You know how you start to read a book and you think… It’s got potential but I don’t know if I can get into it? A book with two timelines that tends to drive you nuts with the bouncing around and then you discover something odd…. and suddenly you are hooked and totally invested? Well, that happened with me with The Lost Bookshop. Let me tell you more.
The Basic Details for The Lost Bookshop
Title: The Lost Bookshop
Author: Evie Woods
Publisher: One More Chapter
Pages: 448
Intended Audience: adult
Genre: magical realism, Contemporary romance, history, women’s domestic life, fantasy,
Available formats: paperback, kindle, audio
Evie Woods is Irish and loves to draw the unexpected and somewhat magical into her works. She tells a good story between the everyday and the magical. Weaving together worlds into something new that is very believable.
In The Lost Bookshop we catch Henry searching for a bookshop that can’t be found. He’s caught references to it, but can’t really track it down. And in his same timeline we find Martha. A lady running away from a domestic situation that isn’t safe, finding herself working as a maid for a most unexpected lady. As Martha gets caught up in Henry’s search we learn the story of Opaline and her bookshop.
Looking Deeper
I’m not going to say this is always the easiest book to read, and I’m not a fan of reading two different timelines and trying to sort things out. BUT those divergent timelines worked really well together and caused their own little surprises in the end.
Domestic abuse and generally just the poor treatment of women is a fact in both timelines. I was horrified at the treatment of Opaline at the hands of her brother and the “institution” she was placed in. How could people be like that? Institutionalized cruelty has always dumbfounded me.
I LOVED Opaline’s resilience though, and I love how Martha took, learned and survived. This is very much a story of survival for both women. The touch of magic/fantasy throughout was an added bonus. You were left wondering, just might this bookshop pull out next? What book or words of encouragement does Martha need? What is the story that Martha is having penned? The mysterious help she received from the lady of the house left me with a certain amount of wonder and lots of curiousity. I never did get that fully assuaged.
When all the pieces finally fit together you are left with a great sense of satisfaction. I was so pleased by the end of this story, it’s made me go out and hunt down other works by this author.
I’m half way through The Story Collector, and want to read to read about the mysterious bakery on rue du Paris. Doesn’t that sound intriguing? I think Evie Woods has gained a new fan! 🙂 Go out and read The Lost Bookshop today!!!
Ooh I’ve heard about this one!!!! Make me wan to read it more now 🙂
Fun to find your blog! I was homeschooled/unschooled growing up 🙂
i hope you enjoy it!