The Lost Bookshop - Evie Woods - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Evie Gaughan writing as 'Evie Woods'

NARRATORS: Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace, and Nick Biadon.

GENRE: Historical Fiction plus Magical Realism.

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A story spanning multiple genres, timelines and themes. Has plenty of interesting elements but also a few loopholes. Will work better if you read it with your heart than with your head.

Story Synopsis:

Present-day Dublin. Martha has escaped an abusive marriage and is trying to stand on her own feet by working as a housekeeper to the eccentric ex-actress, Madame Bowden.

Henry is a Ph.D. student who is obsessed with an old manuscript, and is ready to do anything to locate it.

Connecting the two, unknown to them, is a missing bookshop, which should have been next door to Madame Bowden’s house, but isn’t! But as Henry and Martha learn more about the bookshop, the bookshop also seems to want to be found by them.

The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Martha, Henry, and Opaline – whose timeline beginning in 1921 England offers us some background to the events in the contemporary timeline.

Bookish Yays:

💖 My favourite part was the magical realism, which is strongest in the contemporary timeline. The fantastical elements are connected not just to the lost library but also to Martha, who seems to have a special ability (the reason for which is not specified.) This is not to say that the magical realism was flawless. There were quite a few logical loopholes, and I had to keep reminding myself that fantasy-based genres are allowed to have some flexibility in sealing off all ends. Regardless, it was exciting to read, though readers looking for explanations might end up disappointed.

💖 What both the timelines handled excellently was their bookish elements. I loved the random sprinkling of tidbits related to authors, books and book collectors. There were even a few lovely quotes connected to reading, and even a special role by the iconic Sylvia Beach. Every bibliophile will definitely love these trivia.

💖 I liked all the contemporary main characters. Martha, Henry, and Madame Bowden have their own issues and whims, but they are still easy to like. Their character detailing helps us understand their behaviour well, and their interactions are realistic and heartwarming. Oh, to have a friend like Madame Bowden!

💖 The story is written in three first person perspectives, and each voice is written distinctly – a tough task. Opaline is the typical Brit upper class, looking down her nose at people below her station though she doesn't even realise it, and realising that she isn’t as free as she had assumed. Henry is humorous, using his jokes to hide his vulnerable emotional side. Martha is under-confident yet defiant at the same time. She isn't the typical victim but has her own secrets. The povs of each reflect their personalities properly.

Bookish Nays:

💔 I was most disappointed to see romance playing such a dominant role in Opaline’s arc. As she was a rebel who lived life on her own terms, her arc would have worked so much better had it focussed only on her bibliophilic passions than on her romantic passions.

💔 I love historical fiction, and I also love magical realism. But I felt like I was reading two distinct stories that didn’t come together convincingly, though each story had its own charm.

💔 There are far too many social themes and issues incorporated within both the timelines. Some were good, some went overboard and felt forced in. The contemporary timeline performed far better in this regard.

💔 The historical timeline begins in 1921 but doesn’t give many clues about the chronological progress. For instance, when it suddenly spoke about the war in the second half, it took me a while to realise that the characters were now in the WWII era.

💔 The ending is very rushed, finishing off the extensive build-up within a single chapter. Though there’s an epilogue as well, I found the ending disappointing in terms of its hasty resolution.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at 12 hours, is narrated by Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace, and Nick Biadon. I am pretty sure that at least a part of my enjoyment of this title was credit to the mostly outstanding narration. Nick Biadon was exceptional as Henry, voicing his self-deprecating humour and his uncertainties with an undeniable charm. The other two narrators, voicing Opaline and Martha, also suited their characters perfectly, with Martha’s narrator doing an especially great job of making her sound vulnerable. Opaline’s narrator was very good, though not as good as the other two. Her male-character voices were not convincing, but she handled the rest well.

All in all, I did like a lot about this novel, with the book-related elements and the magical realism being my favourite parts. If only the historical timeline had satisfied me more. I realise that my Nays outnumber the Yays, but the fact also is that the Yays were a lot more powerful than the Nays.

Recommended, because if nothing else, you will surely love the bookish trivia and the magical lost library.

My thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Lost Bookshop”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.