The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

[gilda_elise]

The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Though the main characters are described in such a way that one could imagine that they are similar, I didn’t find them to be. While Opaline has lived a sheltered life, she takes on whatever comes her way. And there’s a lot that does, yet she never seems to give up, though, I have to admit, there were times when I felt she was pretty cavalier about her own safety. Henry has his problems, but he’s basically a good, decent guy who tries to do the right thing.

Martha, on the other hand, is a hot mess. Every time she’s met with adversity, her first response is to back away and hide. To give up, even when the situation isn’t really that bad. So while I could feel empathy for Opaline and Henry, what I mostly felt for Martha was irritation.

And I wasn’t really clear about the magic. Does no one else notice that a building comes and goes? And who was Madame Bowden? I wonder if the book could have been written without the magic, just as a historical romance.

There’s quite a bit that is never explained. But once we find out about Martha’s grandmother, it’s pretty obvious where the story is going. I really wanted to like this book because I had a couple of people recommend it. But the most I can say is that it’s an okay book, but not a really good one.






Mount TBR 2024 Book Links


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