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fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Book of Lost Friends features a dual narrative. The first narrative is in 1875 and follows Hannie Gossett, a young Louisiana sharecropper roped into resolving an inheritance dispute involving her former master's legitimate daughter and illegitimate Creole daughter. The three young women are pulled onto a dangerous trek that is nineteenth century Texas. This trip may also lead Hannie to some of her lost family, sold on a trip to hide in Texas from the Civil War when she was young. The second narrative is in 1975, and Bennedetta "Benny" Silva is a new English teacher at a small town in Louisiana, where most of her teenage pupils struggle with poverty and the school considers it a job well done if the kids stay in the classroom all day. The two story lines are linked by the Gossett property and the Lost Friends letters from late nineteenth century, which were used by freed slaves to find family and friends sold to different plantations. In between the chapters are images of real Lost Friends letters, so I'd be very surprised if most readers don't tear up at some point.
Both these stories are strong on their own, but I'm not sure if these are as strong together. I also haven't read a lot of dual narrative novels, so this could be normal. At the end of each chapter, the story switches between Hannie and Benny. In addition, like many authors, Lisa Wingate ends her chapters on a cliffhanger. So the story goes where you spend time with Hannie and the others, then hit a cliffhanger, then read about Benny and her students, then hit a cliffhanger, then back to Hannie and so on. Sometimes you read the chapter between to get back to the previous chapter's cliffhanger, and you get a brief summary of how the character got out of the situation. Another problem is that the stakes of the two story lines are very different. Benny's financial woes, romantic life, and attempts to motivate her students seem like relatively small potatoes compared to the physical peril that Hannie, Juneau Jane, and Lavinia have to navigate in their chapters. I don't dread Benny's chapters, but it feels like an anti-climax to go from Hannie being thrown overboard to Benny trying to get classroom books.
The characters are either excellent (Hannie, Juneau Jane, Benny) or underwhelming (pretty much any antagonist).Also, Moses/Elam feels more like a plot device than an actual character. While he doesn't save the climax, so I wouldn't say it's a deus ex machina, but behind the scenes he gets Juneau Jane and Lavinia back to Hannie. This is after unwittingly reuniting them when he threw Hannie overboard. While talking characters, the revelation that Lavinia was pregnant (by rape) toward the end didn't seem to serve much of a purpose story wise. I think it can be cut with little change.
Both these stories are strong on their own, but I'm not sure if these are as strong together. I also haven't read a lot of dual narrative novels, so this could be normal. At the end of each chapter, the story switches between Hannie and Benny. In addition, like many authors, Lisa Wingate ends her chapters on a cliffhanger. So the story goes where you spend time with Hannie and the others, then hit a cliffhanger, then read about Benny and her students, then hit a cliffhanger, then back to Hannie and so on. Sometimes you read the chapter between to get back to the previous chapter's cliffhanger, and you get a brief summary of how the character got out of the situation. Another problem is that the stakes of the two story lines are very different. Benny's financial woes, romantic life, and attempts to motivate her students seem like relatively small potatoes compared to the physical peril that Hannie, Juneau Jane, and Lavinia have to navigate in their chapters. I don't dread Benny's chapters, but it feels like an anti-climax to go from Hannie being thrown overboard to Benny trying to get classroom books.
The characters are either excellent (Hannie, Juneau Jane, Benny) or underwhelming (pretty much any antagonist).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Murder, Slavery, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship
tammitammo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Very interesting historically, and clearly well researched. At times the plot felt a little unbelievable, and (no spoilers but) a twist toward the end felt very left-field and confusing, honestly. Still, glad I stuck with it and it had some very interesting moments
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Racism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Pregnancy
aasplund's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Racism
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