The Search for Joyful

by Nancy Freedman and Benedict Freedman

Book Overview

In this long-awaited sequel to the "unforgettable" ( Boston Herald ) bestseller Mrs. Mike, Benedict and Nancy Freedman paint a portrait of the World War II era--as seen through the eyes of a young Cree woman on her own for the very first time... When her dear friend O Be Joyful died in a flu epidemic, Mrs. Mike Flanigan opened her home--and heart--to her orphaned child, Kathy Forquet. Over the years, young Kathy delighted in the Flanigans' love--and suffered the pain of her schoolmates' prejudice. But as the terrors of World War II drew closer to home, Kathy decided to leave her familiar home and do her part by going to a nursing school in Montreal. There her life fills with drama and excitement as she meets two very different men--a Native American who helps her understand her lost heritage, and a wounded Austrian soldier who shares fascinating stories of his exotic, embattled homeland. And as she learns about herself and the world beyond her hometown, she tries to find the elusive prize she has sought for so long: the meaning of true joy... Richly detailed and emotionally powerful, The Search for Joyful is the inspiring story of a young woman's courageous search for fulfillment--and the long-awaited new novel by the authors of the beloved Mrs. Mike , praised by Library Journal as "a book the reader will be unable to put down until the last page is read."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425188337
• ISBN13: 9780425188330
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Love it.

Another great book, Just like Mrs. Mike. I’ll be keeping this book to ready again.

"Joyful" is a joy!

I'm always on the lookout for great stories, and today sometimes they are hard to find. This one is special; the first book was published 50 years ago, and the authors just wrote a sequel. I must say I like the first book ("Mrs. Mike") better, but the sequel has the same excellent qualities (good story, fascinating characters, specific details, tasteful descriptions of private or violent scenes). The first is from the point of view of an Irish girl from Boston who marries a Mountie and has to adapt to lonely life in the frozen reaches of northern Canada. The second book is from the point of view of the Indian girl who is the daughter of the white girl's best friend, Oh-Be-Joyful but who was raised by Mrs. Mike; hence the title "The Search for Joyful." I am not a Canadian Indian, but the respectful and empathetic treatment given to the details of native life and customs seems sensitive, realistic, and well researched to me. I have enjoyed both books very much and would heartily recommend them. The 2-in-1 edition is a good size and easy to handle and read as well a good buy.

More of an old favorite

While this book was not quite as good as the original one, it was a long-awaited treasure.

I loved this Novel it's not Mrs. Mike It's the following era!

I thought the authors did a wonderful job of moving forward in a difficult story line and family line. A time table that I think catches so many Mrs. Mike followers off guard. The intention was not to do another Mrs. Mike or Mrs. Mike 2 episode. As they explained they did that already eons ago. For them it was to tell the next generations story and they did that with history intact. I thought wonderful and well written and I'm sad that so many people felt let down. I for one think the writing was good. While my husband would never read the type of story Mrs. Mike was he might read and enjoy the historic times brought out in this The Search for Joyful. I was a young teen when I read Mrs. Mike and not an assignment just a library check out. I fell in love with it didn't re-read it until my 50's. A lot of the romance and pain was no longer the same for me that it was as the teen. Yet I enjoyed the book and wanted to read it again before reading this next story. Hat's off to some wonderful writers who have given us two and possibly three great novels. For my next read is going to be their Kathy.....and so to you dear people thank you for finally getting round to the continuation of story. Thank you thank you thank you. At your ages many blessings to you for doing so makes it even more precious if not a bit precocious. An expression of behavior usually spent on the youth....and in your case young at heart. Such a delight you Freedman's have been!

UNFORGETTABLE STORY!!!

I read "Mrs. Mike" about 50 yrs. ago and it became one of my very favorite books. I never forgot the story or the wonderful people I met there.>>>When I found out that the Freedmans wrote the continuation of Mrs. Mike I bought it as soon as I could.>>>This is the story of Mrs. Mike's adopted daughter, Kathy (Indian name Oh Be Joyful's Daughter.) Oh Be Joyful was Mrs. Mike's friend and maid and when she died in an influenza epidemic,Mrs. Mike and her husband Mike Flannagan opened their hearts and home to her daughter. Mike was a Royal Mounted Policeman and his and Kathy's children had also died. Besides adopting Oh Be Joyful's daughter, they also adopted twins, Connie and Georges.>>>>Oh Be Joyful's Daughter went to Montreal when World War II broke out to train as a miltary nurse. She took care of many injured and mutilated men even some who were prisoners of war.>>>>She fell in love with two men: one was an Indian by the name of Crazy Dancer and one was an Austrian prison of war named Erich.>>>Even though she was Indian, Oh Be Joyful's Daughter only knew the world of the white man, having grown up in a white family. Growning up she experienced many prejudices because of her race. Crazy Dancer opened her eyes to her heritage and Erich taught her about his beautiful picturesque country of Austria.>>>>After her training is complete, she is sent to Italy to nurse the men at the battle front where she experiences many horrors of the war. When the war is over she returns to Montreal to resume her life.>>>>>Who will she choose to be her husband?>>This is a book very well worth reading. When I finished the last page, I was alreading missing the wonderful people I met in this story.