For our December read, Ariel and I picked up The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick. We could not get into Wanderers and after reading so much dystopia this year, decided to pick up a light read. This one was the perfect book to breeze through. Ariel’s comments are in bold. Let’s take a look at the synopsis and then we will dive into our discussion.
Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people–though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she’s invisible.
All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend–her grandmother Zelda–who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda’s past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.
Filled with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and vivid characters, The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming and poignant tale of how one woman must take control of her destiny to write her own happy ending.
Content Notes: Emotional abuse, misogyny, sexism, suicidal thoughts/attempt, terminal illness, toxic relationships, grief, and mention of infidelity
The Library of Lost and Found
Whole book Discussion
We read a lot of dystopia together over the months so this time, we decided to pick up a cozy fiction, one where we could follow along the story and enjoy it with a cup of tea! The Library of Lost and Found was a great pick! It was a fast-paced story with characters that were easy to connect with. It reminded me The Bookish Life of Nina Hill which I read a couple months back. What drew you into this book, Ariel?
When you recommended it after our slew of minorly disappointing buddy reads, I thought it would be a great idea to try something a little outside our normal box! With the holiday season coming up, it felt right to have what looked like a cozy read, and we often found ourselves curled up with our cats and a warm cup of coffee as we read this in hour-long sprints together.
We meet Martha, a woman in her forties who works at a library. She spends her free time helping out people with all sorts of things like laundry, art, storage, but when a book of fairy tales is delivered to her, she gets a chance to reconnect with someone she had thought long dead. It was really nice to see a grandmother – granddaughter relationship portrayed well. I had a very strong connection with my paternal grandmother and it felt good to see a glimpse of it here.
This book has a lot of family drama, and how family secrets pile up over the years. What feels like a small lie at the beginning turns into a life-shattering revelation at the end. How our connections with our family shift and change over the years is also highlighted.
Writing wise, I found the book easy to read. However, it seemed stretched sometimes because there were so many characters who would dodge answering Martha’s questions by making some excuse. While a lot of things happened, this constant denial to answer her questions or listen to her concerns was annoying at times. What did you think of the characters in this book?
I completely agree. The writer’s strategy of not revealing a plot point simply because characters won’t share happens over and over again and it doesn’t seem very believable after the second or third time. However, the characters were fairly average. The one with the most depth was Martha and Zelda and sometimes Betty. I felt like all the other side characters fell a little flat at times.
I agree. Though Zelda did not have her own POV in the book, through Martha and Betty’s perspectives, we were able to build a good picture of her and what she is like. I did not agree with some of the decisions that she made, some to spite Thomas, Betty’s husband. The other characters have had very specific quirks – Suki always misused words, Owen would always talk about tea and cake, Harry was also all about the cake, Lilian was super self-centered though she evolved a bit towards the end.
Concluding thoughts
The Library of Lost and Found was a quick read that we finished in about a week’s time. I felt for Martha and the tough position that she had been put in and am happy with how the ending turned out.
Yes! This was a lovely cozy read that transported us to a rainy English oceanside village, and it was the perfect read to enjoy with a warm beverage.
With the end of this book, we head off to our last buddy read of this year – The Whisper Man.
Interested in reading The Library of Lost and Found and adding to our discussion? Find it on all retail stores. Here are the Amazon links for your convenience. I would recommend finding it at your local library and supporting them!
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Cover Image: Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
I almost feel bound to like a book with ‘library’ in the title!
Haha I feel the same! 😀
I agree with Chris (above), especially now that I’ve started my new job as CEO of Public Libraries Victoria!
Excited to get into that one and congratulations on the new job! 😀