Book Review | THE LIBRARY OF LOST AND FOUND by Phaedra Patrick

March 26, 2019; Park Row

A librarian’s discovery of a mysterious book 

sparks the journey of a lifetime 

in the delightful new novel 

from the internationally bestselling author of 

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.

-Goodreads

I’ve read both previous books by Phaedra Patrick, THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER and RISE AND SHINE, BENEDICT STONE. As I’ve said before, Ms. Patrick has a gift for creating the most charming character. Martha Storm, our main character here, is no exception. Reading Martha, it felt like no one can hate her. There are times I wanted to shake her silly; others, I just want to give her a good hug. She’s an absolute gem – selfless, unassuming and endearing. (Honestly, Ms. Patrick, how do you come up with these characters? We should have a good chat about it.)

THE LIBRARY OF LOST AND FOUND is a familial story, one that can happen to anybody. The most interesting is how fairytales are employed to give weight to the unfolding of fresh truths. Each reflecting a bottled emotion – absolutely challenging and tugging. The naive language and structure of fairytales actually help deliver a moral lesson, meanwhile, reshaping allows new authors to provoke the mind and instinct, like, examine our position on gender roles, color, or social relations. This story is about three generations of women and how their choices have fermented such consequences for their family, and yet, I find it really difficult to blame them.

It’s very rare that I reread a book straight away after, but I really felt that I must with this one. I enjoyed every minute of this book. It is simple and sincere. Please, do put THE LIBRARY OF LOST AND FOUND on your TBR. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Book details:

Title: The Library of Lost and Found

Author: Phaedra Patrick

Publication: March 26, 2019; Park Row

Genre: Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★

*Thanks to Edelweiss and Park Row for the DRC in exchange for this unbiased review.