The Lost Bookshop: The most charming and uplifting novel of 2023 and the perfect gift for book lovers!

Martha has escaped from an abusive home, seeking refuge in Madame Bowden's house as a housekeeper. Henry is a Ph.D. student who is in a quest for an old lost manuscript, and a lost bookshop. When, the two strangers end up in search of a lost bookshop, which should have been next door to Madame Bowden's house, but isn't! However fate intertwines their paths in the search of the lost bookshop and missing manuscript. The secret becomes more intricate and profound as they begin to unravel it.What secret does the bookshop hold?This book is a charming novel blended with magical realism, historical fiction, bibliophilia, and romance. The story follows three main protagonists which are set in Dublin, London and Paris. It has multiple POVs with a dual timeline; it is narrated back and forth at alternative chapters. Opaline, is a headstrong character who built her own dream against all odds. Martha's character was a polar opposite to Opaline, she was naive and a girl with dreams, holding up to herself. Henry's character was full of ambition and charming. Madame Bowden is my favourite side character, she is quirky and mysterious. The character development was great, and the readers will get to know them throughout the book. The plot and the world build up was impeccable, with unexpected twists and turns. The magical element was subtle and charming. The author's writing was lyrical and whimsical. She also highlights female liberation, domestic abuse, healing and loss. The author was excellent at weaving stories inside a story. I love how beautifully she involved classical literature and those authors in it, which literally gave life to the plot. It was a heartwarming and heartbreaking read. Overall, I devoured every page of this book

One of the most magical books and stories I’ve ever read. It’s one of those where you stall the reading as you reach the end of it but cannot put the book down at the same time. The one that leaves your heart happy and full of magic.

This story had so much potential, the magical realism, the parallel timelines, the hunt for lost manuscripts…but unfortunately it all falls flat. Analyzing what went wrong for me, here’s what I have to say:1. Let’s start with Hanry’s POV, it was completely useless, his character in fact is an accessory only, he’s not bringing anything interesting to the story, and I don’t think he should have had his own POV. His chapters were quite boring and the plot would have moved along without them.2. We only scratch the surface of the situations and of the characters, we simply cannot grasp the depth on anything. There are big topics that the 2 main female characters live through (domestic violence, injustice imprisonment, loss of a child etc.), but they’re explored very lightly, as if their impact on Opaline and Martha is only a passing one, and not a deep, defining, life changing moment.3. There are many loose ends, who was Madam Bowden? Where did Mr Fitzpatrick go when Opaline disappeared? Why didn’t she reach out to him if she could apparently write letters? And so on..