What did you make of the magical elements in the book?

What did you make of the magical elements in the book? Did they add to your experience of the bookshop?

I always like a little bit of magic in a book. Fun!

I usually like some magical realism in a book, but I thought the magical elements weren't always well thought through in this one. For example, the tattoos that magically appeared on her back. Not much plot development happened because of that. I felt that the magical elements could have been more dynamic in spicing up the plot.

Another example: Madame Bowden. Why did she need to disappear? And why did her disappearance cause so little concern? In a few sentences, they decide she was magical, in a quite matter of fact way. There should be more wonder and drama about magical events like that.

They weren't my favorite part of the book but I appreciated them. They worked in this story and opened my mind to not automatically dismissing a book with these elements.

As a dedicated follower of Alice Hoffman's work, it was easy for me to embrace the magical elements in the book, of which there were many. Martha's life, especially, was immersed in it in that she could hear messages, which she had tattooed on her back, and read minds, which interestingly abandoned her once she became emotionally involved with someone. The noisy growth of branches on her wall and in her room wasn't frightening or particularly disconcerting to her. Now that's somebody who lives comfortably with magic.

Was Madame Bowden linked to any one in the past time line?

I normally don't like magical realism at all, but in this case I did enjoy it.

The magical elements were brilliantly woven into the story in a decidedly subtle way making the reader want to read a passage more than once to experience the full effect. I love when a book makes you want to read something again, giving you a different perspective.

I’m a life-long avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction. However,
until I read The Lost Bookshop, I’ve avoided the fantasy genre that includes magic, supernatural, imaginary, “anything is possible” elements. This is probably because I’m very left-brained which makes unreal characters, plot, settings an obstacle to immersing myself in the book.

Somehow, The Lost Bookshop was fairly easy for me to enjoy. I’m wondering if perhaps it’s fantasy “lite”? If so, maybe I’ve taken my first step in a new-to-me genre!

I agree with BornToRead that the tattoos on Martha’s back and some of the other magical elements were not well developed. I felt that many of these elements felt awkward and should have been either left out or better developed. For example, whatever was the point of that staircase from the attic or even that whole scene?

I agree with Cynthia. I also read Alice Hoffman, so I just fell right inline with the magical elements. I enjoyed piecing together the generational relationships before the denouements. The magical elements gave it a lovely sparkle, making it different from other books and broadening the possibilities in a wonderful way.

Mostly I enjoyed the magical elements. Like Borntoread, I felt like some of the magic was under-developed or never truly explained. I would've liked more information on Mrs Bowden (as karenriccio said)...was she connected to one of the past characters, or the bookshop, or the building in Italy?

Also, the tree growing in the apartment was a bit too out there for me.

This was a different book for me. It was whimsical in just the right places. It did set my imagination running while reading the book…..what a great puzzle it would be if a lost bookstore was actually possible anywhere in the world. A definite adventure!

I enjoy magical elements in a book as long as it is not too much. The Lost Bookshop was a well balanced and enhanced with the magical.

At first I was not as interested in the magic of the book but as I read further, these instances of the disappearing bookshop, the tattoos that told a story on Martha’s back and the mysterious Mrs Bowden created a wonderful and whimsical story. I enjoyed the book-a perfect read for book lovers.

Although I enjoyed this book, the magical realism elements were lost on me. There was already so much to follow, considering the multiple timelines and character connections. I don't feel like the author left room to develop and follow through on the magical realism elements. I found the concepts of magical tattoos, a disappearing bookshop, telepathic time hopping memories, and other magical elements quite intriguing. Unfortunately, they were poorly developed and only served to confuse me as a reader. Maybe a prequel could help the author flesh out these concepts, and help readers to better follow the threads of magical realism in "The Lost Bookshop".

I generally love magical realism, but I agree with Borntoread and AuADHDlibrarian that the magical elements here weren't always developed well enough. Like, how could the house save Martha from Shane but couldn't protect Opaline from Lyndon? Or, were the house and the bookshop the same, just transformed, or did the bookshop go in and out of existence next door? The basement apartment and the staircase scene at the end confused me on that point. I was totally fine with the many (many) mysteries until I got to the end of the book and realized that the threads weren't all going to connect. Then I just felt frustrated.