Tildy Barrows curates the vast archival library in San Francisco in the contemporary timeline of this novel, while Cora Hale creates miniature worlds in dollhouses in the World War I years. The stories of the two women in separate timelines call to each other: Cora’s obsessive miniature re-creation of her present is instrumental to Tildy’s project to save the library’s funding. It’s a joy to read, especially if you’re an art history nerd. (Recommendation will be sent to subscribers of WordSmarts email newsletter)

The Library of Lost Dollhouses tells the story of multiple people, most notably Cora and Tildy. Tildy works at the Bel, a library established by Belva Curtis LeFarge to showcase some of her favorite things. One day, Tildy stumbles across a secret room and finds two dollhouses - masterpieces really. In one, she finds a link to her late mother. At the same time, she finds that the Bel is in serious financial trouble. As she starts to research the mystery behind the dollhouses, she gets sucked into the life of Cora Hart, the creator of these works of art, and finds there is more than meets the eye to both Cora and the miniatures she has created.

Overall, I enjoyed the two timeline story that delved into the Belle Époque and Great War over in Europe. I preferred Cora’s story to Tildy’s. For me, once I got into this book I really got into it, but it took a bit for that to happen. If you’re a bit more of a history buff, you may enjoy it more than I did. I would still recommend! I've rounded up from 3.75 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader copy of this book!

This is a two narrator POV different time POV novel about history, secrets, and character. I did not relate well to the characters.

An impactful and absolutely sparkling read.

I love reading historical fiction, but only a few have really stuck with me. THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is one of them. This layered, emotional story of love, family, art, and books has captivating depth and is truly resonant storytelling.

I love how the author's interests and research shine through this story, and it's organized in layered timelines that maximize the impact of the revelations. It keeps you eager -- nay, desperate -- to keep reading.

This is a book I will be recommending abundantly to historical fiction lovers and book lovers alike.

A huge thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is a story that will stick with me for a long time.

I had an immersive reading experience with this ARC because I did digital + audio, and I have to say I much preferred the audio. There were two main perspectives - Tildy's third person POV and Cora's first person POV. I favored Tildy's POV because Cora's was very heavy on French history, and it admittedly went over my head. I loved the descriptions of the dollhouse crafting and assembly.

In the library where she works, Tildy finds a hidden room with two dollhouses. She finds a personal connection within one of the dollhouses, prompting her to seek out information on the artist.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a sweet and fun read, even if it tries to pack a little too much into the story. With all of the storylines it introduces, it feels clumsy at times and some elements feel unfinished. Still, it's engaging and sweet.

This is a solid 3.5 star book so I'm rounding up.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

Often the stories of how women have impacted history get lost. Sometimes this is due to their contributions being secret or attributed to the men around them. This book is a reflection of just that and based on real women in history.

Tildy works at the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library, the Bel, as the head curator. One day after a school bus of children breaks down and their curiosity leads them to roam the library Tildy finds a hidden room is dollhouses. Both are unique and expertly crafted. One even contains a portrait of her late mother. Tildy then goes on an adventure to find out more about her mother and the meaning behind the mysterious dollhouses.

This is a dual POV as it is told from the point of view of Tildy as she discovers the secrets of the past and of Cora Hale who is interconnected to each of the dollhouses. This books is a beautiful reflection of the contributions that women have achieved throughout history and the little ways that they have made their lasting mark. This story is told from the retrospective of Cora Hale as present day Tildy dives into the history.

I would recommend this one to fans of historical fiction and those who are lightly dabbling in the genre as well. There are nods to real people and there is a sense of adventure and storytelling as everything unfolds.

Tildy, a librarian and historian for a struggling museum uncovers a room of dollhouses that takes her on a journey to discover the origins of the impressive minatures and along the way finds herself.

I really enjoyed this book; enough to take the afternoon off work to finish reading it! The Library of Lost Dollhouses proved itself to be a unique story with a woven dual timeline and cast of characters that complimented each other perfectly. A little bit of romance and unique bits of lesser known history made reading it even more enjoyable.

I'm going to go make a Coratini now (IYKYK) and you should all go read this book!

This was such a fantastic historical fiction novel! The Library of Lost Dollhouses tells the story of a collection of hidden dollhouses and the artist who designed them! Elise Hooper masterfully waved the past and present storylines together to make an intriguing book! It has a little romance, mystery and a ton of history. ⁣
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⁣I recommend this one to fans of historical fiction! Four stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Library of Lost Dollhouses. This one is available now!

The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elisa Hooper was a good story set in two time periods. Hooper always does an excellent job when writing about historical fiction, finding an interesting way to transport the reader through the story. I love the power of the miniatures and how they bring people together throughout each section of the story. I also love a good art story and this has that too along with love, tragedy and mystery. There were times I got a little lost because part of the story is written in a letter format but it pulls together in the end for a great conclusion. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book and preordered a copy of it to be sent to my Mom on publication day.
Tildy is a librarian at a very unique archival library in San Francisco. She loves her job but wonders if there's something more she should be doing as the library is on the brink of bankruptcy. She unexpectedly comes upon a door in the back of a closet that she's never noticed before and inside is a Dollhouse. This starts her exploration of researching this dollhouse and other's to bring their stories to life. The story goes back and forth between present day and whatever time period the specific dollhouse is from. The way the story comes together and the amazing things that were done with these dollhouses is what made me enjoy this book so much.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Any book about books or museums already has my heart. I found the descriptions of the library and dollhouses to be quite beautiful and immediately gave me a sense of time and place which is so important for books about these topics. The one big thing that took this down to a 3 instead of a 4 is a pitfall that I have with a lot of historical fiction. The characters in this book run into literally very famous people, whether actual (Walt Disney? Really?) or based on actual people, and mention every major event the reader would know about (besides the war) that it becomes unbelievable and absurd.

I would still recommend this and will give the author another try.

This was a FASCINATING, layered dual timeline historical fiction story about a librarian in the present who discovers a room of incredible forgotten dollhouses - each one a masterpiece in craftsmanship and skill. As she tracks down the dollhouses history she learns more about the woman who made them and her very interesting life. Full of rich historic detail, a passionate librarian and a moving Sapphic romance. I really enjoyed this especially on audio and it just may be a new favorite by this beloved author! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

How could I go wrong with a novel about dollhouses, miniatures, and a librarian? Elise Hooper’s The Library of Lost Dollhouses has all those elements, along with an artist to root for. Readers who don’t care for alternating timelines will not be happy with that aspect, though.

Tildy Barrows is the Head Curator at the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library in San Francisco. She knows the library has some financial problems, so when she finds two remarkable dollhouses hidden behind a panel in the library, she’s hopeful they might be useful in saving the library. And, it isn’t long before she realizes one of the houses, a four story building, is a model of the Hotel Le Farge in Paris where Belva Curtis LeFarge once lived. But, who was the artist who built the house? There are secrets hidden in both houses, but one of them shocks Tildy. It’s a miniature picture of Tildy’s own mother.

Tildy’s search for answers and the truth behind the houses takes her into her own past, her mother’s unknown story, and the life of Cora Hale, an artist who we meet in Paris in 1910. As she researches, Tildy realizes there is some connection. Not only is her mother’s picture in the house, but Tildy’s middle name is Cora.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a complex story of women, secrets, and art. It’s a story of obsession, for other people, along with Tildy’s obsession about her search for family answers. And, the miniatures! Anyone who loves dollhouses and miniatures will appreciate the detail that goes along with the book, and the story of recuperating soldiers following WWI who learn to reuse their skills. I thought Tildy could have been developed more, but I really enjoyed Cora Hale as a character.

I also found it fascinating that one of Elise Hooper’s inspirations was Frances Glessner Lee who built miniature crime scenes, her Nutshell Libraries, to assist police in solving crimes. If that interests you, too, check out Katie Tietjen’s Death in the Details, a mystery inspired by Lee.

I am enjoying all the stories that are being written about overlooked women in world history, whether real or fictional. Elise Hooper's The Library of Lost Dollhouses is another strong addition to this category, and her Author's Note at the end explains the people who inspired her characters.

The story spans a century and is told by two women, one, head curator Tildy Barrows who is passionate about saving the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library in San Francisco. As she described it, I wished I could go there and wander through all the rooms-- marvelous! The second is Cora Hale, extraordinary artist and creator of the most exquisite dollhouses I've ever read about. (I love the Thorne Rooms in the Phoenix Art Museum and have visited them many times, so this is a subject that's interested me for a long time.) I love how Cora was able to incorporate women's secrets into the houses she created for them.

Another strong point in this book was the descriptions of how difficult it is to keep a place like the LeFarge Library afloat, especially after the pandemic. As the book traveled from one place to the next, from Tildy's life and then back to Cora's, I couldn't wait until all was revealed. All in all, this is a heart-warming read that's well worth your time.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a dual POV historical fiction following two women, one in present time and one in the 1910s. I loved learning about the history of dollhouses and picturing the ones Cora made. However, I struggled to connect with the characters for some reason and hoped for more depth in either the plot or the characters. This was a fast and easy read, so I would still recommend the Library of Lost Dollhouses to people that enjoy historical fiction.

I enjoyed the narration by Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt.

i received an ARC and ALC from William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks and HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I was absolutely riveted to this story from the very beginning. Told in dual timelines with Tildy's story in the current timeline and Cora's story in the past by what we come to find out is her diary. Several locations including San Francisco, Paris, NYC, England and New Hampshire provide the backdrops for an extraordinary story about disappearing or hiding in plain sight. You can decide for yourself. Claiming your place and making your mark in the world is the central tenet in small and big ways. The characters were all so vibrant, alluring and captivating that I kept looking them up to see if they were real people. (Although they weren't, they were in some ways based on real women in our history. I now have an urge to see truly intricate dollhouses and will be keeping my eyes and ears open so I can see some in person.

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES by Elise Hooper focuses on the discovery of a secret room at the Belva Curtis Lefarge Library in San Francisco, a library and museum that will struggle to remain open in the wake of changing times.

Told from first person perspective (Cora Hale) and third person (Mathilda ‘Tildy’ Barrows) following several (non-linear) timelines from 1910-1974 and 2024, THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is a story of historical fiction that focuses on Tildy Barrows as the journeys through the past in the hopes of discovering the truth about the what she found in the secret room at the Belva Curtis Lefarge Library. In 2024, Tildy Barrows is the Head Curator at the archival library, and finding a collection of exquisite and detailed miniature dollhouses pushes Tildy to unravel a centuries old mystery including the history about a painting titled Young Woman in Hat but as Tildy begins her search for the truth, the reality will change the course of history for not only for Tildy but everyone involved.

The backstory begins in 1910 when we are introduced to a young woman named Cora Hale, and for the next six decades we are up close and personal with the talents of a woman forced to hide her true self but a woman who also hides the stories of the woman who have been purged from history, for who they were, and what they did. As Tildy begins to dig deeper into the past, her own family history will become entwined with the stories buried in the miniatures and Cora Hale.

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is a slow building story blending some historical fact with fiction focusing on secrets and lies hidden by the talents of Cora Hale. From two world wars, to the inception of Disneyland and beyond, the fictional Cora and her talent tell a story that remained hidden for close to one hundred years. The premise is detailed and imaginative; the characters are numerous and unique.


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I stayed up late one night to finish, not because it was utterly fantastic. I wanted to wrap up the loose ends and see what happened with Tildy and Ben and the Bel. The only portions I could have completely done without were the "girls kissing girls" scenes, since I didn't realize it was a fiction piece that had LBGTQ characters. Unlike “Radio Girls|” by Sarah-Jane Stratford, which I loved that happened to have a gay character very minimally discussed, there was too much "oh, how wonderful" descriptions in this particular novel.

I liked the dual timeline aspect that effectively is woven together Cora's retrospective view of the dollhouses and what Tildy is uncovering about Cora and the mysterious dollhouses in the modern day. The twist to how Tildy's mother figures into the history of the Bel, the library where Tildy works as the head curator, was interesting and not as horrible as it first appeared. Ben is adorable, and the burgeoning friendship/relationship between Ben and Tildy kept me within the world of the novel, and I wanted to know the fate of the library with its major repairs and possible funding unsteadiness. The book's blurb on the author's website sums up the times and place Tildy figuratively visits while uncovering the stories told about and within the miniatures themselves: a "world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s". I'll definitely be recommending this for purchase at my library, as it is a fantastic women's fiction addition that blends multiple intriguing things together.