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Book Summary and Reviews of The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

The Lost and Found Bookshop

by Susan Wiggs

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  • Jul 2020, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In this thought-provoking, wise and emotionally rich novel, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself as she asks the question, "If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?"

There is a book for everything...

Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, there was a book that embodied exactly the things she was worrying about.

In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Natalie Harper inherits her mother's charming but financially strapped bookshop in San Francisco. She also becomes caretaker for her ailing grandfather Andrew, her only living relative—not counting her scoundrel father.

But the gruff, deeply kind Andrew has begun displaying signs of decline. Natalie thinks it's best to move him to an assisted living facility to ensure the care he needs. To pay for it, she plans to close the bookstore and sell the derelict but valuable building on historic Perdita Street, which is in need of constant fixing. There's only one problem–Grandpa Andrew owns the building and refuses to sell. Natalie adores her grandfather; she'll do whatever it takes to make his final years happy. Besides, she loves the store and its books provide welcome solace for her overwhelming grief.

After she moves into the small studio apartment above the shop, Natalie carries out her grandfather's request and hires contractor Peach Gallagher to do the necessary and ongoing repairs. His young daughter, Dorothy, also becomes a regular at the store, and she and Natalie begin reading together while Peach works.

To Natalie's surprise, her sorrow begins to dissipate as her life becomes an unexpected journey of new connections, discoveries and revelations, from unearthing artifacts hidden in the bookshop's walls, to discovering the truth about her family, her future, and her own heart.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[Wiggs'] sophisticated prose filled with quaint book and author quotes tells the delightful tale of an accidental, reluctant bookshop owner, her beautiful yet unconventional family...An unputdownable, true book lover's book that fans of women's fiction, slow-burning romance, and the novels of Nora Roberts and Kristin Hannah will love." - Library Journal (starred review)

"A gentle love story perfect for anyone looking for love amid personal, family, and financial crises." - Kirkus Reviews

"A wonderful exploration of the past and the future and, most importantly, of what it means to be present in the here and now. Full of the love of words, the love of family, and the love of falling in love, The Lost and Found Bookshop is a big-hearted gem of a novel that will satisfy and entertain readers from all walks of life. Lovely!" - Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing In The Rain

"What a warm and deeply satisfying story! Reading it is like feeling the summer sun after a long winter." - Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of The Scent Keeper

This information about The Lost and Found Bookshop was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

LOVED IT - ELIZABETH @SILVER'S REVIEWS
Who wouldn’t want to own a bookshop? That is a dream job.

Natalie, Blythe’s mother, did follow her dream, but at times her dream was at the expense of her daughter.

A tragedy left Natalie with her mother gone, her beloved grandfather to care for, and a bookshop that her mother left deep in debt.

Since Natalie grew up with books, she wanted to try something else in her life instead of her successful, tedious job and took over the bookshop that had been in the family for three generations.

Natalie knew the ancient bookshop is where she should be, and she found more than books in this bookshop.

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP has the reader following Natalie with her decisions about the bookshop and her life.

You’ll fall in love with the bookshop and all the characters.

Who doesn’t love a book that has a bookshop in it?

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP is a sweet read focusing on family, life choices, and choosing what makes you happy.

If you need a feel good read, be sure to add this book to your must-read list for the summer.

THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP has it all: love, books, and anything sweet and heartwarming that you can think of.

ENJOY when you read it. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

H L Myers

Disappointed.
I thought this was a pretty good read. Then near the end, the 2 protagonists used a contraband substance and that totally changed my opinion. It was not necessary, and did nothing to enhance the plot.I still haven't figured out why the author felt this was needed in the story.

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Author Information

Susan Wiggs

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends…and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and in good weather, she commutes to her writers' group in a 21-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today, has given programs for the US Embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and is a popular speaker locally, nationally, internationally, and on the high seas.

From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family and the fascinating nuances of human nature. Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries and languages. According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable."

Her novels have appeared in the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List, and have captured readers' hearts around the globe with translations into more than 20 languages and 30 countries. She is a three-time winner of the RITA Award. Her recent novel, The Apple Orchard, is currently being made into a film, and The Lakeshore Chronicles has been optioned for adaptation into a series.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. She lives on an island in Puget Sound, where she divides her time between sleeping and waking.

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