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mcmbennett 's review for:
The Book of Lost Friends
by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate has knocked it out of the box again with her latest historical fiction book. I love that the idea for this story came to her from a fan email where the fan told her she needed to write something about these letters the former slaves had written trying to locate family that had been sold to other owners. The story is told in two time periods 1875 and 1987, and the two storylines are beautifully woven together. Lisa Wingate has an amazing writing ability and so eloquently captures the story, setting, and characters. There were many times I would marvel at how she expressed something. Both stories are captivating, and the characters are well-drawn. I also loved that these women with hardships were such strong women in the face of difficulty, and I loved how the modern day teacher persisted to find a way to connect with her students. It's a testament to the importance of good teachers and what they can do to help their students. It is also a very timely book with the examination of race in our society today. In our book group we did discuss whether a white person can legitimately tell the story of a black person, and we felt that it was acceptable for this one. Lisa did a tremendous amount of research and drew on the letters and original voices from the people she researched. I listened to the audiobook version of this book which was excellently narrated and really brought the book to life. I highly recommend this one for historical fiction fans.