This was a nice read, I enjoyed it and thought it was a really sweet story.

It’s told from the point of view of Walter Lavender Jr, who is referred to as 13 at one point, but seems much younger in the way that he describes some things about his school and home life. I would have guessed his age around 10.

The descriptions of the Lavender bakery make it seem like a truly enchanted place and I would love to visit there to see all of the enchanted baked goods. And to sample a few as well! I enjoyed the descriptions of the bakery items and Walter’s daily rolling of the croissants.

But more important than the bakery, are the people that Walter meets along the way while he is searching for the missing book. Each person that he meets provides him with an important lesson and a piece of what he is missing. They are also not bothered by his speech issues and let him talk as he is able. But he affects their lives as well, providing something that each of them need in their lives as well.

I think the most important friend Walter meets along the way is Ruby. As opposed to the other friends, who are all adults, Ruby is a peer, someone his own age who accepts him as he is, but still encourages him to take chances and push past his comfort zone.

The book is not all happy, there are some sad parts along the way, but it is magical and full of delight.

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amy Grant once said she is one who holds loosely to things. This is something I too feel about material things but with relationships I am very much like Walter and change in them can throw me. I read this story during the current Pandemic and the theme of loneliness & the insular world we all currently live in is one a huge majority of us can relate to. It’s a wonderful book to pick up to remind us of the beauty which lies just outside our door.

A tug-at-your-heartstrings book that will stick with you long after you've finished. Well-written and beautifully crafted with characters that will embed themselves into your heart.

I wanted to like this book more. I was expecting a lot when it was compared to A Man Called Ove and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Both of those books are amazing reads. This was similar in ways but not complete capturing the magic that those did, at least not for me.

I don’t read much young adult books, but I’m glad I took time to pick this title up. First, because I love the book cover - it’s a lovely composition between fonts, colors, and image; plus, the blurb intrigued me. “The Luster of Lost Things” is a journey of Walter Lavender Jr, a young man with motor speech disorder who lived with his mother who ran an enchanted deserts shop.

Having difficulties speaking out his mind, Walter mostly “talked” inside his head. The story is told from this 12 year-old’s POV in first person, allowing readers insight into his mind; his craving for the father he never saw but left behind the imprint of his voice and stories through his mother.

Set in contemporary New York, the book had Walter dashed from place to place in the company of Milton, his loyal golden retriever. The magical element of the story - from Walter’s ability to communicate with Milton to the deserts shop’s customers’ taking animated deserts for granted - was rather nice, just like the back story of how the magical book that activated the enchantment of the shop. The real adventure began once the book was missing from the shop. And there started the niggle I have with the story...

On the one hand, the missing book had Walter on a journey that would shift his view of himself, his wish and what future would bring. That on itself was an enjoyable ride. However, the practical side of me questioned the logistic of 12 year-old with speaking disorder traipsing all over the city - above and below ground, I should say - bringing next to no food though seemed to have enough cash to go wherever via whatever transport he chose (train I get, but cab?? Isn’t that quite costly?). I mean, Walter wasn’t exactly described as coming from well-off family. At least that I gathered from the story.

All in all “The Luster of Lost Things” was an entertaining adventure to read, though I felt lacking in satisfying conclusion on some matters (the culprit who “stole” the book should’ve been punished, at least) and due to single first person’s POV, no window into other characters’ insights. But I’m game to try on another of Ms. Keller’s stories.

Copy of this book is kindly given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Luster of Lost Things. This is definitely a "must-read" book. The story pulled at my heart strings from the very beginning to the very end. Walter, a twelve year boy with a motor speech disorder and his overweight golden retriever, Milton make the story memorable, and totally unique from my prior reads. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Walter Lavender Jr has a talent for finding things. When he sees posters of lost items, he helps the owners track down the items that are special to them. In his heart, the thing he wishes to find the most is his long lost father. Unfortunately, it is also the only thing that he has failed to find.

Walter's mother owns a magical dessert shop and it keeps them afloat both financially and spiritually. When the book that is the key to the magic disappears, Walter goes on a journey to find the book and save their future.

The idea for this story is a good one, but the execution just didn't work for me. I found Walter's journey to be rather plodding. Some of the characters that he met along the way were interesting (like the man with the glider and the girl with the OCD brother) but other characters were just plain dull. I skimmed large parts of the middle of the book because it was just too verbose to get the point across. The magic was cute, but fleeting as the journey took up most of the book. The cover art is lovely and probably my favorite thing about the book. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.

I received this book through netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and to Sophie Chen Keller for this opportunity.

Walter Lavender Jr. was born five months after his father, co-pilot of a flight to Bombay disappears. The plane is never found, so it is assumed the occupants are dead.
Lucy, Walter's mother, has dreamed of opening a bakery and tries to make a go of things, but sales are not going well until one night, during a storm, Lucy invites a homeless artist in to get warm. In exchange, the woman leaves a special book in the bakery. Suddenly not only is the bakery thriving, but the baked goods seem to be quite lively.
Walter, who has trouble speaking, has grown up hoping his father would someday return or send a sign. When someone steals the book from the shop, Walter skips school to search for it, meeting all sorts of people along the way, and learning about himself in the process.
A beautifully descriptive book!

A charming tale. It was well written and had wonderful characters.

I honestly could tell by the writing of the first 2 chapters that it wouldn't be a good fit for our box and had to put it down. I may read it again in the future!

My Review:



What I Liked:


Characters. It is hard to talk about all of the characters because Keller created so many that Walter interacts with. However, all of the characters that she made were unique and propelled the story. I would have liked to see more of Walter's mother, maybe her point of view because the story stays with Walter and we do not see her for almost half of the novel.


Magical Realism. Keller did a great job of weaving together the magical elements with the contemporary setting. They went together really well and the bakery with mice confectioneries seemed like it could actually happen.


Writing. This is my first novel by Keller (and I believe it is her debut one) and I adored her writing style. She has a very lyrical style that I connect with. I will be checking out her future novels, mainly based on her writing.


Atmosphere. My favorite element/setting was Lucy's bakery, it was a magical setting that I loved reading about. I would love to see more done with the magical bakery because I felt like it was not in the novel enough.


What I Disliked:


Structure. I enjoyed the magical realism, the settings, and the characters I did struggle with the plot. It was no bad but I felt like it slowed down about midway and dragged until the end.


Length. While I enjoyed the tale I felt that the main conflict/plot went on longer than it needed to. I was struggling to keep going during the last fifty pages.


My Rating:


4 Stars Out of 5 Stars.

This was a very cute book! I especially enjoyed the style. Walter Lavender Jr. is a sweet boy who has a hard time with some of his fine motor skills. But he is incredibly bright and he shares his joy with everyone around him. I thought he made a great main character, and I had such a wonderful time going on this journey of self-discovery with him!

But my favorite part of the book wasn't the quest for the lost pages, rather it was the vivid descriptions, especially of the bakery. A bit reminicent of the magical honeydukes or weasley's wizard wheezes, the bakery in The Luster of Lost Things is practically alive in and of itself, and as such it is a FANTASTICAL world all its own. I wanted to visit it - heck, I actually wanted to live there!

This is, overall, a heartfelt story of finding the most important things in your life, which aren't always the things you think they are.

The Luster of Lost Things took me on such a beautiful journey and I believe the novel has a very profound message.

The book has somewhat of a parable feel, but I just loved its uniqueness. You do have to give yourself over to the story and some of its fantastical components, but I believe it is well worth it. The characters were so richly and vividly written. Being written from Walter's perspective provided me with his individual viewpoint and I thought the author did a wonderful job creating this character. There were so many profound symbolic parts in the book. I would read these wonderful passages and then just sit back with the realization of how truly spot-on Walter's findings were.

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read The Luster of Lost Things. The holiday season seems like a perfect time to read this uplifting novel and I hope that my followers will add it to their reading list.

​I received this book courtesy of G.P. Putnam's and Sons in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely enduring story that will stay with me for years to come.

The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Keller has a charming beginning. A caring neighborhood. A magical book and a magical bakery. A precocious young main character. However, the book slows downs and begins to drag as Walter winds his way through the city on his search. Too many characters and too much of the same thing lead away from the charming, cozy beginning to its predictable ending.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/10/the-luster-of-lost-things.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

I loved a lot about this book. Walter who could hardly talk, but has a knack for finding lost things. His mother has a very unusual bake shop that seems to have an energy of it's own when a certain book is in the shop.

When one day the book is missing, Walter takes an imaginative, fairy tale like trip to find the book and save his mother's shop.

A book that is truly whimsical and fantasy like that I thought was good, but my eyes did glaze over several times during the search for this book. I think that had it been a little shorter, I would have enjoyed it more.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

"Walter Lavender Sr. had his story and so did Lucy and so did everyone who lost things, and they were a million points of light in my solitary darkness: these stories like stars, illuminating the silent nights."

The Luster of Lost Things was so unexpectedly beautiful.

Walter Lavender Jr. is a finder, using his gift to help people around the city who have lost important items, anything from dogs to bassoons, yet unable to use it to locate his own lost father. He spends most of his time in his mother’s sweets shop – The Lavenders – a place where desserts come to life, thanks to the magic of the Book. However, when the book is lost, he must go on a journey through New York City to find it. Along the way, he meets the lost people of the city who, like him, just want to be found and belong.

Even though The Luster of Lost Things is told through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy, a boy full of naivety and innocence, Walter Lavender Jr. is also mature and independent for his age. Though young, Walter grapples daily with the loneliness that stems from his father’s disappearance as well as his speech disorder. His one constant companion, besides his mother, is his dog, Milton.

As he journeys through the city, he meets a lot of people who are dealing with issues of solitude, homelessness, loss, and grief, each in their own way. However, when we see these situations through Walter’s eyes, suddenly these issues don’t seem quite as dire.

In these people that he meets, Walter could see pieces of himself. He could see the isolation and feel their pain, but he wanted to help them live a better life as best as he knew how, and by doing this, he helped them to realize that there is always hope and things will get better. He learned to live as his father would have done – living in the moment and helping people from being in the right place at the right time. During his journey, he learns about life and his new friends, but he also learns about himself.

Although this book is categorized as “magical realism,” with a very ethereal quality to the writing, the “magic” didn’t seem totally far-fetched. If you want you can treat it like a metaphor for whatever you want it to be: that’s the beauty of this book. Ultimately, it is a story about not taking the little things for granted and, even if you feel lost and alone, it is important to remember there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Within the shop is without a doubt where my world begins, but I let so many things keep me there – my longing for warmth and connection, my desire for certainty, my fear. It cannot be my whole world anymore, and perhaps that was the true lesson Walter Lavender Sr. knew I needed to learn: out there might be dark places to be afraid of and lonely islands to escape from and terrifying heights to fall down, but what also awaits are more places to see and people to know and friends to make and experiences to share, and what could be more worth the pain than to open up and let yourself be a part of a sweeping story?"

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP (G.P. Putnam's Sons) for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written magical realism. I think it took reading this title to finally realize that magical realism isn't my favorite genre.

Honestly, I just lost track of this one. It sounds like a lovely book, and I probably would've liked it, but time, she flies.

I really enjoyed the Luster of Lost Things. It was a sweet read, and I loved Walter's development as he grew in confidence and found his family's book. It read as a kind of modern fairytale to me because Walter met so many interesting people during his quest and also gained so much wisdom in such a short time. Witty, sweet, and enjoyable.