Rachel Reviews: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

It's always telling how good a book is if you are able to read it quickly and that was the case for me and The Lost Bookshop. It was a really nice novel, which in itself, sounds like a fatuous and trite assessment of something which doesn't really have a lot about it at all.

But that was very much NOT the case with this.

The book concerns itself with three main characters and their stories: Martha, Henry and Opaline. The story actually begins with Martha and a schoolboy entering her shop and so, the novel leads us back to this spot via an extremely circuitous but entertaining route.

Ward takes us into Martha's past and to her arrival in Dublin. Martha finds herself a job as a housekeeper and shortly after, encounters Henry who is on a quest to find a lost bookshop. Intrigued by what Henry claims, that there should be a bookshop near to where he stands outside Martha's window (there is no sign of it), Martha becomes friends with Henry and they find their lives inextricably linked.

Opaline's story is brought to the forefront by Henry's curiosity about the lost bookshop, Opaline having been the owner of it at one time and so, Ward takes us through Opaline's life, her loves, her trials and her shows of strength, as she lives a life devoted to rare books and their purchase and sale.

Things that I liked about this book are numerous: I loved all of the characters bar the baddies, who are easily recognisable for the bullies they are. The banter that Ward creates make the heroes seem real and funny and vulnerable but determined to overcome - a winsome combination.

I loved the thread of magic realism which permeates the book and there are lots of lovely touches which echo throughout, reappearing when the plot requires it.

It's not all light: there is dark subject matter too, concerning mental health issues and also the abuse of responsible positions but this is part of the story rather than a focus and drives the plot.

All in all, this was a good read. I would look to read Ward again, probably for the interaction between characters more than anything else; and because her novel, this time, had lightness and goodness in it and a touch of magic and we all need that.

Oh, and books.

Rachel Rating: 4/5 stars

This review was first published on Reedsy Discovery:

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