Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

With all that is going on in the world today, this book means more than ever. Going back and forth between two stories, one of Hannie in 1875, and the other of Benny in 1987, the past and the present intertwine in a beautifully woven story. The characters jump off the page and into my mind. While this story tackles some difficult aspects of history such as slavery, the conversations this book could bring about are invaluable. This would be a fantastic summer book club book. It was an incredible story and I highly recommend for adult readers.

This was an interesting dual time period story. I loved “Before We Were Yours” and had such high hopes for her latest novel. I was disappointed in the pacing of this novel. It was rather slow and uneven. I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Other reviewers have noted that once you get past the first chapter, this is a great book. So glad I had read that because I too, was very put off by the first chapter. Besides the riveting story, there is history embedded as well. Highly recommend. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Lost Friends is exactly what I would expect from Lisa Wingate. It was an amazing read and I highly recommend it.
Five plus stars.

Wow, what a book to read during these times! It melds together the past and the present to share the impact of slavery, finding those that were separated while slaves, and sharing the past with the present of a small town that was affected by those events.

I enjoyed the Lost Friend notices between chapters. I was intrigued to learn more about these notices and discovered there is an online database. These notices were printed in the Southwestern Christian Advocate and sent to those with subscriptions and ministers to share with their congregation in case any of these applied to someone they knew.

The past and present are woven together to share a story about family and the bond that exists no matter what. That is what Benny learned in the present while trying to teach English to students that didn't want to be in school. The knowledge that she gains from her students and the town is invaluable in reaching the students to encourage them to stay in school. It also teaches her that sometimes the "rules" have to be thrown out and new methods tried while educating young minds.

The story of Hanni in the past was educational in understanding what she went through as a black woman in the late 1800s. Racism abounded but she was smart and knew how to avoid being put into a situation that might have been too dangerous. Her tale of trying to find her family while helping others was touching.

This was our book club pick for June 2020 and I would highly recommend it to anyone and especially for book clubs. Make sure to read the author's notes at the end. She shares how she came to write this book and noted that we cannot sanitize history, but must learn from the past to not make the same mistakes now and in the future.

I was instantly hooked by the prologue!! This is such an important book, on an often over looked subject. It is completely socially relevant and I hope people read it

The Book of Lost Friends, the newest novel from Lisa Wingate, covers events in alternating chapters and timelines, centering the story with individuals who have ties to the fictional Goswood Grove plantation in Louisiana. 

Hannie Gossett is an 18-year-old sharecropper in 1875, one year away from meeting the requirements that would result in receiving a parcel of land from her former slave owner. She finds herself crossing paths with the plantation owner's daughter and her half sister, the circumstances which then lead to spanning the lower United States in a journey fraught with danger.

Benny Silva is a first-year teacher in 1987, struggling to motivate her students in an under-resourced school, as well as struggling to understand the nuanced relationships in the community. It is only when Silva's students latch onto a local research project that the drive to read and write and glean stories from local families helps cement them together.

The historical accounts uncovered are not always pleasant, and there is pressure from the community to keep them buried, and Silva has to navigate the best course, even if it's not the easiest:  

"I'm trying to impress upon my students that everyone has history. Just because we're not always happy with what's true doesn't mean we shouldn't know it. It's how we learn. It's how we do better in the future. Hopefully, anyway."

The title is inspired by a Methodist newspaper who ran ads in their "Lost Friends" column, where former slaves could share biographical information in hopes of being reunited with their lost family members; excerpts are shared after each chapter, and at the close of the book, Wingate shares the actual "Lost Friends" entry that grew into this book.

I found this a relevant read that draws on the value of books and stories, as well as the importance of feeling connected to a place.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

“The Book of Lost Friends” By Lisa Wingate

“The Book of Lost Friends” is like finding a rare gem and in this story, boy did I ever. Lisa Wingate's writing of this historical novel from 1875 and linking to present day 1987 is in itself a feat to write, and once I started I could not let go of this book. I was completely immersed in the story of the three friends Hannie, Lavinia and Juneau Jane as they travel to Texas in post civil war South, and then the story of Benny a teacher in a very poor rural town in Louisiana as a first year struggling teacher. These characters were based on a real event in our history and made the story that much more interesting to me. I found the story to be compelling and completely immersive. I highly recommend this book for an unforgettable story.

An emotional journey through our nation's history, The Book of Lost Friends tells the tale of two women, told centuries apart. While the pacing is slower than I normally enjoy, the story itself is intriguing enough to make up for it. Thought provoking, and based on historical facts, The Book of Lost Friends will be much loved by historical fiction readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions are my own.

The problem with having an amazing book like Before We Were Yours that has been highly praised and lived on the best seller list for a long time is the pressure for the writer to follow-up with another outstanding book. Lisa Wingate’s The Book of Lost Friends is an okay novel but not nearly as compelling as her previous book.

Using two timelines again, Wingate unfolds the story of Hannie, a former slave, in the year 1875 on a plantation in Augustine, Louisiana, who would like to find the family she was separated from when they were sold at slave auctions. Through a series of trying circumstances involving two half-sisters who are daughters of the plantation owner, Hannie learns about advertisements that had been placed in a Southern publications to find separated family members, or "Lost Friends."

Fast forward to 1987 to Augustine, Louisiana, where Benny Silver is trying to work off her student loans by teaching in a school where most the children live at poverty level or below. When no relevance can be found for them in reading Animal Farm, Benny stumbles on a project that will help them to connect with their ancestors.

The intersection of the two timelines comes with the setting. Benny is renting a house on the very property where Hannie was first a slave then later a sharecropper.

Sticking with historical fiction, Lisa Wingate has used the advertisements that ran in Southern newspapers after the Civil War as a jumping off point for this story. I have read several of Wingate’s books and have found her to be a captivating writer.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting June 12, 2020.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Slow start but I loved the historical truth weaved into a work of fiction. The characters were believable while also holding my interest - I was invested!

Lisa Wingate will sweep you away with “The Book of Lost Friends”.
A dual history timepiece that will leave you breathless.
Thank you NetGalley!

This was a well researched, realistic historical novel. I enjoyed the historic Hannie Gossett chapters more than the modern Benny Silva chapters, but over all it was an enjoyable book.

Did Not Finish - I tried so so hard to get into this and I just couldn't. I know what the problem is, a big part of this book is about slavery and the post Civil War experiences of Hannie who has lost her entire family to slavery. I don't want to read a white author telling this story, nor do I want to read about a white savior teacher with "unruly" Black students in the 80s who don't care about education if it isn't backed up with an understanding of racism, white supremacy, and systemic oppression. Maybe I will try and read this again, but for right now, I don't want light historical fiction that makes white people feel better.

Wingate has once again taken a factual event and beautifully crafted a fictional tale that incorporates the events into the intricate tapestry of her plot. There are dual narratives to the book. One focuses on the post-Civil War South, where slaves were freed but their options were limited. It is the story of three young women searching for their father or former master. Framing this story of the girls traveling west are the notices posted from former slaves who are attempting to find their lost relatives. These notices were published in newspapers and read in churches. Among the three girls there is Hannie, a former slave who still works on the plantation for her former master’s family. Traveling with her are the daughter and illegitimate daughter of the former Master, now called Mister. They didn’t set out as traveling companions but circumstances caused them to band together looking for the same man. Along the way, Hannie seeks some of her family who were sold years earlier by Mister’s son on route to Texas.

The second timeline is set in the same Louisiana plantation location in 1987. Benedetta, or Benny, is a new teacher who is filled with enthusiasm and optimism. She wants to make a difference in her students’ lives. Unfortunately, most of her students are extremely poor and more worried about food than learning. It is a depressed school that gets little funding and little community support. The students are considered hopeless and Benny’s efforts are not applauded.

As the story shifts back and forth from the girls’ trek to Texas in the latter 1800’s to the students and their teacher in the late 20th Century, there are connections to be made and a story of oppression to be explored. The journey of the girls is filled with danger – tough cowboys, dangerous Indians, and evil men intent on hurting them. Resilience is key to surviving and there are serious developments that complicate the three helping each other. Benny is also facing obstacles but she is unwilling to give up on engaging her students in a meaningful way.

Wingate weaves the two stories together into a beautiful whole. The letters looking for lost family will wrench at readers’ hearts. It will remind us of the desperation former slaves suffered, long after they were emancipated. Benny’s commitment to her students is a testament to all those wonderful teachers who refuse to give in or give up. This is not only a fascinating tale but an important book that champions people doing the right thing.

Given the discussion of racism and race relations in our country we’ve had the past week, though written by a white woman, The Book of Lost Friends shines a lot of light on the atrocities slaves faced at the hands of their masters. As y’all know, I usually write my own book descriptions for these posts, but given the topic, I couldn’t do this book justice, so wanted to share the one provided by Goodreads instead.

“A new novel inspired by historical events: a story of three young women on a journey in search of family amidst the destruction of the post-Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who rediscovers their story and its connection to her own students’ lives.

Lisa Wingate brings to life stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold off.

Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane, her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia’s former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.

Louisiana, 1987: For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt–until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled oaks and run-down plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.”

Would I recommend it? YES! I loved this book—and if you loved Before We Were Yours, I think you will like this one a lot, too.

I really wanted to love this book after having read Before We Were Yours, which I recommended on my blog and also selected for my book club. Unfortunately, the characters just didn't resonate with me. I was not drawn into the storyline and just did not find myself wanting to read the book, which is not like me. It felt like at times the descriptions were overly lengthy and made the reading difficult.

The Book of Lost Friend by Lisa Wingate was eloquently written in two different time periods: Louisiana, 1875, and Louisiana, 1987. In 1875, heiresses Lavinia and Juneau Jane head to Texas searching for their inheritances and answers after the death of their mutual father, while Hannie joined them seeking to reunite with her family that was sold off into slavery. In 1987, Benedetta "Benny" Silva is a first-year teacher trying to connect with students from a poor rural town that considers her an outsider. All four strong women are unstoppable in their convictions and search for the truth.

Highlighting the "Lost Friends" advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War throughout the novel was very powerful and an emotional addition for me. I didn't know that this occurred, and I appreciate that Lisa Wingate brought it to light.

This is another hit by Lisa Wingate that everyone should read!

I received this book as an ARC from the Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an honest review.

I was unaware of the Lost Friends column in the newspapers following the Civil War. This was new information to me and I found it an intriguing concept for a novel.

This book is split into dual timelines 1875 and 1987. The timelines are brought together in interesting ways. Unusually, for a majority of the book I found the more modern timeline more engaging, but both were capable of holding my attention.

I really enjoy Lisa Wingate's writing. I previously read Before We Were Yours and enjoyed that one as well, which is what initially led me to this book. I will be interested in reading more of her work in the future.

There are no words to express how much I loved this book. Hannie and Bennie were two strong, brave women, and I loved reading both their stories and how they intersected 100 years apart. This is my second Lisa Wingate book and I am without a doubt a huge fan. She writes beautifully and the story always sucks you in. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. 5 stars!