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A review by livrad
The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan
3.0
I was really drawn to the plot of this book: a woman staying on the Breton coast finds a manuscript in a hotel drawer with an address inside, and it turns out the author had lost it—unfinished—30 years ago in Montreal. She then vows to discover how it came to be in France and who finished writing the book.
I loved the descriptions of Finistère in the book, as it is a region close to my heart. I do wish my French was still strong enough to have read the book in its original format. There was some clunkiness to prose that made me wonder if they were issues with translation.
There are also constraints to writing an entire book in epistolary format. It lends itself to a lot of: “As you know ...” or, “I’m sure you remember....” And there’s a suspension of disbelief that you would have a whole cast of characters in the modern age to who all profess that they don’t use email, especially when it comes to mailing letters that say, “Let’s meet on Tuesday at ...”
I cared about the procession of the manuscript in the book but not the characters. The letters don’t allow for investment in what happens to them or any of their arcs, but the resolution of the mystery and following the oath of the manuscript as it transferred hands around the world was satisfying.
Final verdict: This was a sweet scenario in a very quick book. It was a pleasant read but not noteworthy.
I loved the descriptions of Finistère in the book, as it is a region close to my heart. I do wish my French was still strong enough to have read the book in its original format. There was some clunkiness to prose that made me wonder if they were issues with translation.
There are also constraints to writing an entire book in epistolary format. It lends itself to a lot of: “As you know ...” or, “I’m sure you remember....” And there’s a suspension of disbelief that you would have a whole cast of characters in the modern age to who all profess that they don’t use email, especially when it comes to mailing letters that say, “Let’s meet on Tuesday at ...”
I cared about the procession of the manuscript in the book but not the characters. The letters don’t allow for investment in what happens to them or any of their arcs, but the resolution of the mystery and following the oath of the manuscript as it transferred hands around the world was satisfying.
Final verdict: This was a sweet scenario in a very quick book. It was a pleasant read but not noteworthy.