A review by kbaj
The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan

3.0

Coincidences abound! That's not a good start to base your plot on. Honestly, the amount of blatant "How lucky is that?" in this book is enough to make my eyes roll. And there's not even some grand narrative that explains why everything just lines up perfectly- literally just because the plot needs it to move along. Also, I recognize that most of the characters are literature lovers, but that doesn't mean they have to talk like Mr. Collins. Why on earth are they rhapsodizing about the "blue sky [appearing] like an impostor that dazzles us with its violent and inappropriate contrasts that halo the South" (88) and the "ray of sun [piercing] the heart of the clouds" (71)? These are supposed to be letters sent between old friends, not nineteenth-century poetry. And every character has the same voice. They ALL talk like each other! If it weren't for the letter headers, I would have no idea who was speaking. Please let your characters talk like real people.

But the story was okay, and it was interesting to see how different people's lives connected to the manuscript in question. I suppose that a book can change people's lives, and connect people all over the world. It's a worthy message, if a tad bland.