for free on Kindle, because it was wonderful. By the author of the book/movie "Pay It Forward", this is the story of Nathan McCann, who goes out hunting one morning and discovers an abandoned baby. This chance event changes not only his life forever, but also the life of the baby. At times very sad, often poignant, but in the end transcendent, too. Definitely worth the read.
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I'm the author of 18 published and forthcoming books.
My newest releases are Don’t Let Me Go, Jumpstart the World , When I Found You and Second Hand Heart. Forthcoming is and When You Were Older (Transworld UK, Spring 2012).
Newer novels are Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness.
Both Becom...more
More about Catherine Ryan Hyde...
My newest releases are Don’t Let Me Go, Jumpstart the World , When I Found You and Second Hand Heart. Forthcoming is and When You Were Older (Transworld UK, Spring 2012).
Newer novels are Becoming Chloe, Love in the Present Tense, The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance, Chasing Windmills The Day I Killed James, and Diary of a Witness.
Both Becom...more
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