Lisa Wingate’s new historical fiction novel, The Book of Lost Friends has me pondering how I felt about it. It’s hard to write a review when you love the author, looked soooo forward to her new book but didn’t quite like it like you expected to. There were parts I absolutely loved and parts where I almost gave up.

The story is written in a dual time line. Hannie Gossett is an indentured slave who becomes free, but the question remains will she ever really feel free? This timeline takes place in Louisiana and Texas in 1897. It is in this timeline that we are introduced to the history behind the book of lost friends. This is an interesting piece of history I knew nothing about. After slaves were emancipated they told stories of their lost family members and had them submitted to the Southwestern, a paper that was distributed to churches in hopes of helping these families find their lost relatives that had been sold into slavery. In the beginning of every chapter you read the real stories of actual family members and who they were sold to and how the person who wrote the letter could be found.

The second timeline is about Benny Silva, a first year teacher who comes to Louisiana in 1987 and is hired to teach in a small rural town, where the kids are not interested in learning. She teaches swamp rats and black children whose parents are not interested in them. The house that she has rented is part of the old Gossett plantation where Hannie was a slave. There has not been a teacher before her who has been able to get the kids interested in learning.

What will always remain interesting to me when reading about slavery is the complex relationships that developed between the slave owners and the slaves. The amount of children that were born to white masters and their black slaves is incomprehensible to me. Sisters and brothers who were related, having the same father but one child being raised by their mother who is a slave and was raped by her master and the other child being raised as the child of an entitled slave owner and even being raised by the slave who their father raped. . How could a man, a slave owner, treat humans the way they did and then at the same time sleep with them and produce children? Something is wrong with our world.

What was most interesting to me about my feelings towards this book and what has never happened to me before is that I loved the current timeline story more than the historical fiction part of the story. Seeing how Benny was able to save the children and get them interested in learning was heartwarming. I felt connected to her and her past and present life. If the book was just about Benny it would have been a five star read for me. I started off loving the story, then Hannie’s story became very far fetched for me, unrealistic and slow. The last chapter in each of the timelines were excellent, had me in tears making me even more confused about my feelings towards this book.

I will always look forward to a new book by Lisa Wingate. She has a beautiful way with words, so many touching sentences and I find it amazing that even though I didn’t love this book she had me crying at the end. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.75 stars for me rounded up.

Review Book of Lost Friends
Wow! Just Wow! I just finished an advance copy of Book of Lost Friends. If you enjoyed Before We were Yours or any of Lisa Wingate's stories you need to read this newest book. It is her best, hands down. This book is beyond captivating, beyond fascinating. It was reach down deep satisfying, like a perfect day. It is memorable, these characters will stay with you, and challenge you. I love history and this was a time and place in history that I had not studied, though many of the themes are current and apply to us today. Lisa has a marvelous talent for adding just the exact right amount of humor to lighten a serious subject, and just the right touches of romance to warm your heart, and the perfect dose of mystery to keep you wondering how it will end. I will close my review with 4 of my favorite quotes from the book.
" Stories change people. History, real history helps people understand each other, see each other from the inside out."
"…They deserve the same chance friends and mentors gave me to see the life you create for yourself can be entirely different from the one you came from."
" The past travels with you. It's whether you run from it or learn from it that makes all the difference."
"We all have scars. It's when you're honest about them that you find the people who will love you in spite of your nicks and dents. Perhaps even because of them"
Write on, Lisa Wingate. This was the best! 5 stars with icing on the top!
This book was given by the publisher with no review required

COVID-19 Has been a blessing in some ways. For those of us who love to read, especially brand new books, we have the time. Can you tell I'm a half full glass person? Anyway, I've had the ARC from NetGalley and Random House since February without looking at it. A HUGE mistake. Just thinking of this book gives me goosie bumps.

The beginning is the ending; and no, I'm not giving anything away about Hannie Gossett, the plucky, strong, moral (even when she wants to walk away), dependable freed slave.

Set in 1875 Louisiana, Hannie finds herself in frightening situations while on a trek to Texas with two sisters searching for her slave owner and their father. Along the way they find "Lost Friends", a newspaper column dedicated to finding lost relatives, filled with desperate pleas from slave families separated by sales, escape or war. "Lost Friends" is the backbone of this story. Hannie's deepest wish is to have the fifty cents it takes to place an add for her lost family.

1987 Louisiana and Benny Silva is a first year teacher working in a parish still deeply divided 125 years after the Civil War working in a school where the kids have no sense of worth. Enough said.

Tenderness - warmth - intimacy - compassion - friendship - kindness - sisterhood...these are all words I could use to describe the emotions Lisa Wingate brought forth thru her characters, yet they aren't enough. I loved this book before I knew the many ways it dovetailed with my family history, not to mention my mother, Bennie, whose father's family were plantation owners in Mississippi. Sadly, I feel/know Hannie's story could have started there. Her father became a Methodist minister (denomination that distributed "Lost Friends") in southern Louisiana where she married my father, a fourth generation Texan.

The mark of a great book is when you don't want it to end. This is that book!

#NetGalley #The Book of Lost Friends #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine

The book alternates between 1895 where we follow Hannie Gosset a former slave and 1987 where we follow Benny Silva a school teacher. It is historical fiction based on the ads that former slaves put in a newspaper to find loved ones they were separated from during their time as slaves. This is a part of history that I knew nothing about, I found the story very interesting. We learn about the slaves and how things were back in 1895, we also learn about many of their descendants in 1987. A very good read that I highly recommend.

An interesting read,! A historical novel bouncing back and forth between families in Louisiana searching for lost love ones after the Civil War and a current day Louisiana school teacher helping her students find the connection between the families. A lot of families, names, and events to keep track of but I really enjoyed the story. Thank you!
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Lisa Wingate is a favorite author and she never disappoints. A dual story of strong independent women, one in the 1880'2 and one in the 1980's. Historical fiction at it's best. Definitely captured and held my attention. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Although it took me a bit to get into the dual story line in this book, once I did, I was so engrossed, I just couldn't put this book down. Lisa is truly talented in being able to take these dark moments of our history and write it out in story form. I feel like she has also brought to light some things that many of us may have never known about. I for one, did not know about the Lost Friends ads in the southern papers. It was so fascinating to read how Hannie's history intertwined with Benny's story and the future. Both women showed amazing strength, resilience and strong character and I loved them both. This is for sure a must read! Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Lisa Wingate never disappoints. The Book of Lost Friends is moving and inspirational. I highly recommend it.

I am on the fence with this book. I liked it, but I was not bowled over by the story. The book alternates between a contemporary and a historical story. The themes of books, teachers, freed slaves, experiential learning, etc. are all passions of mine, but for some reason the characters just did not grab me. I only found myself rooting for Benny; the teacher. I wanted her to be successful with her students and in her new life in a small town. There were a few details that came out of left field at the end of this character's story, but ultimately she has a happy ending. Sweet but not intriguing.
#NetGalley #TheBookofLostFriends

I haven't finished this book and found that I couldn't read it in spurts. But what I have read, I really liked. It might make a good book discussion book as did Before I was Yours. Again, a subject that I didn't know anything about.

I made it 50% and gave up. I could not get into this story. I enjoyed the chapters about a teacher in 1987 trying to get her class interested in reading, but there was no emotional attachment or investment in any of the characters. I also was expecting more of a tie-in between 1880’s and the 1980’s, but even that at the half way point was almost like a passing note and didn’t feel like there was much significance. It seemed as though I was reading two different stories within the same book.

Very disappointing as I was looking forward to reading this one.

A wonderful dual time line story of women in two different times. In 1875, Hannie is a former slave to Lavinia. Juneau Jane is Lavinia's illegitimate half sister. The three girls end up on an adventure to Texas looking for the girl's father. Along the way they have many trials and hardships to overcome. In 1987, Bennie moves to Louisiana to be a school teacher. Benny is renting a run down cottage by an old mansion surrounded by a cemetery. As Benny's world collides with the women's from a 100 years ago, the reader is taken on quite an adventure. This book has so many emotions with the stories of the 4 brave and strong women. There is happiness and sadness, secrets, hopelessness and hope. It is a story that will definitely stay with the reader for a long time to come. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own. .

The story of the Gosset family from the post Civil War years to the more recent 1980s was captivating from the beginning to the end. During the tragic slave trading days families were divided and sold apart. A book of "Lost Friends" was created; a listing of individuals seeking family members who had been lost during those terrible years.

Hannie was one of the lost friends who was reclaimed by her former owner. After emancipation she and several others sharecropped a portion of the master's land; after 10 years they would own the land and be on their way to creating a better life for themselves. In the 9th year the master disappeared. Hannie and her friends fear that the master's wife and legitimate daughter will dispute their claim and their nine years of hard toil would be for nothing. Hannie sets out to discover the truth, but uncovers a deeper mystery. She finds herself thrown into a terrible situation with Miss Lavina and Juneau Jane, Mr. Gosset's legitimate and illegitmate daughters.

The story of their violent adventure is juxtaposed alongside the more modern tale of Benny Silva, a first year teacher assigned the tough job of teaching poor, underprivileged children in the same area that Hannie, Lavinia and Juneau Jane lived 100 years prior.

The stories in this book truly take the reader back in time. We can only imagine what life was like for these women; no one to protect them but themselves. The hardship they endured was heartbreaking. And yet, time passed and the links between generations become blurred; people did survive the tragedy of those times and life did - does - go on. This book will make one appreciate all those that came before us.

Lisa Wingate has done it again. First there was BEFORE WE WERE YOURS and now she has given us another tale based on fact with THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS. This tale involves an unusual pair of strong, independent Louisiana women - - separated in time by 100 years—one a freed slave named Hannie and the other Bennie Silva a 20th century teacher who delves into the lives of ancestors of her poverty stricken students.

This is an impressive historical drama based in large part on actual “lost friends” ads that appeared in a post-civil war newspaper as freed slaves searched for family and friends from whom they had been separated during the years of slavery. (Many of the actual ads are included at the beginning of each chapter).

Wingate is a superb writer with tremendous insight and the ability to portray the perceptions and emotions of the women whose depiction in this dramatic time is both convincing and affecting. She has coupled these characters with observations of the political and religious issues of the time, many of which are relevant today.

Unlikely alliances and long ago journeys are a staple of engaging fiction and LOST FRIENDS fulfills its promise by providing a tale filled with compelling characters and their survival during pivotal times in our nation’s history.

For book clubs seeking a tale with plenty of fodder for lengthy discussion ……..look no further.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book focuses on two time periods in the rural South. The first is shortly after the Civil War and follows ex-slaves trying to locate family members from whom they were separated as a result of slave sales and kidnappings. The more contemporary story line involves a new teacher trying to engage her classes of poverty-stricken students who would rather do anything but learn. Ultimately the two story lines come together as the students discover their connections to the past.

Lisa Wingate has produced another excellent book of historical fiction.

A novel inspired by historical events; taking place in both the post civil war South and modern day. Weaving back and forth and beautifully connecting the past to the present. Early on in the book I read this quote and I know I was hooked! ~There is an old proverb that says, 'We die once when the last breath leaves our bodies. We die a second time when the last person speaks our name.' The first death is beyond our control, but the second one we can strive to prevent."~
What a fabulous story, I recommend it for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

4.5 stars

I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Lisa Wingate, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was FASCINATING! It was historical fiction based on real events from the Historic New Orleans Collection (a database of Lost Friends for genealogical research and for historical purposes). The Lost Friends were REAL newspaper advertisements for former slave families trying to reconnect after the Civil War. Again, I read a book that I learned so much from and am so thankful for everyone who made this book possible.

Now, the review of this book. I gave it 4.5 stars because it was REALLY hard to get into this book. The first 15% was terribly hard to read because of the material about pre/post Civil War slavery plus it was a difficult book to set up with all of the necessary characters. Once I got going, I couldn't put this book down. I really wanted to know what happened to these characters as I was SO invested in them. The writing as with all of Lisa Wingate's books is just beautiful, descriptive, and detailed. It is almost as if you are a PART of the book!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND especially for historical fiction lovers, but it is a NOT a typical summer read for by the pool or at the beach.

I loved Before We Were Yours so I was ecstatic to get my hands on a copy of this. This is another historical fiction chock full of facts and revelations. This started a bit slow but picks up around the 40% mark, so stick with it. The story is both hopeful and heartbreaking. I found the dual timelines a bit confusing at times. I also found it frustrating as many times the story skipped forward in time when switching back to the timeline. This left out big events and just glazed over them, when ideally as a reader I would get to experience it as well. The end was a bit rushed for me and left me feeling frustrated. Overall though, this was a fantastic story and introduced a side of history I didn’t know much about. 3.5⭐️ My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This novel alternates chapters between 1878 and 1987. The earlier story is of Hannie, a former slave, who goes on an incredible journey with two daughters of her former master after saving their lives. The second is about a new teacher in a small Louisiana town who engages her students with a living history project which ultimately ties them to the earlier narrative. The “lost friends” are heartbreaking requests, published in a 19th century Southern newspaper, from former slaves looking for family members from whom they have been separated. The Book of Lost Friends, showing how history can still resonate in the present, is a well-written and compelling novel. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.