The Lost Manuscript is a charming tribute to the power of a good story and the effect it can have on anyone who encounters it. This book is epistolary and tells the story of a manuscript that passes from hand to hand until Anne-Lise Briard discovers it and decides to trace its past to find the author of the manuscript--and the second author who wrote the ending of the book! As she encounters the various hands that have held this lost manuscript over the last thirty years, she discovers the impact it has had on all of its readers. She gets to know Sylvestre, the original author, and many other unique souls as she traces its roots until she finds the person who ended the novel--and perhaps a happy ending for its original author as well!

This book is a gorgeous tribute to the power of a story. Anyone who loves to read will be completely enchanted by this story. The writing is gorgeous and poetic and I wanted to highlight every other line for its profound impact on me. The only downsides to this story were my own lack of knowledge of France and western Europe that made me miss some of the reference. I would have also liked to see more character development in Anne-Lise as she really seems to be more like the narrator than an actual character. Overall, however, this book was a book lover's dream and I absolutely loved it!

After reading Samuel Richardson's Pamela in college, I swore I'd never read another epistolary novel, but now that I've read The Lost Manuscript, I'll say that I have changed my mind.

What a charming,wonderful book!

Cathy Bonidan has given us an engaging story and memorable characters. I can not imagine how difficult it is to write an epistolary novel and still develop your characters to the degree that she has. The plot centers around Anne-Lise who finds a manuscript in a hotel room drawer. It appears to have had more than one author. So impressed with the story, which she finds almost life changing, Anne-Lise begins to solve the mystery of the owner of the manuscript. Through this quest we meet several quirky and charming characters who in turn have all been deeply affected by this manuscript.

I hated to finish this one -- I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Anne-Lise Briard checks into the Beau Rivage Hotel, she unknowingly sets off a chain of events that crosses time and culture. Reading the lost manuscript awakens her spirit and she's determined to return the manuscript to its mysterious owner.

Cathy Bonidan takes readers along on Anne-Lise's journey and to the character's delight, everyone that comes in contact with its moving words, life is forever changed by reading. Bonidan penned a quirky-imaginative tale that I read in one sitting. I couldn't leave her world until discovering the truth.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read "The Lost Manuscript." It's the perfect book to snuggle up with that allows your imagination to travel when grounded during the pandemic. Once you start the journey, be prepared to get lost in the read.

The author conveyed the perfect sentiment to commence the novel:

"To all the books we've read, to all those we've yet to read
Because like sandmen, they sprinkle into our daily lives
A few words or phrases
that work their way into our subconscious
over time and change us
Discreetly but irrevocably"

Not what I was expecting. Generally, I like books written in "letters" or correspondence. This one talked about the mysterious manuscript and I enjoyed the journey the characters took. However, we never got to read the manuscript and discover for ourselves why it had such an impact on all who read it. It felt like a mystery with a clue missing. I enjoyed the book, but wish it had been filled out a bit more.

A book about a lost manuscript and how it’s discovery brings a whole group of strangers together. The description tells how the book will change the lives of all those that it brings together, and it does deliver on that. I admit that I had high hopes for this book as the premise was so intriguing, but I quickly realized it wasn’t going to live up to my hopes. I found it to be somewhat boring.

1. I was unable to form a connection with any of the characters. I particularly found Anne-Lise to be annoying and many of her actions juvenile. She constantly meddles in the lives of the others despite many of them asking her not to. She somehow gets everyone to confess their deepest secrets to her and then offers them her unsolicited advice. She even admits all this in a letter to another character.
2. I also thought, the closer I came to the end, that it was hard to keep the many characters straight and that the letters didn’t always make sense. I reread some of them several times and still had the feeling as though I had missed something.

Clearly my opinion is in the minority as the 5 reviews before me on GoodReads all give the book 5 stars. I makes me feels like we read completely different books, but we all enjoy different things and for sadly, for me, is book didn’t hit the mark.

Thank you To NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies...The man who never reads lives only one.” George R. R. Martin

A beautiful, poignant, lyrical story is told by moving, exciting, poetic letters. Do you want to get lost in magical world of literature? This is great fit for your needs if you’re looking for a book heals your soul, warms your heart and always makes you smile genuinely!

Do you want to know what this book is about? Let’s dig out more about the story-line:

Anne-Lise Briard has no clue that her trip to Brittany Coast will change her life forever and help her unearth a 30 years old mystery as she takes her first steps to her room at Beau Rivage Hotel. She looks for something to read by searching her bedside drawer and Voila! She finds a manuscript. And as soon as she finishes the first half she finds an address which might be belonged to its author. So she writes the presumed author to inform him she found the manuscript and she truly loved it.

And surprisingly the author writes her back sooner than she expected but two surprising revaluations sends Anne-Lise to another search: the author thanks to her for finding the book which has been lost for 30 years during a flight to Montreal and the biggest surprise about the manuscript is the second half of it was written by another author.

Anne Lise starts her search to track all those people who get their hands into the book. She realizes this book has already touched to many people’s souls and warmed their hearts. Through her search and connections with people, romance brightens the lives, intimate friendships are formed and magical emotional power of the book brings out the happiness into those people’s lives.

And there is a smart twist about the identity of the second author which was not foreseeable and well-written.

Overall: I let my soul drag with the lyrical words of the letters and I enjoyed the mysterious journey of Anne Lise. Of course it’s obvious I’m giving those well-deserved, five shiny stars!

I’d like to end my review with one of my favorite quotes: “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” Jorge Luis Borges

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this dreamy ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

A quirky and charming story about the journey of a lost manuscript and the people who encounter it. This was a wonderfully formatted book told in letters between various characters. I had so much fun getting to know the characters and seeing their friendships grow. I enjoyed the plot so much and it was such a unique one! All the side characters and their connected stories were a great touch and this was just an overall pleasant and enjoyable read!

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.