Richard and Cate have a strong marriage until Richard’s death. This book shares the emotions of a survivor of a loved one struggling with depression and ultimately suicide. “The real Richard was hidden inside the body of the ill Richard.” Their teenage son, Leo, has Down’s syndrome but still presents his mother with trials of a teenager. Through the book, the reader doesn’t know who Araminta is until the end (no spoiler intended). The author does a good job in tying up loose ends – including ends the reader doesn’t know are loose.

Cate and Leo arrive at Hatters Museum and the story unfolds. The museum is on the brink of closing due to financial hardships. There are numerous well-developed characters including the community. This is much more than a story about a family’s museum of wildlife artifacts. The title doesn’t do it service. It is a story about a familial inheritance and relationships. It is a story about coping and life’s challenges. The book started off slow for me; but by the end, it was enriching. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy books with a surprising ending. Go for it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Gallery Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cate Morris has her back to the wall. She’s lost her job and her apartment; her husband, Richard, is dead and she and her son, Leo, are still grieving. With nothing left to lose, she packs their belongings and heads for Richard’s ancestral home at Hatters, a place that turns out to be full of secrets and the unexpected. In the end, the museum is renovated, as well as its occupants.

My thanks go Net Galley and Gallery Books for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

I read and enjoyed Harris’s last novel, Goodbye Paris, and when I saw that she had another book in the works, I leapt on it. Harris develops plots that are fresh and original, and so when I open the book, I expect great things. And in most ways, I find them.

The first and most obvious aspect is the museum. The family patriarch, Sir Hugo, is now deceased, but he was a benign presence in the tiny village; his museum, which is now somewhat anachronistic, showcases a collection of taxidermized African animals, among other things:

“It is a conundrum, like everything else in this peculiar house. From the glaring dead animals conserved in their alabaster homes, through the thousands of books that no one can reach to read, right into the wet green foliage of the unmanageable woods Colonel Hugo’s grandfather meticulously planted, this place contradicts itself at every turn, gives then takes away, frightens then comforts.”

Though Leo is an heir and has the right to be there, Cate and Leo are met coolly by Araminta, an older woman who has become nearly the sole caretaker of the whole enormous enterprise. There are a number of things that don’t add up, but since there’s no real choice, Cate and Leo forge on. Leo, who has Down’s Syndrome, is a hugely congenial character, and again, Harris brings in an element that few other novelists have done lately. I have never had much interest in this syndrome, and came to the novel for the author rather than this attribute, but I enjoy Leo a lot, and he has a shining moment toward the conclusion that I will remember for a long time.

Throughout the novel’s progress, Cate is still processing and grieving Richard’s loss, though it’s been years. There’s a stretch midway through that feels repetitive, with Cate grieving, remembering, stewing, and assuring the reader that she won’t tell anyone everything about Richard’s death. I become impatient with it, mentally telling her to fish or cut bait and get on with it, but soon after I hit that point, she does exactly that. There are a lot of secrets floating around this museum; there’s one involving Araminta that I am able to guess ahead of time, but there’s another big reveal toward the end that I find inappropriate and jarring, and it’s important enough to the story that I can’t overlook it. Up to the ninety percent mark, I had this book pegged as a five star read.

Despite my disappointment, I am not finished with Anstey Harris. Her work is bold and original, and I respect her willingness to take risks. However, my advice to you is to buy it cheap or get it free if you’d like to read it; save the full cover price for her next novel, or use it to buy the last one, if you haven’t yet read it.

The Museum of Forgotten Memories
Anstey Harris

There is nothing better than a well written Brit-Lit and Anstey Harris’s second novel gives readers all that and more, an amazing story all about families, secrets, old habits and new beginnings set in a quaint English town filled with unforgettable characters. Of the characters Cate is of course the standout she is the one who has the world on her shoulders but her son Leo and the cranky old woman Araminta come in a very close second and in addition this read contains more than a few memorable costars. Harris earns high marks as a storyteller with a mesmerizing narrative and a tale that is absolutely unputdownable full of sorrow, hope, angst and multiple mysteries plus high marks for her handling of the highlighted disabilities. What’s also amazing is that the author brings the museum exhibits to brilliant life for her audience making them each characters as well. This is perfect for a Brit-Lit lover, a reader who likes a few unanswered questions but mostly all tied up in the end.

Four years after her husband’s untimely death Cate Lyons-Morris finds herself on the brink of destitution partly from losing her London teaching job and partly because of the debut her late husband Richard left for her to deal with. So she packs up herself and her son Leo and head to Richard’s family Estate, Hatters House and museum in the bucolic English village of Couch-On-Sea hoping for a new start. What she finds when she gets there besides this incredible Victorian aged menagerie full of irreplaceable artifacts collected by Richard’s explorer grandfather, is a museum that is actually bankrupting the endowment left to keep it running, a house in disrepair and all of it left in the care of a cranky old woman. But Cate has no choice her high functioning Downs son Leo needs stability in his life and for all its faults Hatters house is now home and she, no stranger to hard work is determined to see it succeed. She just wished someone would have warned her about all the pitfalls she would face along the way.

Anstey Harris crafts an ambitious narrative in "The Museum of Forgotten Narratives" when a mother and her son flee to a museum that the son has partly inherited from his late father following the father's suicide. Each character is fully and deftly realized (especially the son Leo, who suffers from Down's Syndrome). The scenes of the museum are also rendered in beautiful detail. The one let down (for me) was that the first person narrator tended to grate on my nerves; had the novel been in third person, I think I would have liked her better. However, for those who like decades spanning mysteries and family dramas, Hatter's Museum is a fun escape,

A book about a woman reviving a museum?! Count me in! This story
Is both heartbreaking and inspirational.

Some places moved a little slow for me but overall, I enjoyed this book!

Thank you Gallery books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The synopsis of this The Museum of Forgotten Memories made me doubt whether this one would be for me, but after loving Goodbye Paris, I couldn't not read it. Unfortunately, I think my first impression was correct.

The book follows Cate, who's laid off from her teaching job and cannot make rent on her London flat. So, she and her young adult son move to a small town to live on the grounds of her late husband's family's rundown museum.

I think my favorite part of the book was a moment in which the town came together, and I also really liked when Cate's son Leo (who has Down syndrome) had moments to shine. But it felt like the focus was more on Cate's grief and love life than efforts to revitalize the museum or get to know the townspeople. That made narrative sense - you get the vibe she sees the museum as just a stopping off point, not their future - but just wasn't my personal preference.

And that, I think, about sums up my reading experience - a fine book, just not my personal preference (either in general or in this specific moment). I'd recommend it for anyone looking for lots of introspection - again, I think the focus is more so on Cate and her feelings than the museum or town around her.


Cate's husband died by suicide, so please be advised there are recollections around that, as well as a scene in which he self-harmed.

I would give this 3.5/5 stars. I thought it was a a super interesting concept and parts of the book had me so intrigued and into the story but other parts left me feeling a bit bored. I look forward to the release!

The story was great, the dialogue sharp and realistic, descriptions were vivid and extensive and I enjoyed all of these aspects of the novel. Unfortunately I found the main character to be so self-indulgent, self-involved and self-pitying to the point of annoyance. If it wasn't for her sweet son Leo and the crabby but kind housekeeper I may have had to give up. I would have preferred less internal dialogue and point of view from Cate but that is just my opinion.
It is obvious the writer has lots of talent and a great story idea. I would definitely read other books by this author. I just hope I like her main characters more next time.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review,

With the loss of her husband and job, Cate and her son Leo move to his family's museum. They are greeted by the caretaker Aramita who informs her the museum is facing bankruptcy and their stay may be short lived. With no hope for an alternative, Cate works to bring the museum back to life. As she does this, we see her doing the same for herself and Leo.

The story is about relationships, depression, family, and moving forward. All to a better ending for each of the main characters.

The death of her beloved husband left Cate Morris riddled with guilt. Even four years later, the sorrow is still evident in her eyes. She’s tried so hard to put on a brave face for the sake of her young son. But after losing her job, she can’t stop their world from shifting.

The only place that they can turn to is the peculiar museum that has been in her late husband’s family for generations. The Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World is most known for its collection of mounted animals. It’s not the kind of place that Cate ever imagined starting over. But sometimes, you find the greatest strength in the strangest of places.

“And that’s the most bitter thing about love: you can’t understand it, measure it—not all its edges and intricacies—until it’s gone and the clear print of its negative self is left behind.”

The Museum of Forgotten Memories is a lyrical proclamation of strength. Anstey Harris weaves a fragile thread of it through each of her characters. No matter how imperfect they seem on the outside, they remain remarkably resilient in their heart of hearts to the very end.

The story itself is painful one moment and then inspiring in the next. I found myself falling under its unusual spell while cheering out loud for both Cate and Leo. And I somehow know that the world would be a much better place with them in it. Wherever they might be…

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Museum of Forgotten Memories.

Four years after her husband's suicide, Cate Morris has been laid off from her teaching job. She is homeless, penniless and has a mentally disabled son, Leo, to care for.

As a result, Cate returns to her husband's ancestral home, a place he didn't discuss when he was alive.

Gradually, Cate discovers the museum is nothing like she had ever imagined, and though it holds secrets from the past, it may be the home she and Leo have been searching for their whole lives.

It felt a bit long, especially toward the end, with sudden revelations like Cate's paramour is a thief and the museum's caretaker absconds abruptly.

The topic of suicide and chronic depression is handled delicately, demonstrating that the afflicted is not just the only one who suffers. The family and social circle does as well.

I liked Leo, and gradually Mina as well. Strangely, I didn't dislike Cate, but never warmed up to her. I found her a bit aloof, kind of cold and resentful of her husband's illness and how she felt abandoned because of it.

The ending is predictable, happy ever after, and the museum is saved, despite the haunting presence of Richard's mental illness that permeates the book.

The writing was good, but the pace was slow and the narrative dragged at the end, taking too long to get to Mina's revelations.

Charming book about loss and putting it all back together again. I would recommend to anyone looking for a feel good book that continues you make you think and feel.

While the title makes you think this book will be about the objects and the museum, it is really about relationships. The subject is sad, a woman left to raise an adult child alone, with nowhere to turn butto her deceased husband's family estate. The estate itself is in desperate need, and comes with a cantankerous old woman.
Full of secrets but also of hope, this will be one of those books people either love or hate.
I feel the author dealt with difficult subjects in a realistic and compassionate manner.

Are you looking for that 'feel good', can't put it down, book of Fall? Guess what? I found it for you! Be VERY prepared to not want to stop reading this charmer of a book, once you start it!

Anesty does an amazing job of bringing the reader into Cate's world and making her very sympathetic, yet intriguing. The reader wants to know why Cate has no one to lean on, friends to come round and help her, especially when you realize issues Cate tackles on a daily basis Add in a rush move to a house her husband refused to speak of, that has generations of allusions and lies keeping it together. As Cate and Leo take on the herculean project of bringing the museum back to life, she finds out more about herself than she thought she could. And Leo finds friends in the unlikeliest of places, that end of being their saviors.

This book will worm it way into your heart, and then when you realize it is based on a real-life museum, you'll be wanting to go see its counterpart, as soon as travel restrictions lift! Make this one your weekend read, and you'll be talking about it all week long!

While the story depended on their British lineage and ancestry, it also highlighted unique characters and interesting relationships.

This was a story that had some interesting plot points, but was mostly held together by the characters and their relationships. Cate and Leo are used to just relying on each other and their close community, but when they move away from London to Crouch-on-Sea, they need to make some changes in their lives and open their hearts to the new people they are surrounded by.

While these new relationships evolved, Cate also learned more about her deceased husband and his legacy. He had not spoken about his past with Hatters and its inhabitants. As Cate got to know the people she and Leo were now sharing their life with at Hatters, she was also learning how some of the same people were part of her husband’s past.

Overall, this was a touching book about dealing with the unexpected twists life can throw at everyone. I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars and am glad I got to know Cate and Leo and their new life at the Hatters Museum.

Cate is struggling financially, still grieving for her husband, and needing to move with her son, Leo, who has Down’s Syndrome and finds change difficult. The only place they can stay is the Hatters Museum that belongs to her husband’s family – which turns out to be struggling too. You would think that this would make for a dreary tale. But surprisingly, the book is full of hope and smiles and the underlying theme of what love, kindness and community can do to save people and in this case a Museum as well.

I loved the author’s writing and the great characters she created and of course the wonderful descriptions of the Museum itself.

In my opinion, the blurb doesn’t seem to do justice to how wonderfully this story evolves. It was really moving and memorable.

Four years ago Cate loses her husband to suicide. Now she is jobless and has no choice but to pack her and her son Leo's belongings and head to her husband's family estate. The estate is actually a museum. The description of the surrounding gardens are great. I did enjoy the book but there was a lot of sadness also. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cate's been made redundant. Her much loved husband Richard committed suicide four years ago, leaving her with their son Leo, who has Downs. Leo, as Richard's heir (for what its worth- he left the in debt) is entitled to live at his family home-now the Hatters Museum so they move from London, not realizing that they would be living in rooms, not a flat, and that the Museum, and thus their home, is also failing financially. Oh, and Araminta lives there too. This is a novel about discovering oneself and it's full of small surprises I'd hate to spoil. There are lots of secrets you'll realize when you finish that you should have seen coming. There's also a lovely group of people in the village, which Cate discovers when she is injured in a fire (the fire section seems a bit confusing at first but know that it's how Cate's seeing things). These are well formed characters- even those, like Simon, who you come to know mainly through Cate's memories and his emails. Some of this is a hoot, some so so sad, but the writing is wonderful and Harries clearly loves her characters. She's written Leo in particular with incredible thoughtfulness. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I read this straight through- it's wonderful and I highly recommend it.

Utterly charming story about an old eccentric family with a hidden history. I loved the characters. setting, and plots. And absolutely, the BEST book cover of the year. I am now going to start a bucket list and put this museum on it. I think anyone could relate to these characters struggling over obstacles we all face, in unusual circumstances.

I was disappointed by this title, which promised a quirky, engaging narrative, but that was more inward-looking and much slower paced than I had anticipated.