The premise of this epistolary novel was interesting. Anne-Liese Briard books room 128 at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Brittany for a getaway.  Bored and looking for something to read, she finds a manuscript in a drawer and proceeds to devour it. Midway through, she finds an address on one of the pages and impulsively decides to send a letter to the occupant, hoping to return the manuscript to the rightful owner.  Sylvestre, the author does contact her, but the news is surprising: the manuscript has been missing for thirty years, and he didn't write the ending.  How did it come to be in a hotel in Brittany, and who wrote the second half of the novel?

As Anne-Liese traces the movement of the manuscript back through time, the mystery slowly unravels and a large cast of characters become involved. Their lives entwine, not always in positive ways.  Ultimately, Anne-Liese must face the question of whether she will do more harm than good by tracing the manuscript back to the beginning and finding the elusive author of the second half.

The plot held my interest and the characters were sympathetic and diverse. The ending ties everything up a bit too neatly, especially a revelation about Anne-liese's career, but my biggest issue was the epistolary format. It's a good choice for a novel about a manuscript. However, the entire novel is thus written in various voices, and after the first few pages, they all started to sound the same. For me, it was a voice I didn't quite appreciate in its detailed, somewhat self-indulgent prosiness, and I found myself wanting to skip ahead.  When you flip open a book like this at random and can't tell who is writing the letter, it's not a good sign.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Lost Manuscript.

Told through letters, The Lost Manuscript is an epistolary novel centered around a manuscript discovered by a woman named Anne-Lise at her hotel. Touched by the literary work, she seeks to return the manuscript and strikes up a pen pal type relationship with the author.

Soon, Anne-Lise is drawn into a quest to find out how the manuscript ended up in at the hotel, making new friends and bringing forth secrets, drama and resolutions for her friends and newfound family.

I'm usually not a fan of this type of literary device where the narrative is told through letters because the reader is unable to develop a relationship with the characters, but I was intrigued by the premise.

I enjoyed how Anne-Lise tracks down the clues that led to how the manuscript ended up in her hands, and how this led to her own journey of self-discovery, as well as for her BFF.

But, I was unable to connect with any of the characters, including Anne-Lise.

The writing was good, and the conclusion satisfying.

A story of letters. Finding a manuscript in a hotel, Anne finds the address to send it. When she gets a response she finds the author only did half the book. A good story overall, but got a little tiresome after awhile. Still though, if you like letter stories this one is a good pick. Would recommend.

I was so excited to get a copy of this. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I would love it. I was right.

The Lost Manuscript, what a surprising wonderful book.  I had no expectations when I got this Advance copy of this book..  I was quickly drawn in to the characters in this novel.  When Lisa Marie Briard finds a manuscript in a drawer at her hotel, not on does she read it but decides she must return it to its author.  And there the tale begins.   Through letters with the author, she discovers that the Manuscript has been lost for 30 years.  It becomes an obsession to trace the manuscript’s journey. All the lives this beautiful story that the Manuscript touches, impacts all its readers.  Almost all the characters in this novel are damaged in some way, but by the end of this journey they start to heal.  This story is told through letters with the author and then with the people who found the Manuscript.  What a journey for this book and its readers.  

I truly loved this book

"Cathy Bonidan's The Lost Manuscript is a charming epistolary novel about the love of books and magical ability they have to bring people together.."  It's also one of the best books I've read this year.  And, I think that from now and forever when people ask me to name some of my favorite books, this will be one of them along with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

When life for the entire universe and planet turns on its end and like everyone else you "have nothing to do" while your place of work is closed and you are in #COVID19 #socialisolation,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. (I AM BORED!!) ANd it is too hot to go outside, so why not sit in from of the blasting a/c and read and review books??

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

Cathy Bonidan's The Lost Manuscript is a charming epistolary novel about the love of books and magical ability they have to bring people together.

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? And finally, with a plot twist you don't see coming, she uncovers the astonishing identity of the author who finished the story.

This book is lovely as it is,,,, e·pis·to·lar·y  /əˈpistəˌlerē/ adjective (of a literary work) in the form of letters.  which is a really hard way to write a novel.  I loved how the book was written and it was a wonderful novel full of memorable characters and an enjoyable plotline.

.As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 💌💌💌💌💌