The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
Source: NetGalley and Park Row
Rating: 4/5 stars

Martha Storm’s life isn’t exciting nor is it all enviable. In fact, most of the people in Martha’s life do one of two things, use her or pity her; worst of all are those who both use and pity Martha. While some of the circumstances of Martha’s life are not of her own making or choosing, she has left other circumstances get out of hand which has led her to a most unhappy and unenviable place.

As a child, Martha was keenly aware of her ultra-controlling feelings towards her and they were, at best, tolerant. Martha was also keenly aware of her mother’s absolute inability to stand up to her father, think, and/or live for herself. Finally, Martha was keenly aware that the only member of her family who truly appreciated, loved, and encouraged her was her beloved grandmother, Zelda. Unlike everyone else in her life, Zelda fosters Martha’s creativity, she supports her imagination, and encourages her general zest for life. Right up until Zelda suddenly dies, Martha is certain she will make it through her childhood and her life.

From the moment Zelda exited Martha’s life, nothing seems to go to plan. Though Martha works towards her goals, there always seems to be an impediment. For example, just as her love life appeared settled and set, Martha’s parents took a turn for the worse and her mother begged Martha to care for them . . . . 10 long years later, Martha has essentially given up on every dream and goal she ever felt dear. She has no love life, her parents are gone, her job at the library, though she loves it isn’t going anywhere, and she has a serious need to please others at her own expense.

And then, one day, a book from her childhood comes back into her life and changes absolutely everything in Martha’s life.

From the moment Martha discovers the book her life takes a path she never could have conceived of. In the process, Martha doesn’t just discover the truth of her past, but also of her present and her future. Martha begins her adventure by learning to stand up for herself, asserting herself, and slowly but surely discovering she indeed matters and what she wants and needs from her life is just as important as what everyone else wants and needs from their own lives. The discoveries Martha makes on her journey are often painful, but once she is able to see beyond the pain, she is able to see her life from an entirely new perspective and in a far more positive light.

The Bottom Line: I can’t say I loved this book, but I think, based on the Goodreads rating, I enjoyed it far more than most. In large part, I enjoyed the total transformation Martha Storm goes through; in fact, this is one of the best character evolution books I’ve read in quite some time. In the beginning, Martha is a thoroughly disagreeable character and then that book comes into her possession and the switch flips! Martha taking control of her life, overcoming her insecurities, and finding the person she had so much promise of becoming as a child is truly entertaining. The cherry on top of the character evolution had to be the change in the others around Martha following her own transformation. The moment Martha begins to respect herself the pity and the using stop and that is a beautiful thing. Though I think this book may be a bit of a rough read for some, I found it to be totally worth the time and effort especially if you are particularly interested in total character transformation.

Equal parts Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade, The Library of Lost and Found follows middle-aged spinster Martha Storm, a lonely woman who lives to help others. One day, purely by chance, she discovers a book ostensibly written by her late grandmother, the flamboyant and fun Zelda Sanderson. The only trouble is that the publication date is three years after Zelda’s death in 1982. So, completely out of character, the heretofore docile Martha sets out to unravel the mystery of Blue Skies and Stormy Seas, a book of children’s fairytales, and of what became of her grandmother. And so Martha’s own adventure begins.

To give away anything else would be to ruin this novel. Author Phaedra Patrick weaves a novel as magical as any of the stories in Blue Skies and Stormy Seas. Readers will likely find themselves devouring this poignant, uplifting book. Highly, highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from Harlequin and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. It begins with a discovery of an old book at the door of a library. Martha, our heroine, opens the book and finds there is an inscription addressed to her. She has never seen the book before in her life -- and the inscription is signed by her deceased Nana, dated three years after her death. A mystery, to be sure. There are two timelines in the narrative. One is present day and Martha's story. The other is from Martha's childhood before Nana disappeared from her life. I really liked Martha, but she was hardly ever at her library. I think she might have gone into work a handful of times in the book. There were too many characters who were half-baked. In my mind, too many threads were introduced and then left hanging. Not a favorite for me.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Middle-aged Martha Storm goes out of her way to make everyone around her happy, at the expense of pursuing her own happiness. In <u>The Library of Lost and Found</u>, she finds her assertive side and starts living for herself again. A mysterious storybook turns up at the beginning of this novel, prompting Martha to discover that her grandmother, previously thought to be many years dead, is actually still alive.

I personally found Martha's character to be very relatable -- who hasn't been in a situation where they've felt small or unable to decline a requested favor? Her journey of finding herself is interesting to watch, and I certain felt refreshed once she started standing up for herself. The novel is sprinkled with bits of her family's backstory, which explain how Martha came to be so timid. Admittedly, some parts of the backstory were a bit hard to read due to the harsh nature of her father, and at times I felt like the characterizations of her family members were a bit hard to believe.

For example, I found the juxtaposition between Zelda's character and Betty's to be a little puzzling. Given how vibrant a personality Zelda seems to have, it was hard to believe how submissive Betty (her daughter) behaved. Truthfully, I also had a hard time believing the sisterly chemistry between Martha and her sister, Lillian, which made some of Lillian's actions at the end of the book feel a bit unnatural.

Those points aside, I greatly enjoyed reading about Martha's transformation across this novel and was enchanted by the prospect of the storybook that kicks off the entire journey. I found this to be a fairly quick and easy read and would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

This was a very sweet story. Although I felt that Martha was not the most unique character, I still rooted for her and felt a small sense of pride every time she stood up for herself. The mystery within the story wasn’t overly surprising and I felt that many of the characters were just caricatures with not a lot of depth, I still found myself invested in the story. The setting was probably my favorite part of the story. It felt welcoming and familiar (even though I’ve never been there). I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a nice cozy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Library of Lost and Found.

This is a standard, formulaic story about family secrets and drama.

When librarian Martha Storm discovers an unique collection of fairy tales dedicated to her by her grandmother, Zelda, predeceasing the woman's death, her journey to investigate the origins of the book leads her to discover what caused a rift that nearly tore her family apart years ago.

Martha is hard to like; I didn't hate her but I couldn't stand her wishy-washy, doormat personality. Her constant need to be liked and perform chores for neighbors was not a selfless act; it was an act of a person who possessed no self esteem or regard for oneself.

Even that ending was trite; I neither believed in Martha's evolution of empowerment and self-discovery.

The drama that unfolds is ho-hum, nothing I haven't read or seen in novels or television shows before. In fact, I called each secret revelation before it happened.

All the characters were ingratiatingly stereotypical; the male librarian who is fond of Martha, the quirky, library patrons, her wild spirited grandmother, Zelda, her mousy mother, the colleague who eventually becomes Martha's only good friend, the mean sister.

I assumed the plot had something to do with the library and books, and though it does, the storyline was dull and nothing new, I neither rooted for Martha nor cared about her journey, and I found parts of the novel incredibly slow.

Some people might enjoy this; I did not.

When I started this book by Phaedra Patrick, I confess I had misread the blurb and with a mystery and a book of fairy tales, was expecting something more along the lines of magical realism. (Oops) While it took me a bit to right myself with the plot, I soon fell into the rhythm of this surprising sort of coming of age story. (Surprising as Martha is quite middle aged.)

Martha is a librarian who sees her own worth what she can do for others. She set aside her own life to care for her parents (despite the awful, controlling way her father treated her.) She spent her life bending to meet the will of her father, who forced her to read encyclopedias instead of stories, forbid pretty gifts from her mother and grandmother, and even after his death, still heard his voice in her ear criticizing her. While some may not get her, I see a woman damaged from emotional abuse, the same abuse her mother endured, and my heart ached for her. Patrick does a remarkable job building character, and brought Martha to life in awkward and painful full color, along with the delightfully odd Seigfried, Owen, Suki and Zelda.

Despite the tangible sadness in this book, it is a wonderful story of self discovery, of being true to oneself, of secrets and what they do to families, and ultimately, of forgiveness and acceptance. When Martha reaches a moment of realization, the pace of the book changes as she grows stronger, and I rooted for her.

This book was a delight.

Martha Storm is on a road for self-discovery. Her life has been about taking care of others, and now it is her time to find out who she is. It is never too late to love the person you are destined to be. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read a great book.

The Library of Lost and Found is full of gloriously quirky characters. The actual storyline was a bit sad but I loved Martha and needed to know she found her way. I really loved all of the references to books and found the short stories created by Martha to be insightful to her childhood. This book will always stand out in my mind because of the unique manner in which it was written.

Martha Storm is someone that always helps everyone except herself. She gave up her life 20 years ago to care for her parents and she has been caring for others since that day. She volunteers at the library, sews, cleans, washes laundry, or anything anyone asks her to do. She feels it is her job to help people.

One day a package arrives outside the library addressed to her. When she opens the package she discovers a damaged book with a missing cover. When she looks closer she sees that the book has an inscription made out to her and it was dated 1985 from her grandmother. This isn't possible because her grandmother died in 1982. Her grandmother was her best friend and biggest fan. She contacts the owner of the bookshop to find out more about the book. As she learns more about the book she also learns about herself and her past.

This is a a very sweet and heartwarming story about loving yourself and loving your family. I enjoyed this book and would love to read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for the Opportunity to read and review this book.
General Fiction (Adult)
Expected Release Date: March 26, 2019

“The library had been her Narnia, and it still was.”

Every now and then I like to lose myself in a quick Women’s Fiction novel, and the bright and happy cover page with two of my favorite things (books and coffee) initially drew me in. Of course, for any book lover (and a woman whose grandmother is their twin soul), the description was captivating, as well.

There were some drawbacks to my reading experience. I thought the dialogue was a bit juvenile and it took me a while to adjust. Many of the events of the story—and even simple interactions between characters—felt rather forced. For example, Suki’s mispronunciations of words were meant to add some humor, but I didn’t find them funny in the least. Frankly, she was one of the more annoying characters in the story. I also wasn’t sure how old Martha was supposed to be. When I started reading, I was under the impression that she was in her late twenties or mid-thirties (perhaps the dialogue’s fault), but then we find out she’s possibly in her forties? Even now, I am unsure.

I most loved the flashback scenes and exploring the relationship between Martha and Zelda. Oddly, it is a love story of sorts between granddaughter and grandmother, which was personally relatable for me.

Enjoyable for lounging around in the afternoon, fast-paced, but needs a bit more development, particularly when it comes to characters like Gina, Owen, and Siegfried. I wanted to know more about them. At times, it felt like characters were introduced and then the author either forgot about them or didn’t care enough about them to give the reader more.

At first, I wasn't sure about this book. It took me almost half the book to get interested in the main character and even to care about what was happening in her life but I did enjoy the second half of the book. It had a satisfying ending. However, I ended up skipping over the little stories throughout the book. I'm guessing they added more to the story but I just wasn't interested in reading them.

This book was just okay. I found it a little too formulaic, too predictable. I don't have any real reason to dislike it, but nothing about it really sticks out, either.

In short: There’s nothing wrong with this novel, but in a world full of short novels in the relationship fiction genre, there’s not much to make it stand out either.

Martha Storm is unable to say no when asked for a favor. She has built her identity around helping others, from small favors for her sister to working as an unpaid librarian in a “volunteer” position at her local library. One day a book is left for her outside the library, complete with a message from her beloved grandmother. The only problem with what otherwise would be a welcome gift is that the book was published in 1985, three years after her grandmother died. Despite admonitions from her sister to simply leave it alone, Martha can’t rest until she learns the truth behind the book and her family secrets. Martha’s investigation has her re-evaluating the rest of her life as well, taking more time for herself and learning to say no. Martha’s narration is broken up with chapters from Martha’s childhood, narrated by her mother, detailing the controlling and emotionally abusive relationship between Martha’s parents. Fairy tales written by Martha as a child punctuate different episodes throughout the novel.

This book was okay, but not great. Relationship fiction usually isn’t my genre, so that was already working against it as I got into the story. Martha’s passive nature and inability to say no bothered me, almost as much as the fact that almost everyone in the story was more than willing to take advantage of her. The transitions between the past and present were abrupt, and the stories that Martha wrote as a child are too polished to be believable. For me, the biggest problem with this book is that nothing about it is particularly memorable. The faults aren’t deal breakers, the successes are limited, and I never really connected with the story or characters.

I really loved this book. Martha Storm lost herself somewhere along the path of life. She was a carefree child who loved to write and dance with her grandmother. Her fathers strict rules and guidelines took over as she cared for her parents when they got older. Leaving behind a man who loved her and a life she didn't have. Her life is about to change when she receives a broken book filled with fairy tales that she created when she was a child with an inscription from her grandmother dated 3 years after she died, or at least when she was supposed to have died.

This is a story of finding yourself, of remembering how to live and be true to yourself. To remember to take care of yourself and not continually put others before yourself. It is about secrets and how they destroy families and it is about not trying to change people to fit who you want them to be. This is a beautiful story that warms the heart. Reading it is like being wrapped in a warm hug and told you can be anything you want, you just have to dream it.

You don't see many coming-of-age stories about middle-aged women, so it was surprising to stumble upon this one. I am a sucker for books about books and libraries so I chose this based on the cover and title, not having any experience with Phaedra Patrick's writing. Sadly, the library had very little to do with the plot; yes, she volunteered at the library and her only "friends" were patrons or coworkers, but I didn't sense the magic that most books about libraries tend to imply. The takeaway for me was more about taking a stand against her past regrets and mistakes and finding happiness. The plot was introduced by a mysterious book that arrived practically on her doorstep. It has ties to her childhood, and brings back a lot of painful memories that she's chosen to forget. She becomes fixated on how this book "found her" and embarks on a journey to solve the mystery. I thought this was a good idea for a heartwarming story of coming to terms with a painful past; however, I never found any of it to be uplifting. It could have been due to the pace of this story. I think there were many interesting characters but too many story lines that kept from advancing the plot. I wanted to connect to Martha so bad, as I understood her frustration with herself and was rooting for her to find happiness, but it was too slow and seemed to be missing something. Unlike [book:Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine|31434883], Gail Honeyman's book from last year, it didn't give me all the feels. Martha is not lonely, she has many people who surround her and give her purpose (it seemed like she encouraged people to give her things to do for them.) I had a hard time feeling sorry for her. With Eleanor, it was like an unspoken sadness that resonated throughout the story-- Reading it made me want to call up all my friends and have a good cry! Martha's story did not have the same effect on me. I don't know why I ended up comparing these two books but that's where my mind went as I was thinking about how I'd review The Library of Lost and Found. I think what I am getting at is that this one just isn't my cup of tea.

A touching story about family, friends and the role stories play in nurturing relationships.

Martha, the main character so aptly named, is a woman who cannot say no. She spends most of her free time doing for others, to the point that her home becomes overrun with projects from her to-do list.

Martha spent her younger years taking care of aging parents during the time when most women were marrying and raising a family or pursuing a career. In fact, Lillian, Martha’s younger sister, did just that. Now Martha is at mid-life and is somewhat dissatisfied with how her life has turned out.

One day, a mysterious book falls into her hands and brings back memories of her beloved grandmother whom she thought had died years ago. The appearance of the book leads Martha on a quest to find out what happened to her grandmother and along the way, Martha finds her sense of self that she had ignored for so many years while caring for others.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin/Park Row for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

My first time reading a Phaedra Patrick book so wasn’t completely sure what I was getting into and it took me a chapter or two to find the rhythm of her style. Was probably attracted to <i>The Library of Lost and Found<i/> because I am such a huge fan of libraries and books. Put those two ingredients together with a main character that reminded me (for some reason) of Eleanor Oliphant… throw in some family mystery and drama as well as a seaside setting and I got engrossed. I kept turning pages and the story morphed and morphed again with a satisfying ending.

Charming and entertaining with some heartwarming messages that don’t hit you over the head… and you have this worthwhile read.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a lilting tale. I was drawn into Martha’s energy immediately. I found her sister offputting, but I think that was the point! I love books about libraries, or books, so this was a win for me!

I was in the mood for an easy, feel-good novel, and the Library of Lost and Found filled the bill. This is a story of a woman who after long years of self-denial, is finally able to recover herself. I could quibble (really… Suki just makes up new words? why? Can a woman as articulate in her writing as Martha be so self-unaware?) but Martha’s story is uplifting and inspiring.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.