I finally learned exactly what people mean when they use the phrase "purple prose" because......geez was this it.

The story of "The Lost Manuscript" at it's core was cute, but this felt a little too twee at some points. The main character - Anne-Lise - was kind of juvenile and annoying but her determination was admirable. There were way too many side characters to keep straight but still, I blew through this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

What would you do if you discovered a discarded manuscript in a hotel room? Why, read it of course. And then try to discover who wrote it and why it was abandoned. The narrative style of the book is all in letter form. While not the the most original format, it works tremendously well for this story. Readers delve into the personalities of the letter writers and the mystery behind the manuscript is gradually fleshed out while including more of the stories of the other characters. I found the book interesting and lighthearted to read. So remember to check those hotel drawers for hidden gems.

Before I jump into my thought on this book I must thank the publisher, author, Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for my digital copies of this book. I was granted both a digital kindle copy and an advanced audio.
(I am spoiled.)

Upon finishing this book I can confidently say-

*It was a good book but not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

*It was a short read/listen which I appreciated.

*I love and epistolary format and without the audio I may have gotten easily lost.

* The audio has multiple narrators and they kept me going. Without this audio I may have DNF'd.

*The cover of this book is adorable and may draw in younger readers but I don't think that is the demographic suited for what I just read.

Overall- I am underwhelmed.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about this book. Though it is well-written, it didn't grab me in any way. While some epistolary novels are notable for banter (think "Charring Cross") or romance ("The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"), this novel fell short. It was so plain that as soon as I finished, I forgot most of it. The characters were almost indistinguishable from each other and I kept wondering when I'd actually be able to read this fabled manuscript. I'm grateful to NetGalley for the arc, and hope the author's next book holds a bit more interest for me :)

Has a book changed your life? What if one did? This was a beautifully written story about a found / lost manuscript. It is heartwarming and romantic and it makes one feel good.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Title: The Lost Manuscript
Author: Cathy Bonidan
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her…
Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal. And then he reveals something even more shocking—that he was not the author of the second half of the book.

Anne-Lise can’t rest until she discovers who this second mystery author is, and in doing so tracks down every person who has held this manuscript in their hands. Through the letters exchanged by the people whose lives the manuscript has touched, she discovers long-lost love stories and intimate secrets. Romances blossom and new friends are made. Everyone's lives are made better by this book—and isn't that the point of reading? And finally, with a plot twist you don't see coming, she uncovers the astonishing identity of the author who finished the story.

I really enjoyed this read! It’s told in a series of letters between the various characters, and at first, I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight, but that soon resolved. There are a lot of storylines woven together, past and present, but they make a seamless and engrossing tapestry, with vivid characters full of quirks and little adventures that draw the reader fully into the story. Definitely a recommended read.

Cathy Bonidan is a teacher. The Lost Manuscript is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/11.)

This book stretched me a bit. I'm still not 100% certain I liked it as a whole. I love the idea of authors connecting with readers and readers connecting with other fans of the same book. However, the way this story was told (through letters) didn't entirely work for me. It was hard to get to know the characters as you skip from letter to letter and eventually email to email. There was a lack of emotional connection I was craving before the big reveals at the end which were somewhat of a letdown based on how the story was told.

I am so grateful to have gotten both the audio and ebook version of this book from Netgalley! I assumed I would enjoy this novel- a book written in letters between a woman who found a manuscript and the person who wrote it, and at first I thought that was all this would be. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth the book takes as we find how dozens of people in separate countries are connected by this manuscript. The characters are multidimensional and the use of the letters to tell the story was beautiful. I will say that near the end, it was helpful to have the ebook version to keep the characters apart as it grew confusing. But well enjoyed!

This is a book about the impact we unknowingly have on strangers and how we are meant to meet some people. It offers a really interesting glimpse into every readers’ life. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

I loved the epistolary format. It was a great way to tell the story and it allows an insight into every characters' mind, in a way. I was deeply invested in every plotline and cared for everyone. All of the characters had a deep and extensive backstory. This allowed us to really get to know them and to ensure that everyone is well-rounded and someone you can get attached to. I was invested in their individual stories, as well as the overarching plot of “who’s the second writer”

As for the identity of the mystery second author, I definitely didn't see it coming and I absolutely adored the reveal. It was truly satisfying, and I don't think the author could've written a better ending.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is one of those books that leans toward the esoetic. It is written in letters, from Anne-Lise to the writer of the book, and then to the second writer, who finished the book. It's not a quick read, but one that is read in chapters, for me the beginning and the end were the most interesting. The middle? Ugh, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for long drawn out phrasing and melodrama. It's not a bad book, just not what I thought it would be, and not one for light reading.

This book was charming, though at times, with so many people and so much happening it was a little confusing. I love books in letter format, so that really added to my enjoyment. I'm afraid that without that aspect I would have been a little bored. 3.5 Stars. I recommend to fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The Lost Manuscript // by Cathy Bonidan // narrated by Elodie Yung, Rupert Degas, Cecile Delepiere, and Jean Brassard

I first received this as an ebook but was really excited to see it available as an audiobook as well later on. Having multiple narrators is something I really enjoy so I was thrilled to be approved for this one. Once I was a little into the book though, I struggled a little with keeping up with the many character switches, something that I think would've been a little bit easier for me if I had read the ebook instead. The whole book is written in the format of letters and emails, something that I don't get often but enjoy a lot when I do because it feels so personal. While it was a little confusing there at the start, eventually it did become easier as I got to know the characters better and could keep their life stories apart more easily. I found the premise intriguing from the start but I didn't realize just how many people would be involved in the manuscript's travels and it was fascinating to hear it all. There is a lot of emotion, love, and struggle in this story that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside by the end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to be completely immersed in this story of an unfinished romance manuscript found in a hotel drawer. I wanted to sink into the characters and their stories but just felt disconnected. I kept waiting for that spark that just didn’t come. It’s well written and for readers who love letters, definitely give it a try.

And absolute delight to read, THE LOST MANUSCRIPT opens up the hearts of its characters and readers in a series of letters shared over the course of a few months. Letter writing is a lost art in our digital age, but reading the words of Cathy Bonidan took me back to a simpler time when correspondence was more than a few words and more like a journal entry shared with a friend. Bonidan shapes each character so well that, despite there being up towards at least 10 letter writers, it's easy to separate their voices-a task some would find daunting. Bonidan handles this with ease, giving the reader-for just a moment-the sense of being part of something bigger, yet wonderfully intimate. In addition, each characters response/reaction to the lost manuscript is different, though it changes each of them, as literature is known to do. More importantly, this lost manuscript brings these letter writers together, far past their mutual love for a manuscript that traveled the world. 5 Stars.

I was intrigued by this book. A little bit historical and a little bit romance- I was excited to read it. I was thrown off with the letter format from the very beginning. I didn't enjoy it because it didn't provide any depth to these characters and therefore it was really difficult for me to form any real connection to them. The writing style wasn't anything I was particularly enjoying either. By the end I found the amount of characters confusing and I found myself skimming. While I loved the idea of this novel it unfortunately didn't live up to my expectations.

I really enjoyed this epistolary novel that takes place in France. A woman finds a lost manuscript in a hotel drawer and decides she is going to try to trace it and find out how it got there. The manuscript was unfinished by the original author 30 years ago, but an ending was written by someone else. There are several people involved in the search and the letter writing, and I found it to be a charming and endearing story well told through letters and emails.

I loved this book so much I wished I could hug it. A French woman traveling with her family finds a manuscript in the bedside table at the inn she's staying at, and feels compelled to attempt to return it to the original author. Told through letters, this book takes her on a circuitous journey back to the original author as they attempt to track the book's journey over multiple decades. This was heartwarming and adorable, reminiscent of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I’ve said it before: I’m a sucker for a good epistolary novel. I also love books about books. So I was thrilled to be approved for The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan, translated by Emma Ramadam.

Anne-Lise Briard is on vacation in a picturesque hotel on the French coast when she finds a manuscript in the drawer of the bedside table. A lover of literature, she reads it and is entranced, moved, and intrigued. There is an address tucked midway in the book, so she mails the manuscript back, unsure who might have written it, how long ago it was written, or how it could have ended up in the drawer.

The manuscript finds its way back to the author, who mislaid it many years ago, gave up on his writing career, and got on with his life. He has no idea how it ended up in the drawer. To add to the mystery, he didn’t finish the novel. Someone else did. And he has no idea how that happened either.

Anne-Lise is not going to let it end there. She is a people person with remarkable powers of persuasion. She begins to retrace, backwards, the progress of the manuscript through the years. She finds the people who have touched it, who it has touched, all of whom have a story to tell.

The novel within the novel is a love story, an unfinished one, that has the power to reawaken love and life in its readers. (I’m glad that excerpts from the novel in question are not included, because they no doubt would have been a disappointment.) The characters who played a role in passing it on all become part of the network working to solve the mystery of the manuscript’s trail and, most importantly, to discover the identify of the second author.

It’s a charming story full of good people who appreciate what books can do. Yes, it’s corny and not quite believable, but it’s lovely entertainment.

I loved this unique story! It’s told exclusively through letters and was executed perfectly. I have to give major props to the author, she was able to bring across the stories of multiple characters through this format and it could not have been easy! The writing is wonderful and almost lyrical in its quality. This was a fun book to read and each character was lovingly crafted. I enjoyed my time with this book and highly recommend! My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is all about a book that has the power to change your life. After stumbling across a manuscript in a hotel, Anne-Lise Briard makes it a mission to find and connect with the author. But as she does, she opens a the door to not just one but a whirlwind of authors, each of whom held and helped along the manuscript in their own way. So what does it mean when a book changes your life — and what does it mean when authorship becomes collective? (TW: death, imprisonment, divorce and brief mentions of miscarriage and suicide.)

I found the premise for this one charming and intriguing. However, I wasn’t particularly enamored with the overall story. It kept me engaged, I chuckled a few times and there was a twist I didn’t see coming — yet, I couldn’t help feeling the emotional core didn’t really get to me at all. This book is supposed to be about the power of books to change your life and yet, I felt lukewarm toward this book. It may have been in part that the e-reader version kept me from feeling the warmth of the paper and the sound of a turning page that makes a book so lovable to me.

I think this book might hit differently for other readers — there’s a lot of about lost love, divorce and tragic circumstances that could resonate with you and make you identify with these characters’ journeys. For me, it didn’t quite hit the mark and I felt like I was observing the entire plot from above, instead of connecting personally with the characters.

The Lost Manuscript is out on January 12 (in 2021, which both doesn’t sound like a real year but that I’m also looking forward to a lot) and I think it’s worth a library checkout!