I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story of Cora Hale and her dollhouses. I wouldn't say this book was action-packed but it was entertaining and held my interest throughout. I also enjoyed reading Tildy's story and seeing her character come out of her shell as novel progressed. I would've liked to have heard about a few more of the dollhouses and the women behind them but overall a pleasant read.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper was a novel of strong and unconventional women. Interestingly, many of the characters were based on actual historical figures.

Two main characters were featured, Tildy Barrows and Cora Hale. This book mostly follows the story of Cora Hale, who was an art prodigy with tremendous talent and a monumental secret. As a consequence of her past, Cora mostly lives in obscurity, remaining at the edges while the famous women she worked for take the spot light. Cora's story takes us through several historic events like World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. The book isn't about those events, but they do add context. The historical aspects and the descriptions of building miniatures were the most enjoyable part of this story.

Tildy's role is basically to unfurl Cora's story for us, while Cora reveals the secrets, mysteries, and tragedies of all these nonconformist women. Tildy and Cora both lost their mothers at a young age, which was a defining plot point. By the end of the book, the real connection between Tildy and Cora is revealed.

This story features several romantic relationships, and I feel like they were more of a distraction than an enhancement to the tale of Cora's and Tildy's lives, and I found them more confusing than anything. There were multiple F-F romances, and while it's not something that would detract from my rating, it's also not something I connect with personally.

3/5 stars. While this book had a fast-paced start, and I loved the strong women characters in this book and the historical setting, by the end it was a bit of slog to get through. The pacing felt like it slowed down quite a bit by the last couple hours of reading. I also didn't care for what felt like frequent switching of romantic partners (years may have gone by in the storyline, but only pages went by in the book), too much yo-yo-ing for me. Recommended for those who enjoy stories about unorthodox women in historical contexts.

I love libraries and I love dollhouses, but unfortunately, I didn't love this book. The writing just wasn't engaging, and I didn't feel a connection to the main character.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper is a historical fiction about a young librarian, Tilly, who discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, leading to questions about the library, maker of the dollhouses, and her own family. She embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures and leading to her own personal growth.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The dual-timeline story was interesting, learning both about Tilly in present day and Cora Hale during the WWI and WWII timeframes. Sometimes historical fiction novels are very emotional but I found this one to a fast-paced heartwarming story that didn't cause me to "boohoo" cry (some early reviews are critiquing this saying it lacked depth because of it's pacing but I appreciated it because sometimes I want to read something historical but not be emotionally broken because of it). There were both elements of mystery and love, however nothing graphic. This would be a good read for readers who enjoy historical fiction but don't necessarily want to feel heartbroken.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an advance reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely of my own and based off of this draft; final publication may be different. Expected publication date is April 1, 2025.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

Unfortunately, I am in the minority here. I am not quite sure why I did not connect with this book. From the description, it sounded like something that I would love. It seemed to me that there was just too much telling of what happened instead of discovering the plot through the characters and the action. The novel is well researched and I enjoyed learning about the dollhouses and the miniatures. Since the majority of reviews have been very positive, I think that it was just not the book for me.

This was a lovely dual-timeline story involving war, love, secrets, and owning your own story. The setting of a grand library and the dollhouse/miniaturist elements were captivating all on their own. Nothing really new here, just a very enjoyable tale.

I've enjoyed other books by this author, so I was excited to read this book. This was an interesting story in that none of the main characters were so closely based on a real person. It was well done and kept my interest throughout. It was definitely an unpredictable storyline, and I couldn't anticipate the plot twists, which I enjoyed. Definitely a solid women's historical fiction read.

So close to a 5 star with amazing details of the miniatures, and fascinating entrance to the world of making miniatures, but the connection of Tildy and Ben seemed extraneous and not necessary to the plot. The writing even seemed inserted by an editor’s suggestion.

The parts written about Cora held more of my attention with time period details and her work with service men. Reading this book opened up all new avenues of history and research to explore.
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me an advance peek into a fascinating fictional world with a sprinkle of history to explore on my own. Definitely a book for dollhouse enthusiasts and crafters of miniatures. Reading it Re-inspired me to look for museums housing miniatures.

📖 Book Review 📖 Over thirty years ago my
Mom built a dollhouse for me, complete with electrical wiring. It was a true labor of love and going to Doctor’s Dollhouse with her as she underwent this feat was such a privilege. It sat preserved in our basement until our girls were old enough and then it was passed down and nothing brings more joy than seeing my kids play with this heirloom. My mom died last year but a piece of her lives on in this special dollhouse she constructed. Elise Hooper’s The Library of Lost Dollhouses beautifully encapsulates this sense of nostalgia and creates a cathartic read, whisking readers away on a journey through the past through the story of lost dollhouses. Told in multiple timelines, Hooper connects the stories of women across generations in a masterful manner.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper was a must read for me! For one thing it combines libraries and dollhouses in one story! Written as a dual timeline we meet Tildy who is a curator at the library to beat all libraries in San Francisco. The description makes you want to get on a plane to visit this amazing building. One day Tildy finds a hidden room and discovers two dollhouses that are truly a work of art. Where did they come from and why are they hidden? And what is hidden in them? Loved this story!

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

When I first read this sentence of the synopsis of this book I know it was going to be a gem of a book. This book is definitely on to read if you love romance and secrets.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed reading this and traveling through the world in everyone’s stories. How experiencing tragedy and being transformed into the person they are and the choices they made. I would recommend this book to those who like historical fiction as well as LGBTQ, it had some relationships imbedded into the story.

Cora was by far my favorite, I just love the passion she had for making dollhouses for her customers a and adding details to put into perspective of that persons life and secrets.
Tildy was a great character and I enjoyed her evolution throughout the book.

Beautiful!
Magical!
Everything I wish for in a book!
"Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women of the past."

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is one of those books that goes back and forth in time, with two narrators slowly spinning out their stories. Tildy is a young librarian who discovers hidden dollhouses in a secret room in the library where she works. Her chapters are told in third person. Cora is the creator of the dollhouses. Her chapters are told in first person.

Tildy has a mysterious connection to the dollhouses that I found hard to accept. Cora has a deep dark secret, about a Bad Thing that she did under pressure, that I really found hard to believe. This is one of those books that very earnestly wants to show different people with different sexual interests in the past, and while inclusion is great, I found the way the author handled it got in the way of my immersion in the story at times.
For example, this passage reads to me like an author note, not something a teenaged girl sexually involved with a female friend would say:

“If such a Sapphic relationship sounds rather advanced, you might be surprised to learn our sudden intimacy didn’t raise any eyebrows. For two young single women of our era, chumminess easily entailed holding hands, even exchanging a few kisses on the cheek.” (p. 191 of the ARC)

There is also a lot of telling, telling, telling of things.

The book seemed well researched, and it was an easy read. I enjoyed the dollhouses and miniatures. But I had a hard time suspending my disbelief for some of the plot twists.

This book seemed like it should have been perfect for me, but we just didn’t click. However, I think it will find many readers who love it. It reminded me of The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis and books by Kate Morton. I read an advance reader copy from Netgalley.

In Elise Hooper's novel, The Library of Lost Dollhouses, Tildy is the dedicated head curator at the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library in San Francisco, and it's her job to know everything about the library. So she is shocked, one day, to find a secret room she never knew existed. In it she discovers a large, intricately detailed dollhouse, a miniature of the Paris home of library founder Belva LeFarge, including tiny copies of some of the paintings currently hanging in the library. A second dollhouse is even larger, in the fashion of a British country estate. Tildy is excited, imagining that a display of these dollhouses might help bolster the library's dwindling funds, but she is taken aback when she finds, in the LeFarge dollhouse, a small portrait that is instantly recognizable as her own deceased mother.

What follows is the tale of Tildy's attempt to look into the history of the dollhouses after discovering that the artist was Cora Hale. The story is told in two timelines--present day and the early to mid-20th century. Cora's life takes many fascinating turns, including interactions with real-life celebrities, travel, war, a celebrated painting, and romance. But dollhouses are her greatest passion, as she aims to incorporate in each one the hidden stories of its owner's life. We follow the lives of both Tildy and Cora and their families in alternating chapters, and it makes for a breathtaking, entertaining read. On one hand, I enjoyed following both women in their quests and their character development. But I equally enjoyed reading about the details of each dollhouse, which are beautifully described by the author, who based the story loosely on her research. I highly recommend it for readers who are looking for something unique.

My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of the book.

WOW! 5/5
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers, for an ARC of this wonderful story, The Library of Lost Dollhouses, by Elise Hooper, in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! About a year ago, I discovered a box of miniature dollhouse pieces when going through my dad’s house and I still remember the feeling of JOY as I unwrapped every amazing piece. Therefore, this title had me excited before I even made it to page 1.

Dual timelines:
2024 Tildy runs a library that, according to the author’s notes, is partially inspired by the Isabelle Stuart Gardner Museum. Tildy stumbles upon a hidden room within the Bel library – short for the Belva Curtis LaFarge library - where she finds two gorgeous dollhouses completely outfitted to look like a 1/12th size replica. Where did it come from and what is the story? As the story unfolded, we learned : “Each of the dollhouses in the Bel’s possession is here because their owner wanted their true stories to be told someday.”

1910: 17-year-old Cora Hale arrives in France after a scandal in NYC. Her parents are both gone, and she needs a place to stay where she can pursue her love of art. Madame Belva LaFarge takes an interest in young Cora and finds a way to ensure she can stay in her boarding house.

The majority of the story took place as we follow the amazing life of fictional Cora Hale, who the author made parallels to several women in history including Carrie Stetthheimer (1869-1944) a theater set designer who re-created her family home in miniature and commissioned several famous friends (so famous I have not heard of them, ha ha) to assist. Another character was modeled after Amelia Earhart and Osa Johnson.

I was lost in the story at many stages but do not want to spoil the parts in case any of you wish to read this when it is released in April, 2025. Any one commission would take YEARS to complete so Cora’s life story, in some ways, was told in stages. Each as if not more interesting than the last. It was fascinating to read about the process of making the pieces and as any good book will do, it had some wonderful relationships formed along the way.

As I often do, I will close my review with some of my favorite passages.

“In fact, dollhouses didn’t really become considered toys until after World War II when mass manufacturing made them affordable to produce. Before that, upper-class women were known to commission dollhouses to show off their wealth as status symbols.”

“There’s actually a psychological rationale to explain our affinity for small things: dollhouses offer us a sense of control and imagination. They can provide a feeling of agency. Miniatures allow us to create the world as we would like to see it.”

“The dollhouse had been the center of my life for three years. Miniatures had changed me. I viewed the world differently now. Everything I saw, no matter if it was a building or a hairbrush, I studied, wondering how I could miniaturize it.” NOTE: I felt this way after I started scrapbooking in the early 2000’s. I started to take pictures base on how I planned to present it on the pages so this passage resonated with me!

“We can get this going up to 28 miles per hour!” I won’t explain this one but it was funny.

A lovely story that stretches across time and Iives. Fiona Davis reminiscent. Touches on so many facets of lives lived and lost, great for curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and getting lost for an afternoon

Embued with wonder, this is a charming novel that manages to be both a page turner and an emotional exploration of women's desires throughout history. Hooper does a wonderful job of weaving the past and the present. The characters within these pages come to life beautifully. Highly recommended for fans of uplifting fiction and women's fiction.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

I loved everything about The Library of Lost Dollhouses, the original and interesting plot, how past and present are seamlessly woven, the depth of the characters, all women with different and interesting special lives, and of course the world of dollhouses and miniatures. I love how the story all comes together via different women, times, locations, and their desire to remain visible in a world so often women aren’t.

this was a great book! I love the wonder feeling when I go to a new library, and this book properly evoked that feeling. I loved the discovery of the miniature dollhouses and hidden secrets along the way. I enjoyed that this book was told through an alternating timeline way!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!