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madisonlawson 's review for:
The Book of Lost Friends
by Lisa Wingate
I do love how Wingate writes her novels, basing them on true, historical facts and making them accessible, filled with emotions, and something you can't ignore. She forces us to look in our country's mirror, to see history as it is. She is a master at bringing humanity and honesty to history and facts, making her books important as well as entertaining. I loved the layout of this novel, with legitimate old ads from the Lost Friends newspaper columns.
I did like many of the characters in this novel, such as Benny and her students and Juneau Jane. They are interesting and believable.
Having said all of that, I was a little disappointed with this novel. I think I was expecting more because of how much I adored Before We Were Yours. I may have liked this one more if I read it first, but having known and loved BWWY, this one felt like a bit of a letdown.
The pacing was not great and there were large chunks I had to trudge through, struggling to stay connected. It felt really slow, with far too many unimportant details and scenes that added nothing to the book. I even found myself skimming some of Hannie's chapters, caring very little about what happened to the three of them.
I think the biggest problem is I wasn't connected to the story like I felt I should be for a Wingate novel. There were some good moments but on the whole, I felt like I was reading this for a school project. The writing, though good because Wingate is a terrific author, still felt disjointed, like Wingate wasn't quite done crafting it. It felt like this book needed another round of edits and a bit more heart.
There needed to be more emotion, more raw honesty in the storylines. And while I preferred Benny's sections, there wasn't enough tension. There were no stakes for her and very little/low goals.
Benny's backstory was built up to be this big reveal that might change the meaning or her motivations throughout the book but it ended up being a bit of a letdown. I actually thought we wouldn't even find out her secret she'd been alluding to. Then it was just a paragraph that felt tacked onto the ending.
Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this book. BUT I notice I am in the minority, which I am totally fine with. I WANT people to love this book and to read Wingate's novels. They feel far too important to ignore. But if you haven't read Before We Were Yours, choose that one instead.
I did like many of the characters in this novel, such as Benny and her students and Juneau Jane. They are interesting and believable.
Having said all of that, I was a little disappointed with this novel. I think I was expecting more because of how much I adored Before We Were Yours. I may have liked this one more if I read it first, but having known and loved BWWY, this one felt like a bit of a letdown.
The pacing was not great and there were large chunks I had to trudge through, struggling to stay connected. It felt really slow, with far too many unimportant details and scenes that added nothing to the book. I even found myself skimming some of Hannie's chapters, caring very little about what happened to the three of them.
I think the biggest problem is I wasn't connected to the story like I felt I should be for a Wingate novel. There were some good moments but on the whole, I felt like I was reading this for a school project. The writing, though good because Wingate is a terrific author, still felt disjointed, like Wingate wasn't quite done crafting it. It felt like this book needed another round of edits and a bit more heart.
There needed to be more emotion, more raw honesty in the storylines. And while I preferred Benny's sections, there wasn't enough tension. There were no stakes for her and very little/low goals.
Benny's backstory was built up to be this big reveal that might change the meaning or her motivations throughout the book but it ended up being a bit of a letdown. I actually thought we wouldn't even find out her secret she'd been alluding to. Then it was just a paragraph that felt tacked onto the ending.
Sadly, I wouldn't recommend this book. BUT I notice I am in the minority, which I am totally fine with. I WANT people to love this book and to read Wingate's novels. They feel far too important to ignore. But if you haven't read Before We Were Yours, choose that one instead.