Who do you give credit to when a novel in translation is beautiful and moving? Did I read Cathy Bonidan’s The Lost Manuscript? How much input did the translator, Emma Ramadan, have? I’ll never know, but kudos to both of them for the feelings this epistolary novel evokes.

In April 2016, Anne-Lise Briard begins a quest that will span continents and involve a number of people. She finds a manuscript in Room 128 of the Beau Rivage Hotel on the Brittany coast. The manuscript moved her so much she wanted to return it to the original writer, but she had no name. So, she sends it to the address in the manuscript, but she has no idea whether she’s writing to a man or a woman.

Sylvestre Fahmer answers her. Although he lives in France, he wrote half of the manuscript, and lost it on a trip to Montreal in 1983. When he wrote it, it ended on page 156 where the address was. Someone picked up his manuscript, and completed the story, but Sylvestre has no idea who completed it or where the writing has been for over thirty years.

So begins a correspondence between Anne-Lise and a number of other people. She’s determined to track down “Waldo”, as in “Where’s Waldo”, the person who completed the book. She was moved by the book, but, as the search reveals, so were other people. Anne-Lise wants Sylvestre to complete his manuscript. She wants to read his voice, telling him, “The things we leave unfinished stay with us all our lives like chronic pain that resists the strongest painkillers.”

Step-by-step, letter by letter, the correspondence uncovers people who were in emotional pain, who were helped by reading this book. Anne-Lise and Sylvestre find their lives changed in the course of eight months, but they’re not the only ones. As the story moves from Brittany to Paris to London to Montreal, links are formed in a chain that will lead to a surprising ending. A prisoner who read it once says, “Tell the author to publish his book. In schools, hospitals, prisons…everywhere lost souls are in need of a sign.”

I can’t reveal the stories of the people who read the manuscript, people who are caught up in Anne-Lise’s determined search. It would spoil the magic of the letters and the revealing of the past, with a hint of the future to come. I can’t even reveal Anne-Lise’s job, other than to say her stories of a work rivalry are funny.

The Lost Manuscript, though, is more than pages that have been lost for thirty-some years. Why are the letters so soothing to read? Maybe it’s a glimpse into the forgotten past, just like the device of the manuscript is. I was immediately absorbed in this book, in the letters, in Anne-Lise’s determined quest. This is a book for people with the imagination to believe that a manuscript can change lives. It’s a book for readers who enjoy letters, voyeurs who want to peek into the lives of a small group of people with only a manuscript in common. It’s a magical book for those who appreciate Cathy Bonidan’s poem, an invitation into the story.

“To all the books we’ve read.

To al those we have yet to read.

Because like sandmen,

they sprinkle into our daily lives

a few words or phrases

that work their way into our subconscious over time.

And change us.

Discreetly, but irrevocably.”

The Lost Manuscript is the story of a woman named Anne-Lise who finds an unpublished book in a hotel desk drawer. After reading it she sent the book to the address on the envelope. It turns out that the address belongs to someone who knows the writer (Sylvestre) and that this manuscript has been lost for thirty years. Over the next several months Anne-Lise traces the journey this manuscript went through to find out how it was originally lost. What she finds is a series of people who were profoundly effected by the love story a young man wrote including the person who decided to finish the story that Sylvestre never had the chance to finish.
This is a lovely story about the power of a story and some good strangers. Bonidan tells the story through a series of letters between all of the readers. I think this is the perfect way to tell this story because it is all about finding the next link and how each of the characters has and still is being effected by the manuscript. The individual letters are really short so the pace of the story if fast and keeps you reading. If you love literary fiction then you might enjoy this one.

I was very pleased to receive an advanced reader’s copy of this epistolary novel set in France. I thought I would love this book, but I was unable to connect with any of the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I very much fall in the middle with this book. I neither loved it or hated it - I didn’t even dislike it. I just don’t think it was quite right for me. Me and this book don’t fit well together.
The premise of it, and the fact that it’s a series of letters, are really intriguing for sure. But there were so many people, it was hard to keep track. And then there were a couple of side stories and an extra side romance which added to the confusion. While I was interested to see the journey of the manuscript, I did find the ending to be very predictable. I knew where we’d end up basically from the first time there is a letter from the manuscript’s author.
I did read it in one sitting one night, so it did keep me turning the pages. But I’m not sure who I would recommend this to. If it sounds interesting to you (and if you’re familiar with French geography, because boy howdy did I not understand that), then I would give it a try.

This was a super quick audiobook listen - only 5 1/2 hours. The premise is that a woman finds a manuscript in a hotel room and proceeds to track down the writer. The novel is told through letters written between the main characters, and I was not a fan. The concept was interesting - I normally love a treasure hunt. While I felt like big pieces of the story were missing, I don’t care enough to read more about this. I’d pass if I were you.

I was unable to finish this book. I got about 25% of the way through but it did not hold my interest. I'm not sure if it's because it was a work in translation or not, but the emotion behind the characters didn't really resonate with me.

I received an ARC of this book. A complex tale of a manuscript found and it's travels through many hands until the full story is known. Interesting and compelling book.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the free book. This was a cute epistolary novel about the power one manuscript has on all of the readers. Anne-Lise works to find the author of this touching story, and then tries to find out how the manuscript ended up where it did. What is discovered is friendship, the power of a story, and bravery. There is so much vulnerability slowly discovered throughout the letters to the different characters. As the book goes on, it does get a bit character heavy, so I’d recommend reading in as few settings as possible to keep everyone straight. This was delightful, and I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This book has an epistolary form which made it a very quick read. Strangers exchange letters with each other because they all have one thing in common: they all read the same manuscript and it impacted their lives. Through the letters, the characters try to unravel the manuscript's journey and gradually a friendship grows between the character's because of the bond they share.

I find this one hard to review because I enjoyed the read and thought it was a very unique one too, but still, I felt a bit disappointed by the story. I think I would've liked extra chapters in between the letters that gave the reader pieces of the manuscript to read. The reader is kept on the surface about the content of the manuscript and because of that, I didn't really believe that the manuscript could have life-altering results for so many readers. This also made it harder for me to connect to the characters because their biggest obsession and most frequent discussion point in their letters is this life-altering manuscript. I think I expected more from the novel in that way and that's why I was left a bit disappointed. I'm still glad I read this book because it certainly has a unique concept and I really liked the format in which it was written.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

By SANDY MAHAFFEY FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR
Have you ever read a book that made a major impact on your life? A book that you just couldn’t get out of your thoughts? A book that transformed your perspective on your life?

Cathy Bonidan’s “The Lost Manuscript” is about such a book, and it is wonderful.

Anne–Lise Briard books a solo holiday on the Brittany coast. Looking for something to read, she discovers an abandoned manuscript in the nightstand drawer and finds herself transfixed by the story. An address written on one of the pages leads to the first of many letters. Hoping it is the address of the unknown author, she writes, telling him of the power the book has over her.

This is the first of many letters, as she and the author find their way to locating the many people who touched and were touched by the manuscript after the author lost it in on a flight to Montreal. Eventually, those who had possession of it tell their tales in the epistolary novel.

There are people with broken hearts, in love, grieving, frustrated and with regrets. The manuscript touched them all in some way, making their lives better, their spirits higher and their outlook more hopeful.

Through those letters, Bonidan presents a number of quirky, beautifully drawn characters as they appear while Anne–Lise follows the trail of the manuscript. Their lives were all enriched by the time they had it, and mine was enriched by reading about it.

The tale of this literary mystery is enchanting, uplifting and very difficult to put down. It will tug at your heart and bring you joy.

Sandy Mahaffey is former Books editor with the Free Lance–Star.

This was a lovely book, made more interesting in some ways due to the audiobook presentation. It had multiple narrators allowing me to keep the characters straight and to visualize their interaction as their inflections communicated their joy and displeasure well.
Overall though, the storyline wasn't as engaging as I was hoping it would be. It is a lovely tale about a found manuscript and the circuitous route it took through various people and the impact it had on each of their lives. Both by the reading and by the connections the people found with each other as they went on a journey of discovery of exactly how the manuscript got to where it was.
I love epistolary novels, and so that is one reason why the audio book wasn't as magical as it could have been had I read the words on the page. Also the large number of characters makes it difficult to make close connections with any of them.
Overall this is a sweet tale about connecting in unique and interesting ways.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan:
Anne-Lise finds a manuscript in a hotel and sets out to find the author. Told through letters/emails, fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will rejoice!
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A slow burn, but well written and captivating story. Through each correspondence Anne-Lise is able to unravel the mysterious path the lost manuscript took. While different than what I was expecting. The main character is a manuscript, what’s not to love? Plus the manuscript traveled as it moved from one person to another. The setting was France, and the French author made the culture and setting come alive (I was nostalgic remembering our trip to the Normadie region in 2014).
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A huge thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an epistolary story that unfolds as letters exchanged between characters. I had no clue about this from reading the description of the book and went into it so excited after being hooked by the premise.
After seeing that it is in fact told through letters, I was immediately disheartened. I have never liked this form of narrative as a reader, but some people love it. I found it very hard to connect to the characters, since you are only presented with a one-sided, flat view of them through letters. The voices portrayed in the letters are disingenuous and at times hard to take seriously. I never was transported through the letters to an immersive story. Sadly, it felt like I had ended up reading these exchanges and just not caring what happened in the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Marten's Press for the advanced review copy.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This novel begins with a story about another novel. Anne- Liese discovers a mysterious manuscript while on vacation. It's a manuscript that affects her profoundly, and it provides an escape from the mundane stresses of her life.

The story unfolds in epistolary form through a series of letters as Anne-Liese attempts to ferret out the author's identity. The journey of the manuscript through a series of disconnected readers evolves into its own story. Along the way, lives are fundamentally changed, internal battles are waged, and the fragility of the human condition is exposed.

At its heart, this is a story for bibliophiles everywhere. It is a story about the power of words to transform our lives, and a celebration of the meaning and purpose books bring to our lives.

"The Lost Manuscript" is a novel written in the form of a series of letters. These are exchanged among a group of people who are tied together by a manuscript, which was lost many years ago and has resurfaced. The finder of the manuscript writes to the original author, and then commences on a journey to trace the path of the manuscript, from its origin to present day. In the process, lives are affected and connected in many ways.

Once the reader gets to know the people in the novel, he or she will begin to understand the meaning of the letters. The connections among the different writers will become clear. Readers are encouraged to hang in there to consider how the manuscript has affected and changed lives.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I received this book "The Lost Manuscript" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed reading this book. The concept was different. I liked how the manuscript touched upon the different characters and brought them each something they needed. It was a nice light read which we all need sometimes.

Such a cute novel about a lost manuscript finding its way home while bringing people together. I was in a binge of novels which looked at bookish people while reading this... it didn’t fully stand out sadly as a fave of those books but it was still enjoyable and worth the read!

A charmingly different book that reveals how a manuscript found after being missing for 30 years can influence and impact the lives of those who try to unravel its mysterious journey.
Translated from the French, Manuscript uses the almost extinct form of letter writing to tell the story as led by Anne-Lise Briard one character after another writes in and reveals their connection to the book..
Well written and well translated, it slowsdown just a bit about 3/4 of the way thru, but like another "letter writing book", 84 Charing Cross, this one is worth reading to the end.
4.5🌟

The Lost Manuscript is a delightful novel the follows the story of Anne-Lise after she finds a manuscript left behind in a hotel desk drawer. She figures out who the original author is, and then begins sleuthing about to discover how it wound up in the hotel. Her search takes her back three decades, and along the way she meets a varied cast of characters, each with their own stories and secrets.

It is a lovely novel, and easy, quick read, and a book that makes you believe in destiny and fate.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am currently reading THE LOST MANUSCRIPT by Cathy Bonidan; thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC to review. It’s definitely a bit slower-paced than I usually prefer, but I’m loving the concept and the epistolary style. Anne-Lise finds a manuscript in her hotel room while on vacation; there is an address on it - so she sends it back to the owner. However, through their pen-pal relationship, she discovers the manuscript was lost 30 years ago…and it was not complete at the time. So, Anne-Lise starts off on an adventure to find out where the manuscript had been in the last three decades and, more importantly, who finished the novel?

It is a charming, little book that really is about the ability books have to bring people together and change the course of their lives. It was just a lovely, cozy read, and I loved watching the two main character's relationship unfold through their letters.