The Lost Bookshop

“The Lost Bookshop”, is pure gold, a masterpiece that implements the here and now into the magical forces of the other world, a world beyond reality. What a glorious book! It’s a story that weaves together three extraordinary, charming and peculiar characters in Opaline, Martha and Henry, each striving to write their own stories or to simply find them. Either way, this book is hypnotic in its prose, it takes fictional writing to a whole new level for those who truly love books. It is an enchanting illustration in a world where books are fundamentally important, playing a pivotal role for those who choose to hold those majestic gems in their hands. When a book whispers, you listen intently to what it has to say. This book speaks volumes, it absolutely peaked my curiosity, it was definitely a page turner and it was so hard to put it down. I basically plowed through it full steam ahead, like I was under some type of hypnotic spell compelling me to read on.

Life can cause individuals to view their own lives from the sidelines, not fully engaged within the confines of what life has to offer. It goes without saying that at times we all need a Madame Bowden in our lives just to add clarification to the things we don’t yet fully comprehend, a unique wizard of sorts who has the power to unlock secrets just sitting on a shelf. This vanishing bookshop has something to offer both Martha and Henry, they just need to conjure up the confidence to read between the lines and to see what cannot be seen, the author magically intertwines Opaline’s past life with the present. It’s pure genius, a fantastical journey where something lost can eventually be found if you stay on the majestical current path.

This book adhered the conforming gender roles during Opaline’s storyline, a time when women were viewed as the weaker sex and therefore not taken seriously at all. Women had voices, but were never heard. It is noted that women writers used pseudonyms when writing back in the day, otherwise they wouldn’t get published as efficiently. Author Evie Gaughan used pseudonym Evie Woods at the author of this particular book, just to drive that point home.

This novel incorporates great classic books, manuscripts and its authors into its storyline, and I liked that Sylvia Beach and her bookshop Shakespeare & Company were included as I read and enjoyed “The Paris Bookseller”. I am compelled to mention the cover, the concept brilliantly designed. My book was on my coffee table and the lights from the television changed the colour of the leaves on the front cover, the leaves twinkled with different shades, it was magical just as its content is.

This novel will take the reader to a place of mystical magic with a dash of myth and I highly recommend it. Evie Woods lives Ireland and has created the most amazing book using her magical mind. It’s an intricately woven story with two vivid timelines that will burrow its way into your heart.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was def not the usual type of book I read and I LOVED it! The story itself was fascinating. I loved all the details in the story and the last few chapters had some shocking twists that left me speechless! I had to actually stop reading for about 15 min when one twist just totally blew me away that I never saw coming. I loved the characters! I was able to relate very well to Martha and loved her story as well as Henry’s and based on present time while Opaline’s story was just incredible too and started in 1921. The story was told in 3 POV of each of those 3 characters going from past to present until things merged together for a wonderful epilogue! Such great writing and am looking forward to here next book The Story Collector that will be released this month on 7/28. Very enjoyable magical realism…. It did take me about 5 days to read this but that is because there was so much detail and depth to this story but I could not put it down. So many emotions for me. Some were me gasping in shock, a few laughs, many heart warming moments and def some tears too. I had such anger for a few characters as well! If you have not read this, you are missing out on one amazing book! Hats off to Evie Woods on this debut novel. I will absolutely be a follower of her future books!

Evie Woods did a fantastic job on writing this novel. It’s filled with Mystery, magic, and hardships that pull you in needing to know how it ends. You are immediately invested in the characters (especially Opaline), the chapters are short which is great for night time readers like myself, and Evie doesn’t get lost in too much detail that drags out. I’m waiting on her next novel as well!

I always say that books have a way of finding me, & that our meeting is like a divine appointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the interweaving of characters and timelines, the development of the characters was great. There are some difficult topics of abuse, and mistreatment of women, however it did not deter me from continuing along & turning the pages with ease and anticipation, becoming fully engrossed in the story and it’s charm, wit, and heart. Also, the touch of magic and escapism, the adventure of it all – SO GOOD! The style of her writing, in some ways felt a bit fairytale-like. There were many lines that grabbed my attention, too many to list. Oh maybe I can share a couple 🙂
“Intimacy is only one string on the bow. The instrument still plays the music”
“Some things are meant to be flawed, therein lies the beauty”
“Be careful, Martha, you’ll become blind to your own value if you keep looking through the eyes of the bourgeoisie”
“To me, the promise of finding what I did not know I was looking for was the lure of the game”

Eine stringente Geschichte mit nicht zu viel Herzschmerz, aber gerade genug Romantik, um dem Alltag zu entfliehen und ein bisschen die Atmosphäre zu genießen.

This book is for readers who enjoy fantasy fiction coupled with some of the hard realities of life. There is romantic love in it, the search for a lost manuscript, betrayal, interesting historical and literary references, and a couple of brilliant surprises near the end. ‘All’s well that ends well,’ applies to this clever book.
I didn’t give it five stars for two reasons. One: there are two main characters, Opaline and Martha, and the chapters featuring them alternate. They live in different time periods and locations, so we switch back and forth in time, as well.
This was distracting to me at times. Secondly, it was a bit too long and ‘spun out.’
But it is a clever, whimsical read, and I’m glad that I found it. This book is, in fact, about ‘finding things.’