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secondhandbookshelves's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful and heartbreaking and so wonderfully told.
I loved that it was two books inside another - what a clever way to bring the background out while also bringing the plot forward.
This story is part mystery, part tragedy, part romance.
It is set in the 1980s, although the books within the books are from just before World War II (pearl harbor happens near the end of one of those stories)
There are some heavy topics touched on, since the characters were living during them.
I highlighted so many snippets of this book and definitely will be seeking out more from this author.
I loved that it was two books inside another - what a clever way to bring the background out while also bringing the plot forward.
This story is part mystery, part tragedy, part romance.
It is set in the 1980s, although the books within the books are from just before World War II (pearl harbor happens near the end of one of those stories)
There are some heavy topics touched on, since the characters were living during them.
I highlighted so many snippets of this book and definitely will be seeking out more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Antisemitism, and Grief
Minor: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, War, Child death, and Death of parent
sizzlesteaks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Toxic relationship
Minor: Terminal illness and War
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: March 9th 2023
"Without a reader, a book was a blank slate, an object with no breath or pulse of its own."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I always love a story with a bookish angle, so of course I was intrigued as soon as I saw The Echo Of Old Books first mentioned. Then I read the blurb, and I knew I HAD to add it to my shelves. Between the main character being able to feel echoes of the previous owners when touching books, the bound volumes and the mystery around the identity of their authors, the premise has so much potential, and I've been looking forward to read it. And it turned out to be an excellent read!
If you enjoy a bookish angle in your stories, you are in for a treat here. Not only is part of the story set in a book store, but the main character is also a rare-book dealer who restores books and has a special bookish talent. On top of this, we have the two mystery bound volumes, and I do love a good historical mystery to mix things up. This is not all though... Because The Echo Of Old Books uses a very unusual plot structure. Not only do we have Ashlyn and Marian's POVs, but the plot actually includes the full stories of both bound volumes as well. Yes, you read that right: you get three books for the price of one here! Being able to read the volumes yourself and in time with the developments in the present timeline really took this story to the next level for me.
The Echo Of Old Books uses a dual (triple?) time structure, where we switch between the 'present' in New Hampshire/Massachusetts (1984), 1954 Massachusetts/London where the bound volumes are first created and the content of the volumes themselves set in 1941 New York. This means a lot of different settings, timelines and characters, but somehow it's quite easy to keep them apart. The main focus is on the 1984 timeline and the 1941 flashbacks though, and I felt that both complemented each other beautifully. I do have to say that the bound volume chapters did read a bit slow in the beginning, but this was only until things got more interesting. The present timeline took a little while speeding up as well, but as soon as you learn more about the mystery around the volumes you will find yourself hooked.
As for the characters... I do have mixed thoughts about them in general. Ashlyn can get a bit frustrating, but I love her special talent and the fact that she doesn't give up searching for the authors of the volumes. Belle and Hemi... Well, I do always hate stories with an active cheating element, and some of their actions were quite irritating, but somehow the actual cheating didn't bother me as much this time around. Probably because there never seemed to be a real connection between Teddy and Belle in the first place, and the marriage was arranged. What did bother me was that so many of their suffering could have been prevented if only one of the two had reached out to the other.
The writing itself was quite engaging despite the slow start, and I enjoyed the literary mystery, the descriptions of 1941 New York and the political climate back then as well as class differences. I did see part of the twist in the present coming (it was quite obvious to be honest), but as a whole I liked how everything was wrapped up in the end. The Echo Of Old Books is a great mix of bookish contemporary, historical fiction and forbidden love, all wrapped up with some mystery to give the story extra flavor. I can definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Classism, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Death, Suicide, and Murder
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