By SANDY MAHAFFEY FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR
Have you ever read a book that made a major impact on your life? A book that you just couldn’t get out of your thoughts? A book that transformed your perspective on your life?

Cathy Bonidan’s “The Lost Manuscript” is about such a book, and it is wonderful.

Anne–Lise Briard books a solo holiday on the Brittany coast. Looking for something to read, she discovers an abandoned manuscript in the nightstand drawer and finds herself transfixed by the story. An address written on one of the pages leads to the first of many letters. Hoping it is the address of the unknown author, she writes, telling him of the power the book has over her.

This is the first of many letters, as she and the author find their way to locating the many people who touched and were touched by the manuscript after the author lost it in on a flight to Montreal. Eventually, those who had possession of it tell their tales in the epistolary novel.

There are people with broken hearts, in love, grieving, frustrated and with regrets. The manuscript touched them all in some way, making their lives better, their spirits higher and their outlook more hopeful.

Through those letters, Bonidan presents a number of quirky, beautifully drawn characters as they appear while Anne–Lise follows the trail of the manuscript. Their lives were all enriched by the time they had it, and mine was enriched by reading about it.

The tale of this literary mystery is enchanting, uplifting and very difficult to put down. It will tug at your heart and bring you joy.

Sandy Mahaffey is former Books editor with the Free Lance–Star.

This was a lovely book, made more interesting in some ways due to the audiobook presentation. It had multiple narrators allowing me to keep the characters straight and to visualize their interaction as their inflections communicated their joy and displeasure well.
Overall though, the storyline wasn't as engaging as I was hoping it would be. It is a lovely tale about a found manuscript and the circuitous route it took through various people and the impact it had on each of their lives. Both by the reading and by the connections the people found with each other as they went on a journey of discovery of exactly how the manuscript got to where it was.
I love epistolary novels, and so that is one reason why the audio book wasn't as magical as it could have been had I read the words on the page. Also the large number of characters makes it difficult to make close connections with any of them.
Overall this is a sweet tale about connecting in unique and interesting ways.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan:
Anne-Lise finds a manuscript in a hotel and sets out to find the author. Told through letters/emails, fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will rejoice!
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A slow burn, but well written and captivating story. Through each correspondence Anne-Lise is able to unravel the mysterious path the lost manuscript took. While different than what I was expecting. The main character is a manuscript, what’s not to love? Plus the manuscript traveled as it moved from one person to another. The setting was France, and the French author made the culture and setting come alive (I was nostalgic remembering our trip to the Normadie region in 2014).
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A huge thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an epistolary story that unfolds as letters exchanged between characters.  I had no clue about this from reading the description of the book and went into it so excited after being hooked by the premise. 
After seeing that it is in fact told through letters, I was immediately disheartened.  I have never liked this form of narrative as a reader, but some people love it.  I found it very hard to connect to the characters, since you are only presented with a one-sided, flat view of them through letters.  The voices portrayed in the letters are disingenuous and at times hard to take seriously.  I never was transported through the letters to an immersive story.  Sadly, it felt like I had ended up reading these exchanges and just not caring what happened in the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Marten's Press for the advanced review copy.

A huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This novel begins with a story about another novel. Anne- Liese discovers a mysterious manuscript while on vacation. It's a manuscript that affects her profoundly, and it provides an escape from the mundane stresses of her life. 

The story unfolds in epistolary form through a series of letters as Anne-Liese attempts to ferret out the author's identity. The journey of the manuscript through a series of disconnected readers evolves into its own story. Along the way, lives are fundamentally changed, internal battles are waged, and the fragility of the human condition is exposed.

At its heart, this is a story for bibliophiles everywhere. It is a story about the power of words to transform our lives, and a celebration of the meaning and purpose books bring to our lives.

"The Lost Manuscript" is a novel written in the form of a series of letters. These are exchanged among a group of people who are tied together by a manuscript, which was lost many years ago and has resurfaced. The finder of the manuscript writes to the original author, and then commences on a journey to trace the path of the manuscript, from its origin to present day. In the process, lives are affected and connected in many ways. 

Once the reader gets to know the people in the novel, he or she will begin to understand the meaning of the letters. The connections among the different writers will become clear. Readers are encouraged to hang in there to consider how the manuscript has affected and changed lives.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I received this book "The Lost Manuscript" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed reading this book. The concept was different. I liked how the manuscript touched upon the different characters and brought them each something they needed. It was a nice light read which we all need sometimes.

A feel good story that would go perfect with a nice warm cup of soup!
Imagine if you will uncovering a manuscript in a bedroom dresser drawer without a clue about the history behind it or the writer to attribute credit be properly given.
This writing was lost for over thirty years until it was located on vacation by Anne-Lise Briard after being lost on a voyage to Montreal.
As if that wasn't enough to entice you to pick up this book the latter half of the manuscript was written entirely by someone else.
Now, it's up to the readers, Cathy Bonidan, and the characters in this important piece to lay out the history behind this fairy tale scene.
This books has touched countless lives but the speaker's voices ring off every page as the person(s) behind this novel have a story to tell.
With precision, class, dignity, love as friendships are formed and lives are changed by way of letters, emails, and in person correspondence that travels across the globe.
It's etched into the minds of all those involved and all those whose lives have been touched by its words.
Thank you to Cathy, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Such a cute novel about a lost manuscript finding its way home while bringing people together. I was in a binge of novels which looked at bookish people while reading this... it didn’t fully stand out sadly as a fave of those books but it was still enjoyable and worth the read!

A charmingly different book that reveals how a manuscript found after being missing for 30 years can influence and impact the lives of those who try to unravel its mysterious journey.
Translated from the French, Manuscript uses the almost extinct form of letter writing to tell the story as led by Anne-Lise Briard one character after another writes in and reveals their connection to the book..
Well written and well translated, it slowsdown just a bit about 3/4 of the way thru, but like another "letter writing book", 84 Charing Cross, this one is worth reading to the end.
4.5🌟

The Lost Manuscript is a delightful novel the follows the story of Anne-Lise after she finds a manuscript left behind in a hotel desk drawer.  She figures out who the original author is, and then begins sleuthing about to discover how it wound up in the hotel.  Her search takes her back three decades, and along the way she meets a varied cast of characters, each with their own stories and secrets.

It is a lovely novel, and easy, quick read, and a book that makes you believe in destiny and fate.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.  All opinions are my own.

I am currently reading THE LOST MANUSCRIPT by Cathy Bonidan; thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC to review. It’s definitely a bit slower-paced than I usually prefer, but I’m loving the concept and the epistolary style. Anne-Lise finds a manuscript in her hotel room while on vacation; there is an address on it - so she sends it back to the owner. However, through their pen-pal relationship, she discovers the manuscript was lost 30 years ago…and it was not complete at the time. So, Anne-Lise starts off on an adventure to find out where the manuscript had been in the last three decades and, more importantly, who finished the novel?

It is a charming, little book that really is about the ability books have to bring people together and change the course of their lives. It was just a lovely, cozy read, and I loved watching the two main character's relationship unfold through their letters.

Anne-Lise Briard is vacationing for a few days when, seeking nighttime reading material, chances upon an unpublished manuscript in the bedside drawer of her hotel room. Intrigued by the novel, she writes a letter to an address tucked into the manuscript and soon embarks on an obsession to discover the manuscript's history and journey to the coast.  

Although the address leads her quickly to the author of the original manuscript, she learns that he only wrote the first half of the story, so Anne-Lise becomes determined to track down the author of the other portion, engaging her best friend in the search and accumulating a collection of  new friends and acquaintances. 

Told in epistolary form, which limits descriptions of character and setting, and completely eliminates dialogue, THE LOST MANUSCRIPT is a unique, engaging book. I expected to love it, but only liked it. Anne-Lise came across as self-conscious, prickly, and a little annoying. This version is translated from the original French, so perhaps some of the original voice was lost in translation. #TheLostManuscript #NetGalley

One of my favorite books! I adore the message of this book. It touched my heart, and I was a huge fan of the author's depiction of the connectivity books bring us. A delightful read full of heart and warmth; perfect for book lovers!

This was a sweet story and reminded me on a romance genre version of the book of lost names. Loved and will recommend!

This was a completely delightful yet poignant story. The overarching mystery of the manuscript was wonderful and so fun for book lovers and anyone who has ever felt connected to or changed by a book. The characters felt so distinct and full, even though we only got to know them through letter. This book was exactly what I needed for the times right now.

A manuscript’s journey than spans decades set the scene for this tale. What would you do if you came across a book’s manuscript randomly while you were on vacation? The story is set out to find what happens after a woman finds a manuscript and sends it back to its original author. She finds him easily due to the address found on one of the pages, but there is a twist where there is actually a second author for the ending of the book and the original author never finished his work. Our tale takes place in a series of letters as the woman sets out on a quest to find not only the identity of the second author, but also how the manuscript ended up at point B from its origin as point A.

Anne-Lise Briard (her maiden name as I do not recall her married name given) is on vacation in the Brittany Coast at the Beau Rivage Hotel in room 128. When she opened one of the bedside drawers, she discovered a manuscript. Her curiosity piqued and she read the pages and became entranced in the story of romance. While reading she comes across a page with an address written on it before the writing style and formatting changes towards the end of the book as if the same person as the first did not write it. She decides the manuscript is not to keep and it belongs with its author so she mails it along with a letter to the address found written on one of its pages. This sets the story in motion and more characters are introduced as we follow the manuscript’s journey from its origin in Montreal, Canada, while the author was on a trip, to the peaceful and quiet Brittany Coast in France.

The story begins with Anne-Lise and her best friend Maggy as the known character. Maggy lives a quiet life on the Brittany Coast near the very hotel that starts our story. As the novel moves on, little by little her background is revealed and we learn more about her character. She enjoys her solitude for the most part and lives her life without modern technology, including having a phone (cell phone or landline) as she uses the one at the hotel if needed. Our third main character of the author, Sylvetre, is introduced when he responds to Anne-Lise’s initial letter. We learn more about his character a semi-recluse (he used to travel, but has not in decades as he prefers the quiet life). Together, they each play a role in finding out the identity of the second author.

Our journey spans six months and we follow the manuscript’s journey by starting at the end. Each letter and new character reveals where the manuscript was a certain period of time and the character whose life was touched by its writing. We work our way through five different countries and multiple cities within those places. Each new reveal paints a picture of how the manuscript ended up in their hands, how it moved on to its next destination, and how it touched their lives. Some characters end up becoming more prominent than others become as they become involved in the manuscript mystery. However, each does play a part and are memorable. There are places where it is hard to keep up with their different stories, but overall it was not difficult to understand the main events.

The writing is descriptive and each character, generally, has their own voice as the author of their own letters. Each letter’s writing also follows whom they are a correspondence between as they move between the formal and informal. One character would write about events one way to a certain character and then the tone would change as is recounted to another. Each character does reveal their own national pride as their characters describe their own homes and some prejudices are revealed at times when they talk about other places around the world and their cultures. It is not a huge part of the story as it is revealed as tidbits here and there.

Overall, the story is an easy read with well-written poetic letters moving the story along. We experience the events through each character as a second-hand observer. Each letter not only recaps the events to give updates on the new developments, but also give the reader insights into each character. The power of how a book can touch the lives of people was well done and enjoyable. I loved how it slowly gets revealed Anne-Lise’s backstory and why this book touched her life enough to set the events in motion. The unearthing of the second author’s identity was unexpected and it was done well as you guess about the identity, but you never become too certain. It is a light-hearted story with an interesting and unique cast of characters that would probably have never interacted if it were not for the power of one manuscript. A well-done piece of writing that would intrigue me to read more by this author.

**I give a special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to read and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.**

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is an epistolary novel surrounding Anne-Lise, a woman who discovers an unfinished manuscript in the drawer of her hotel room. After falling in love with the writing in the manuscript, Anne-Lise discovers an address and sends back the document to the author. However Anne-Lise learns from the original author that the second half of the novel was left unfinished and must have completed by a second author. What started as a vacation to the Brittany coast becomes a search for the mystery second author through the people who previously read this hidden manuscript. From this book we discover the power of books and how compelling reading can tie us together and leave a profound impact on the rest of our lives. I enjoyed the writing style of this book, it was beautiful and matched the mood of the book premise. This book was charming with a surprising ending that would be a lovely read for anyone that enjoys romance novels in letter-form. 

Many thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan
Narrated by: Elodie Yung; Rupert Degas; Cecile Delepiere; Jean Brassard
Publication Date: January 12, 2021 - Out Today!
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Description from NetGalley...
“Sometimes a book has the power to change your life… When Anne-Lise Briard books a room at the Beau Rivage Hotel for her vacation on the Brittany coast, she has no idea this trip will start her on the path to unearthing a mystery. In search of something to read, she opens up her bedside table drawer in her hotel room, and inside she finds an abandoned manuscript. Halfway through the pages, an address is written. She sends pages to the address, in hopes of potentially hearing a response from the unknown author. But not before she reads the story and falls in love with it. The response, which she receives a few days later, astonishes her…

Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal. And then he reveals something even more shocking—that he was not the author of the second half of the book.

Anne-Lise can’t rest until she discovers who this second mystery author is, and in doing so tracks down every person who has held this manuscript in their hands. Through the letters exchanged by the people whose lives the manuscript has touched, she discovers long-lost love stories and intimate secrets. Romances blossom and new friends are made. Everyone's lives are made better by this book—and isn't that the point of reading?”
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Thank you to @NetGalley @dreamscape_media @stmartinspress for the digital ARC and ALC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts...
This is an epistolary novel, a novel written in letters. I went back and forth between the book and audiobook, but mostly I listened to the audiobook because I felt I preferred it. The different narrators and accents lend to an authentic experience. This was a fresh and fun experience. There were a few characters in here, but that was not an issue. I really liked the idea of the 30 year journey this manuscript took and along the way it inspired people. It was a delightful read about how a book could heal and bring strangers together.

This was a great story with some fun mystery to it considering the manuscript. I very much enjoyed how the manuscript touched different lives