Fate works in a weird way: I had a novel/book told by letter (epistolary novel) on my 40 book challenge for the year through Once Upon a Book Club Box. They are not common and I had to search to find one. When in a pinch, Amazon provides. I found one and checked that box off my list... and then this one came along on NetGalley... and I was drawn in. I was hopelessly lost in this one. The story, the narrators, the plot... it was love.

As you may have ascertained, this novel is told by letter. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators helped me get lost in the story. The accents were dreamy and totally transported me to Europe. There's a French/English vibe that pervades the novel in the best possible ways. I strongly suggest the audiobook as it brings out the personalities of the characters.

Ultimately, this is a novel about the power of books to change lives told by letter. It's so elegant, I almost cried at the beauty of it. If it had simply been a novel about the power of books (or a particular book) to change lives, the beauty would have been diminished. The structure and the format add to the power.

I adore the characters, they are so quirky and dynamic. There's some fun romantic twists between two characters. And the main writer has a hidden secret of her own. I love that one unfinished manuscript brings all these people together and weaves a story of its own.

A busybody finds a lost manuscript, and so it goes…

This novel in letters is a delight of a book. Beginning simply with Anne-Lise writing to return the manuscript to someone she does not have a name for and isn’t even sure is the author, this book pretty quickly evolves into a spiderweb of correspondence, all by letter. The involved parties form friendships, disclose secrets, and express unabashed emotion toward each other. The audio version has a full cast, and listeners should be prepared for heavy French accents, which was jolting to me at first, but I quickly adapted and ended up feeling like it added to the believability of the story.

If you are a super critical person, like me, you might have a hard time with the premise that in 2016, almost all of the communication between all of these people happen over handwritten letters. You may also find yourself wanting to grab Anne-Lise and shake her by the shoulders, telling her to stay out of other people’s business. Luckily, some of the letter-writers tell her that just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore (though it does nothing to dissuade her).

I recommend this quick listen (or read!) for anyone who has a soft spot for books about books (and isn’t that most of us?). Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early listen.

The narration of this book is the best thing ever. I couldn't love this narration more if I tried. I'm not sure the book was entirely my speed as far as content went but the narrators made it so much more interesting to listen to.

As the title says, it is a story of lost manuscript woven skillfully through a string of letters. When Anne-Lise finds the abandoned manuscript written by two authors who do not know each other, she takes up an adventure mission of contacting the original writer. She continues communicating with him gaining more details about him. She persuades her dear friend Maggie to help her in tracing the secret author who has finished the manuscript. In the process, she gets to know people from all over who never would have cross-pathed without a connection to this lost manuscript. She makes new friends, learns their personal secrets, incredible love stories.

The lives of all those who have read this story (which is not meant for them) are transform into better. Sometimes, there seems to be a clear connection between a book and the readers.

Finally, as the plot takes an unexpected twist, Anne-Lise discovers the mystery about the second author who has completed the manuscript.

People who know the pleasure of receiving and replying to letters, instantly connect to this story.
I have enjoyed this book and recommend it especially for people who love letters and books.

What a lovely novel! The Lost Manuscript is a beautifully written, heartwarming story. I listened to this audiobook and it was wonderful. Easy to follow with a great narrator! I highly recommend this unique and charming book.

The concept of this book immediately drew me in. The main character, Anna-Lise, is looking for something to read while on vacation and she finds a manuscript in the drawer in her hotel room. It’s half finished and she finds herself on a journey when trying to find the author(s) of the manuscript. I loved the idea of sending the letters and discovering the mystery behind this unfinished writing. However, I found some of the audiobook hard to understand and I didn’t much care for some of the characters we were introduced to.

I wanted to try an #audiobook and was seeking an interesting story that wasn’t dark or heavy. My thanks to #netgalley for this ARC that fit the bill perfectly. The main characters, or I should say correspondents, are middle-aged with various life experiences: some with adult children, some with children still at home, some married, divorced, widowed. Like everyone who has reached middle age, each character has faced a significant challenge or event individually or as a family, that informs how they engage with the world.

Written in epistolary form, the book is about an unpublished manuscript that is discovered and returned to its author after being missing for 30 years. It had been unfinished at the time it went missing, but along the way someone had written the ending to the story. The manuscript exchanged hands in the course of the 30 years and the story of The Lost Manuscript is a retracing of persons whose hands the book had fallen into, seeking the 2nd author who wrote the end, and learning how the story itself impacted the lives of those who read it.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable experience. A couple circumstances stretched the boundaries of credibility but there was nothing outright unbelievable. The characters are likeable with relatable flaws. There was a certain irony to imbibing an epistolary novel as an audiobook. Being a novice audiobook listener, I was frustrated from time to time in not being able to easily or quickly re-read what I’d just read (rewind what I’d just heard). I understand many people can engage in another activity while listening to a book. I cannot. Or it would take some practice until I can do so.

The #dreamscapemedia production was high quality. The French accents of the narrators were engaging (the story takes place in France and Belgium) and added to the ambience. This is a story written for readers. Definitely a mystery here, a little romance, and a great read for anyone who has ever read a fictional book that transformed their life.

Books about books always make it onto my radar, so it's no surprise I was eager to get my hands on The Lost Manuscript.
Told in letters, this book was so charming and unique with a little mystery, adventure, and of course a love for words and books.
The audio format is narrated by an ensemble cast who each does a great job portraying their character. I will say that I found the many points of view and narrators a bit hard to keep track of and docked a star for that from an otherwise sweet and enjoyable book.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan was a work of audio art! There were four voice actors which gave a "voice" to each of the characters. This book is written as a series of letters so each section or chapter was shorter so a perfect length for doing a small task for example wrapping one present or unloading the dishwasher. The story was a little magic, recounting the tale of a book that went missing for decades. I would recommend for friends of Beatriz Williams. There was love and deep friendship, I loved seeing the characters lives come together and how much they cared for each other.

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.

Pros: Epistolary novel! A mysterious manuscript! 5.5 hours on audiobook!

Cons: Although the premise of the book contains many of my favorite things, the execution was just okay. Because of the epistolary format, I had Guernsey-level expectations, which was probably unfair to this book.

Three stars = I liked it

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book.

What an incredibly charming audiobook complete with awesome a fantastic French accented narrator. A bit mystery, a bit culture, travel , intrigue and mostly charm, The Lost Manuscript is a wonderful read!

In room 128 lays a lost manuscript. Anna-Lise finds it and reads it. She connects with it so much and wants to return it to the author. Sylvester wrote this novel 33 years ago, when he was a young man in love. When the book is returned to him though, he realizes someone else finished it for him. Anna-Lise is on a mission to track down the person that had the book for so many years and finished it. In this journey, there are so many people that we meet along the way. People that come together because they connected with wonderful words. The twists and turns were fantastic and it brought love and light.
This book has many different POVs and is a quick read because each chapter is a letter from one character to another. There is no dialogue besides communication between one another through letter. It is very refreshing. I loved the way it was written. The narrators did a fantastic job as well. It was easy to know which character was who just by voice alone. Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for an early copy of this audiobook.

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 book was an interesting premise. It was nice to read something that isn't overdone. Interesting structure as well.

A full audiobook cast, and a book in letter format? Be still my heart!

This book was charming, though with so many characters and so much going on, at times I was a little confused. I read this simultaneously, so seeing the names was more helpful than just listening alone. The accents were a little hard to understand at times, but it wasn't unmanageable. 3.5 stars. I recommend for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I'm not sure what I expected, but I was not drawn to any of the characters and it made it hard to care about the plot.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audio arc of this book! I loved the narration (there were multiple narrators)!

This book is told exclusively in letters and I LOVED that so much. The idea of finishing a manuscript, mailing it to the author, and kickstarting a chain of communications between multiple people is such a great concept. There was a mystery in this, which I appreciated, but it also served as a way to show the power of books, and connecting over a book. Reading a novel and sharing it adds a new layer to the novel itself. It becomes an extension of it’s readers and also can impact in new ways. It’s catharsis for readers, sometimes even more than the author. It’s also an ode to communication. It shows how difficult communication can be, and the gift that talking to a stranger can become. It subtly unpacks the reasons we share or refuse to share, even with those we love.

This book has a cozy vibe and the length of it was perfect for curling up with a warm cuppa and leaning in! I could not put this down. It was probably a 4.5 stars if I’m being honest, and I actually think (personal preference here) if I had a physical copy I would have given it a 5 star! I will be rereading the physical soon!

Highly recommend, especially if you love novels told in letters or connections between strangers.

I did not care for the book. The written style of letters back and forth between the characters is not how I like to read a book. The story itself was great. It would have gotten a better review from me if it was not written in this format.