Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I enjoyed a peak into this period of history. I never knew that the Book of Lost Friends existed and it was very eye opening to read these stories of loved ones looking for loved ones after so many years. What a great act of service this was to so many people.
Didn't know what to expect
What a lovely book about a part of history that I didn't know much about. Easy to read on Kindle with the letters available as text.
What a lovely book about a part of history that I didn't know much about. Easy to read on Kindle with the letters available as text.
I loved this and couldn’t put it down. The intertwined stories were fascinating, and also well-balanced. Really appreciated the authors note on Lost Friend letters. Perhaps a sequel/prequel with Benny’s background?
This story is woven seamlessly together connecting two very different times. I loved the back and forth between Hannie, a newly freed slave in 1887, and Benny, a high school English teacher in 1987, and seeing their dramatic stories intersect.
I read this book for the second time with as much anticipation and excitement as I did the first time. The author does such tremendous job of telling the story with 2 voices, one from the past and one from the present (of the book, which is 1987). The technique is so clever as the reader already knows the history through the narrative of Hannie Gossett, the freed slave woman and connects the dots as Benny Silva, the English teacher in Augustine, Louisiana in 1987 discovers that particular nugget of history - the past of the plantation house in the town of Augustine, Goswood Grove. It is a wholesome story that is fulfilling and although we are introduced to extreme cruelty in the form of slavery and greed but we are mostly told the story of human resilience, support and love for each other. There was evil and there continues to be evil and wrongdoing, however, a lot of people tried their best to do good and one needs to remember that when all seems bleak.
I truly enjoyed this book and learned some new things about life in the South after the Civil War. This narrative focuses on the true fact that former slaves published letters in newspapers, seeking to find lost family and friends who'd they'd been separated from. This is a story about seeking family in a society that is built to destroy the institution of families among the enslaved. It's tied together with a story set in the 1980's, featuring descendants of both the slaves and slave/plantation owners. It's a well-researched and beautifully written fictional narrative that really made me think about our past and the echoing effects history has on us today.
This was a beautiful story, filled with many wise one-liners which made me stop and listen again artfully woven in to a compelling narrative.
Unlike other generation jumping Wingate books (Before We Were Yours) following the two clearly connected stories felt a little distracting to me. I was put out when I had to leave behind Benny and her students in the 80s for Hannie and her 1800s story line which I found harder to follow (perhaps it needed more of my attention). While both stories were good, I just didn't connect to the two of them together this time.
However, I really loved the characters and found myself invested. I didn't want to put it away, and even after the epilogue I want more. I love the classroom constitution and the unlikely way Benny connected in her school.
Also my friend made pooparoos for book club. They were good enough to nourish but not to crave, which is to say exactly perfect.
Unlike other generation jumping Wingate books (Before We Were Yours) following the two clearly connected stories felt a little distracting to me. I was put out when I had to leave behind Benny and her students in the 80s for Hannie and her 1800s story line which I found harder to follow (perhaps it needed more of my attention). While both stories were good, I just didn't connect to the two of them together this time.
However, I really loved the characters and found myself invested. I didn't want to put it away, and even after the epilogue I want more. I love the classroom constitution and the unlikely way Benny connected in her school.
Also my friend made pooparoos for book club. They were good enough to nourish but not to crave, which is to say exactly perfect.
I enjoy books that introduce me to pieces of the past I am not familiar with. The Lost Friends column is one of those pieces. It was moving to read this story.
4.5 Loved this story - two different voices, a former slave in 1875 and an English teacher in 1987. Loved all the characters and learning more about the real "Lost Friends."
A few of my favorite lines: "It's history...I'm trying to impress upon my students that everyone has a history. Just because we're not always happy with what's true doesn't mean we shouldn't know it."
"We can put a man on the moon, fly shuttles back and forth to outer space...and yet we can't traverse the boundaries in the human heart, fix what's wrong."
"Augustine has taught me that the past travels with you. It's whether you run from it or learn from it that makes all the difference."
A few of my favorite lines: "It's history...I'm trying to impress upon my students that everyone has a history. Just because we're not always happy with what's true doesn't mean we shouldn't know it."
"We can put a man on the moon, fly shuttles back and forth to outer space...and yet we can't traverse the boundaries in the human heart, fix what's wrong."
"Augustine has taught me that the past travels with you. It's whether you run from it or learn from it that makes all the difference."