Reviews

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

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jdecewicz's review against another edition

5.0

“On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found.”

The first book of the year & anything else will be hard to compare to. I loved it. I am typically not one for historical fiction, but it kept me intrigued through the entire storyline.
It has some fantasy & magical realism elements as well.

I listened to it on aubiobook & also read the physical copy. There were times when I was laughing, cheering and crying for the characters. I was just as engaged reading as I was listening.

It is a dual timeline with three POV’s. Present day follows Henry & Martha, in Dublin, who’ve been living their lives according to everyone else. Henry is on the search for a lost manuscript & a bookshop that seems to no longer exist, but he bumps into Martha instead. Martha has escaped an abusive marriage & found refuge with Madame Bowden. She takes Martha in & employs her. The other timeline follows Opaline in the 1920s who escapes her abusive brother, Lyndon, who was trying to marry her off for money. Opaline has a deep love for books which was passed on from her late father. Opaline escapes her brother & ends up in Paris where she becomes a book dealer. The 3 main characters are intertwined in unexpected and beautiful ways.

The book touches on many issues that are relevant to today and does so in a relatable manner. Henry’s conversation with his father was something I needed to hear at that exact time.

There were only a couple things I was hoping to be different. Some loose ends that I thought should be tied, but my overall enjoyment of the book surpassed those minor details.

Favorite quote: “He always said that books were more than words on paper; they were portals to other places, other lives.”

redheadtreefrog's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mama_b88's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

blackcrow17's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

libby_sarah's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such a quick read! Which was quite refreshing after my last book.

Really enjoyed this. It was easy to follow and it was a cute story.

I liked the time jumps between modern day and 1920s+ of Opaline. I liked the setting of Dublin with Martha and Henry. I wouldn’t have minded more time in Paris with Opaline. The characters were good, sometimes a bit one more but I enjoyed their stories.

I loved the whole magical bookshop element, so much fun. It was like its own character and I loved it.

Unfortunately, the book did go a bit too far, especially during the ending. The coincidences were too easy and some of the magic events became a bit silly.

But overall, this was a fun, easy book and I enjoyed going on it magical journey.