The Lost History of Dreams immersed me in its dark, brooding atmosphere from the very beginning, pulling me into this story of ghosts and doomed love. Reminiscent of classic gothic novels like Wuthering Heights and the more modern works of Victoria Holt, it was fascinating and disturbing, with mysteries, twists, and breathtaking apprehension. Be prepared to get lost in phantoms and poetry...and you might want to leave the lights on....

An unusual love story wrapped in a ghost story. We often forget how obsessed the Victorians were with the dead and the macabre. Waldherr has mined that well for this tale of Hugh de Bonne and his wife Ada. The story is told by Isabelle, Ada's niece, to Hugh's cousin, Robert, who is mourning his own damaged relationship with his wife Sida. Set on moors of Shropshire, it calls forth all the gothic romances and then throws in a curve or two. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good characters, a tricky story, and wonderful writing made this a fun read for me.

This book needs to be read, while sitting in a bay window, overlooking a raging sea, wrapped up in a blanket. It's Gothic storytelling that should be kept on the shelf next to Rebecca, Wuthering Heights and The Woman in White.

Tragic love stories, a photographer of the dead, a seemingly easy yet morbid errand...it's everything I have every loved.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Kris Waldherr for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love Kris Waldherr’s nonfiction and her fiction debut was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. The story tells of a historian who unlauers the secrets between his cousin, Hugh and Hugh’s wife, Ada. The story was very enthralling and mysterious and kept me wanting to know more about the truth between Hugh and Ada! This novel will appeal to not only fans of gothic fiction but also Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, and Simone St. James.

"A post-mortem photographer unearths dark secrets of the past that may hold the key to his future, in this captivating debut novel in the Gothic tradition of Wuthering Heights and The Thirteenth Tale.

All love stories are ghost stories in disguise.

When famed Byronesque poet Hugh de Bonne is discovered dead of a heart attack in his bath one morning, his cousin Robert Highstead, a historian turned post-mortem photographer, is charged with a simple task: transport Hugh’s remains for burial in a chapel. This chapel, a stained glass folly set on the moors of Shropshire, was built by de Bonne sixteen years earlier to house the remains of his beloved wife and muse, Ada. Since then, the chapel has been locked and abandoned, a pilgrimage site for the rabid fans of de Bonne’s last book, The Lost History of Dreams.

However, Ada’s grief-stricken niece refuses to open the glass chapel for Robert unless he agrees to her bargain: before he can lay Hugh to rest, Robert must record Isabelle’s story of Ada and Hugh’s ill-fated marriage over the course of five nights.

As the mystery of Ada and Hugh’s relationship unfolds, so does the secret behind Robert’s own marriage - including that of his fragile wife, Sida, who has not been the same since the tragic accident three years ago, and the origins of his own morbid profession that has him seeing things he shouldn’t - things from beyond the grave.

Kris Waldherr effortlessly spins a sweeping and atmospheric Gothic mystery about love and loss that blurs the line between the past and the present, truth and fiction, and ultimately, life and death."

I was sold with post-mortem photographer, and all the other Gothic goodness steeped on top? Cherry on the sundae!

The Lost History of Dreams is a dream like tale. I love the cover first of all. Beautiful colors and so Victorian! The story is well written and very intriguing while also strange. It presents a premise that is just a bit fact and fiction, living and dead, waking and dreaming. The vibe is gothic and surreal. It's an interesting read that's different from other things I've read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and via the author herself.
This book will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very end! The complexity of the characters was spellbinding. The layers upon layers of intrigue was captivating. The passion, greed, duplicity, and loneliness meld together into a fantastic journey. A wonderful, enjoyable read that is not to be missed.

I was given a ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Waldherr gives us his best with this quintessential Victorian mystery. You won't be able to put his one down so be ready to read all nite.

I received this from Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Robert's wife died three years ago and to cope with the grief, he became interested in taking photos of the dead. Then he is called upon to take a picture of his cousin and also make sure he is buried with his already dead wife, Ada. However, Ada’s grief-stricken niece refuses to open the glass chapel for Robert unless he agrees to her bargain.

An okay gothic story. The atmosphere was good but at about the half-way point, it really began to drag and it was an effort to finish the book. The story kept looping back on itself as it was told from different angles and timelines which gave the story the feeling of being repeated over and over.


3 stars

This book was good but a little hard for me to get into. I am not sure if it is because of the theme or that is was a little slow for me. It was also more of a mystery than a historical book.

Wonderfully rich and original, with a gorgeously rendered sense of time and place and a suspense heartbeat which is enthralling. Highly recommended!

This is a beautiful gothic tale full of mystery. It seems at times a ghost story or maybe just a mystery waiting to be solved. The best part was it is a book about a book. I loved it.

Definitely a great read with a darker side of Victorian England. Is this a love story or a ghost story? I’ll let you decide.
I love this era and the gothic romance genre was new to me. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book, right up to the point when Robert makes peace with his ghost. From there I just felt like the story just kept going without really going anywhere. The remainder could have been wrapped up much more quickly without rehashing so much. I really began to just not care who Isabelle was/is. The writing was creative and painted a wonderful image.

Review for: The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr
This is the first book I have read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. The Story begins with Robert Highstead who current employment is a daguerreotypist of the dead. You soon find out he is haunted mentally and physically. After receiving a letter from his brother to daguerreotype a cousin he has never met and didn't know existed, there is the twist. It just isn't that simple, in comes a group of characters that are strange, exciting.and keep many secrets. This was a book I could not stop thinking of and found myself staying up way too late to finish that next chapter. You will enjoy this story. Thank you NetGalley and Publishers Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful Gothic tale perfect for these winter nights.

The Lost History of Dreams it a complex historical novel. At the book's heart it is the story of Victorian poet Hugh de Bonne and his wife, both deceased too young. Hugh's cousin, Robert, a postmortem photographer, is tasked with transporting Hugh's body. In the process he discovers a mysterious woman who has a story about Hugh and Ada to tell, a beautiful chapel made of glass, and a ghost (or two).

This is such an unusual novel. It started slowly for me, but as I got into the book I found myself reading at odd hours (sometimes in the middle of the night) because I had to know what happened next. It is gothic, like The Thirteenth Tale, but also has a literary subtext, like Possession.

There are layers on layers of story, peeled back slowly over the pages of this book. The language is beautiful, like poetry. "All love stories are ghost stories in disguise."

This is a must read for fans of gothic historical fiction. I can't wait for friends to discover it and read it ... I look forward to talking about the nuances and surprises in these pages.

THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS is a brilliantly crafted beauty of a work. It reminds me of my favorite Sarah Waters works, with its nested stories that are so rich in atmosphere, yet steeped in heart (oh, dear Sida & Robert). It is a gorgeous addition to the tradition of my all-time gothic favorites like The Thirteenth Tale. I know I will return to it again, simply to fall back into its lush world.

The details add a delicious texture: Ada’s Folly. The pilgrims. The eye miniatures. And of course, there are lines & paragraphs that will be imprinted on my memory forever, like: “All houses have a story to tell… Some houses are akin to fairy tales, as many claim of Ada’s Folly. Other houses are structured like poems, with rooms devoted to beauty but lacking in function. However, only a few houses offer ghost stories. They’re built to be trampled by sorrow and loss. And that’s what you’ll find deep within the very walls and doors of Weald House: a ghost story begun from love.”

As Waldherr writes, “How can there be so much beauty in this world amid so much sorrow? The only solution was to create more beauty.”

She has done just that. I know that so many readers will be moved by this astonishing work.

Reminiscent of the Thirteenth Tale with a bit of the supernatural added for atmosphere. Fully developed characters along with a creepy house on the moors make this an enjoyable read.

What a rich, precise world Kris Waldherr has created here – what an astounding accomplishment! Stunning to witness