The Lost Bookshop: The most charming and uplifting novel for 2025 and the perfect gift for book lovers!

The story is told in alternating chapters, in the past with Opaline and in present day with Martha and Henry. From the very start of the novel I knew this was one I was going to love, and I absolutely did. Opaline is a wonderful character who in the 1920’s was very much for women doing it for themselves and finds herself leaving home after trying to be forced into a marriage she doesn’t want. Having always loved books and reading, she is keen to learn more about books and become a bit of a bookseller. Her story is very much an emotional one and a reminder of what it was like for a single woman living in that time. There is something magical about this story. Madam Bowman, who is just a brilliant character, adds an air of mystery and I loved her independence. You feel when Martha starts working for her that both need each other, as much as themselves and it makes for wonderful reading as some weird things happen in her home. Whilst Martha isn’t a lover of reading herself, she is quickly drawn into Henry’s quest for finding not only the vanishing bookshop but also a missing manuscript by one of the Bronte sisters. The Lost Bookshop is for booklovers everywhere. It’s hard to put into words just how fabulous this story is. It touches on some sensitive topics yet overall it’s uplifting and was a pure joy to read. It would make an absolutely brilliant film with the characters stealing bits of your heart. I’ve always been drawn to stories that feature bookshops and books at the heart of the story and this one is beautifully done and will stay with me for a long time to come. It’s one I want to read over and over again as it was just so good. Captivatingly good!

My Rating ~ 4.5* ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods published with One More Chapter (Harper Collins) on June 22nd and is described as 'The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary…evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.’ I have read the charming work of Evie Woods, as Evie Gaughan, and have been totally captivated by the magic and warmth that emanates from her stories. Both The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, set in France, and The Story Collector, set in Ireland, swept me up in their mysticism and escapism, taking me on wonderful adventures. When Evie writes about France, her storytelling is reminiscent of Joanne Harris’ Vianne Rocher novels (Chocolat, The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur le Cure & The Strawberry Thief) with sweeping imagery imbued with magical realism. In The Lost Bookshop, Evie combines France and her Irish roots into a beautifully woven tale that had me listening to Sidney Bechet and reminding me why I love his music and the gorgeous movie that is Midnight in Paris. The Lost Bookshop is a must for anyone who, like me, loves mention of the Lost Generation, Sylvia Beach and of an era when society and the arts carry a special kind of wonder and enchantment. Martha arrives in Dublin looking for shelter, looking to escape the life she has been living. She finds work as a housekeeper for an elderly lady, with sleeping arrangements included. The anonymity of the situation suits Martha. She wants to be invisible, she seeks silence, she needs safety. As the days pass she becomes more used to her new role, servicing the demands of her new boss, and she experiences a temporary peace in the cocoon of the basement where she resides. Henry arrives in Dublin from the UK in search of something. On the threshold of a big decision in his personal life, he needs this escape to Dublin to follow a thread, to uncover a piece of the past that he is finding challenging to get a solid hold of. Henry accidentally stumbles upon Martha. It’s very clear to Henry that Marth’s life has been difficult. She’s a fragile soul, one he is immediately drawn to for some inexplicable reason. Opaline is about to be married off in an arranged marriage, negotiated by her over-bearing brother. Opaline covets adventure and freedom, so she decides to take a leap of faith, escaping to the streets of Paris, to a city that is overflowing with culture and artistic souls. Her head spins when she first realises the enormity of her decision, but Opaline’s determination not to return home to a life of drudgery compels her forward into an unexpected, but very welcomed, turn of events. Martha, Henry and Opaline are oblivious to the invisible threads that bind them. As their stories unfold, we are transported back to Paris and Dublin in the 1920s and to a special bookshop that has rather extraordinary powers. Evie excels in creating escapist worlds where anything can happen, if you just believe. Not shying away from tough themes, Evie combines the hardship and reality of life with warmth and magic, creating a wonderful reading experience that dips into the mysterious and the curious. The Lost Bookshop is a joy to read, a seductive tale that sparks the imagination, a truly immersive and charismatic read of self-discovery and strength imbued with a sense of hope and passion. On publication eve, Evie wrote a gorgeous blog post over her website, Solstice, where she reflects on the journey that got her to this point, which I think really highlights the passion and the dreams of a beautiful person, both inside and out. ‘This book has my heart and soul inside of it, the sun, moon and stars. The rejection, the pain, the hurting; as well as the hope, love and wisdom I’ve gained. I’ve found it hard to let go and enjoy the moment. I realise tonight that it’s because it means so very much to me. It’s not a simple fact of raising a glass and toasting a job well done. It’s a lifetime of searching for a way to outwardly express the inner landscape of emotion through creative endeavour. It’s a jumble of heart and mind. It’s everything. And for once, I’d like to feel that. All of it.’

‘On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…’ - The Lost Bookshop’ by Evie Woods. I combined reading with its unabridged audiobook edition, narrated by Avena Mansergh-Wallace, Olivia Mace, and Nick Biadon. The story of the lost bookshop is told by three characters. In the Prologue we are introduced to Martha, who runs Opaline’s Bookshop in present day Dublin. We then move back in time to 1921 where Opaline Carlisle shares the story of her love of books and how following the death of her father, her brother had sought to marry her off. She runs away from home and finds her way to Paris. There she works in a bookshop and begins a fledgling career as a book dealer. We then return to Martha nine months prior to the Prologue. Escaping an abusive marriage, she takes the position of housekeeper to Mrs. Bowen, an elderly woman living in a Georgian house in Ha'penny Lane, Dublin. The third narrative voice is Henry Field, a British academic in search of a lost manuscript. His only clue to its whereabouts is a letter from one of the world’s most successful rare book dealers to Miss Opaline Gray, a bookshop owner in Ha'penny Lane, Dublin. The evening he arrives in Dublin Henry has an unusual experience when he is dropped off in Ha'penny Lane. He enters the bookshop then suddenly finds himself back outside. Too many G&Ts on the flight? In the light of day he discovers that the bookshop’s address is waste ground. It is located next door to Mrs. Bowen’s and he soon meets Martha, who at first believes him to be a Peeping Tom! I won’t say more to avoid spoilers. The chapters cycle between the three main characters and between the past and present. It becomes obvious that there is something strange about the bookshop, including other reports of people walking into it but it then disappearing. Then there are the tree roots seemingly growing from the ceiling of Martha’s room and the tattoo on her back that has begun changing on its own. I appreciated the aspects of magical realism found throughout the novel. It can be a delicate balance to integrate these elements without entering into full-on fantasy fiction. I felt that Evie Woods succeeded in creating a subtle sense of wonder. With respect to the audiobook, I was glad that there were three readers, each narrating one of the main characters. While this was my first experience of all three, I felt that they did well including with the various characters’ accents. Overall, I enjoyed ‘The Lost Bookshop’ and found it an engaging read. Throughout the story celebrates books and the love of reading and that always appeals to me. As a result, I expect that it will prove a popular choice with reading groups and I plan to suggest it to my own. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

A good read, great characters and descriptions that bring everything to life. My greatest compliment: I will read it again.

Granted this book took a bit of a push for me to get through but I am so glad I did. The story is slow but the more you read, the deeper you get invested. You go through a journey between past and present that all intertwine in their own mysterious ways. The bookshop itself is the source of one of the most interesting stories of it's own, as we see Opaline endure a long and heartbreaking journey to find her own happy ending. Then we have Martha and Henry, an unlikely duo with their own history to unfold, as they try to uncover the secrets of the lost bookshop which would lead them to some unlikely places. The characters pull you in but I personally found them difficult to like until later on in the book. I preferred the story of Opaline more than Martha and Henry, and almost found myself pushing through their parts to get back to Opaline. The ending, while it tied up most of the loose ends, I found it felt more rushed than anything and some of the loose ends that were tied up didn't feel fully closed. I still enjoyed it and found it interesting for the most part but I can't say it will be sticking into my memory too strongly. Nevertheless, it's a lovely book, and it has plenty to love within the pages. The mystery of the bookshop and the manuscript, the trials of Opaline and the great search through time by an unlikely pair.

A charming layered book intertwining several stories and timelines with a touch of magical realism and with a satisfying denouement. Sometimes the subplots and the various manuscripts got confusing. Mostly I liked Opaline's story and her independence but the way she melted into every man's arms was a bit annoying. But I suppose this reflected the role and notions of women at the time, although she did try and break free from it. Martha and Henry's characters were intriguing and more nuanced, with some great witty exchanges. However I did pick up several inexcusable formatting and prochronistic errors which is a real bugbear of mine. For instance, on page 230 Opaline mentions she has to 'read the room'. On 233 she says 'you cannot be serious?' in 1920s Dublin which seems to have escaped directly from the John McEnroe repertoire. Once night have been forgiven but she says it again on page 289, again in the 1920s. Then on p 373 she states that 'I need to own my story' which is far too 21st century, not 1940s. Again, on page 353, Josef 'put down what he was doing and came to me, putting his arms around me. I was a little stunned at the proximity, but it felt overwhelmingly good to have human contact again...'. But just three pages Opaline seems to have completely forgotten such a memorable embrace and any previous contact with him. 'I ran to him, threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. It was the first time we had even touched...' On p 345 'the front door opened' begins with a lower case 't' at the start of a sentence and on p 355 'simple and sufficient' is indented and shouldn't be. These glaring errors let it down. For that reason, I have dropped a star.

Absolutely love this book, I just could not put down, the short chapters are about the 3 characters, keeps you guessing, the characters are very interesting, well written definitely recommend this author

This is an amazing story about books, love, a vanishing bookshop and discovery and I loved every word. This is not the first time I have read anything by this author, the first time was The Story Collector which was another beautiful story. The Lost Bookshop is something Henry has been searching for, he has followed manuscripts, links, leads and rumours to find its whereabouts yet to no avail. Martha is also trying to hide and finds herself working for Mrs Bowden as her housekeeper. She has found her own version of a new life and yet keeps her head down. Opaline is a character who is from the past, she works in France for the Shakespeare and Company bookshop, another one who is trying to escape from her past. While these three are the main characters, there are some amazing others that the author has drawn into her storyline. Opaline's story is of her brothers' trying to force her into an arranged marriage, but being the 1920s Poaline has other ideas. Henry is struggling with something that has happened in his past, just as Martha is but for different reasons. These three characters tell their story in their own voices so you do get a personal sense of narration. As well as having three different voices there are also two timelines, this may sound as if it starting to become a little complex but it honestly is not. The author has woven it brilliantly and I soon found myself automatically recognising the different voices and timelines. The story is about finding your own future and having the confidence to take the steps forward on that path. Sometimes a little nudge is needed. The Lost Bookshop is a character in its own right, it is an amazing sounding place and it becomes what it needs to be when it is needed. A truly fantastical-sounding place that I would love to visit. A mix of historical fiction, romance, fantasy and contemporary fiction. I adored this one a huge amount and I would highly recommend it.