Overall, what do you think of The Lost Bookshop? (no spoilers)

Overall, what do you think of The Lost Bookshop? (no spoilers, please)

I enjoyed this book very much and finished it quickly. I normally don’t like dual time lines, but for some unknown reason really enjoyed the dual timelines in this book

I really liked this book. The story was engaging. The characters were muti-dimensional, and the story intriguing. I enjoyed figuring out the deeper character connections before the end. I’m very glad to have spent the time reading it.

Let me know when spoilers can be discussed, or maybe a separate thread titled spoilers. I have a question that involves a spoiler.

Hi Karen, you can include spoilers in any topic except this one. We keep the "overall, what do you think" topic spoiler-free so that those who have not read the book have the opportunity to see what people are saying without the risk of learning about important plot details.

If you don't see a topic that fits your question, you can, if you wish, open one.

I very much enjoyed the book, read it all in two sittings. I thought the characters were realistic and well-drawn.

I loved the intertwining of timelines in the story and the subtle magical elements!

What an enjoyable book. Great character development. The book had a bit of magic, mystery, and romance. It was a great book to read during the holidays.

I enjoyed it. I liked the characters and their quirkiness. I liked the bit of mystery. I'm already passing it on to friends.

Overall, I think this is a very enjoyable book. The character development was excellent, and the magical elements did add a pleasant bit of mystery (although I do think the magical elements could have been developed and connected more fully.)

I also liked the literary research and sleuthing in the book. It added drama and tension.

I liked the book very much, loved/hated the characters, the magic was great, and the story in general, much as everyone else has mentioned before me, but I felt there were some unnecessary sub plots that could have been eliminated.

I adored this book. One of the best stories I have read in the last year or so. Many of my favorite topics are intertwined in this story, particularly the comfort of bookshops, old manuscripts from beloved authors, and mixed in is more than a little mystery, secrets, wonder and magical circumstances...what's not to love?

As readers we always suspend belief (in one way or another) when we enter the world of a book of fiction. We accept that this narrative is entirely possible no matter what the setting or circumstances or characters. I wanted to love this book (I want to love EVERY book I read) but I found that I only liked it a little. Since there are no spoilers allowed in this topic, I can only say I found one of the relationships in the story to be lacking in any true chemistry. Intellectually I understood the necessity of the liaison to the plot but I could not believe in it emotionally. Other than that, I mostly enjoyed the tale - anything with books and a bookshop will hold my interest on some level.

I loved the book and look forward to reading more by Evie Woods. It’s easy to enjoy a book that has dual time lines involving book stores, a little bit of magic and characters on the verge of great change.

I did not like this book very much as I thought that many scenes were underdeveloped and too many “branching” ideas led nowhere. I was fine with the time changes and the alterations between characters but, overall, the story seemed choppy and under-developed. I also questioned some of the statements made, for example, “His skin was rich and darker now, thanks to his travels, no doubt.....His hair shone like onyx...” What kind of traveling causes one’s skins to be rich and darker or hair to turn blacker? Is the author suggesting that he is tanned from being in warmer climates? But, hair generally gets lighter in more sunlight. Statements like these were jarring to me.

3 out of 5 stars

I enjoyed the elements of magic, romance, and mystery. I also appreciated the dual timeline. The main characters were fairly well-developed.

I thought there were several subjects that were not addressed by the end; which left me confused (Armand, Matthew, Mrs Bowden, Martha's education, Henry's father, etc). These were all sub-plots which were left under-developed and/or not fully addressed by the end.

Overall, I found the book to be very interesting and engaging. I read it quickly over two days. I liked the way the story had two timelines and was propelled forward by chapters dedicated to the main characters. However, I did find myself a bit confused as I read the final pages, not quite sure how it all tied together.

I was so looking forward to this book. It had such an interesting premise. Unfortunately the story did not hold my attention and this book was very difficult to finish.

I know I am in the minority here but I felt the writing was poor with so many plot holes that it made for a disjointed and confusing read. The characters are almost cartoonish, either overly dramatic or pathetically juvenile. A lot of minor characters and events are introduced that add nothing to the story and made me wonder if the author was somehow throwing in every random thought she had. Where was the editor in all this?

A book shop that slips in and out of existence revealing itself only to certain people throughout time should have been magical. There was nothing magical about this book except perhaps the cover.

I am not a romance reader, but this romagic book, with its twisting story lines, its clever repartee, was a fun, light read.

I thought it was a good book. The main characters were well developed. Some of the sub plots left some questions for me. Minor characters were not developed enough. I would recommend this book to a friend or family members just to get another opinion.

I feel that this book read more like a Lifetime movie and found myself distracted by other things - it did not draw me in. It was too easy to figure out what would happen next. I think it has the opportunity to become a richer, deeper experience if the author takes more time with character development. It has good bones and I was hoping it would get better.

I seem to gravitate to books about books in their various ways, shapes, and forms, and I was so glad that I read this one. Books can address significant issues, can delve into the nuances of relationships, and can be engaging and sometimes pleasantly stretch the imagination. Once adjusted to the changing timelines and associated character(s), I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will recommend it to others as well.

I liked the premise of a bookstore only being visible to some people and wondered how the bookstore chose who to reveal itself to. I felt the same about a particular character whose appearance mimicked the bookstore’s visibility restrictions. I also liked the dual timelines, but often had to go back to remind myself who was who.

It was a fun book juggling magic, mystery, and a manuscript; nothing amazing, but generally entertaining with some surprises and a few unanswered questions.

I enjoyed this book, but only after resigning myself to gloss over the less developed concepts of magical realism. I feel as if the author may have tried to write EVERYTHING in one tome, instead of fleshing it all out in a trilogy (maybe?). I am an avid reader, across many genres, and am rarely so confused by a good book. This was a good book, but because the author attempted to include so many elements that required more depth of development...it felt incomplete and confusing.

All the interesting comments in this section, especially the most recent one, helped clarify what unsettled me as I read this lovely book. It should have been a much longer stand alone novel or the first book in a series. The author's passion for her characters, serious issues, magical realism and books, books, books shines so brightly in this work. These are all things I love in a book but I had a feeling of whiplash almost. Just when I wanted to know more, just when she had hooked me completely, just when I fell in love with a character, place or situation... swoosh, we time traveled...check done, a problem was solved...bye, a character faded out of the story. I needed to learn more, savor more, spend more time with these people, places and issues. However, maybe the author's purpose was actually to produce just this reaction in her readers. Here I am, still thinking about her characters and their issues ...days after I closed the book!

I believe that books and stories, once read, will somehow leave a piece of them inside you. This one surely did, and will stay with me awhile. If one enjoys magical realism, this one is for you. For me, this began in slow motion and finally picked up speed midway through the book. That is when the 3 main characters, Opaline, Martha, and Henry really came to life along with the tale of the bookshop and its existence. I especially enjoyed the very last sentence! Don't read that sentence until you actually get there, part of the entire book could be a spoiler. I enjoyed this one and will read more by Evie Woods.

Having spent several days, exploring Dublin last spring and staying within steps of hay Penny bridge I was predisposed to like The Lost Bookshop. I enjoyed it on many levels. However, the author seemed to want to cover too many subjects.
It was difficult for me to believe how easily Opaline and Martha were able to extract themselves from the very difficult predicaments they found themselves in.

Having recently read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, I empathized with the situation in which Opaline found herself for many years.
Once I accepted the heavy use of magical realism, I began to enjoy the story more thoroughly.

I really really wanted to love this book. It had so much promise! But I agree with the other readers who said it tried to do too many things because in the end there were too many loose threads and too much confusion for me. On the plus side, it has definitely stuck with me and kept me thinking about all the story elements, but on the down side, much of what has stuck in my mind are all the places it didn't make sense or caused frustration--which do make it a great candidate for a book discussion but also a strong argument in favor of a better editor who could have worked with the author to resolve the issues pre-publication.