The Lost Manuscript

This book was an interesting premise. It was nice to read something that isn't overdone. Interesting structure as well.

A full audiobook cast, and a book in letter format? Be still my heart!

This book was charming, though with so many characters and so much going on, at times I was a little confused. I read this simultaneously, so seeing the names was more helpful than just listening alone. The accents were a little hard to understand at times, but it wasn't unmanageable. 3.5 stars. I recommend for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The Lost Manuscript // by Cathy Bonidan // narrated by Elodie Yung, Rupert Degas, Cecile Delepiere, and Jean Brassard

I first received this as an ebook but was really excited to see it available as an audiobook as well later on. Having multiple narrators is something I really enjoy so I was thrilled to be approved for this one. Once I was a little into the book though, I struggled a little with keeping up with the many character switches, something that I think would've been a little bit easier for me if I had read the ebook instead. The whole book is written in the format of letters and emails, something that I don't get often but enjoy a lot when I do because it feels so personal. While it was a little confusing there at the start, eventually it did become easier as I got to know the characters better and could keep their life stories apart more easily. I found the premise intriguing from the start but I didn't realize just how many people would be involved in the manuscript's travels and it was fascinating to hear it all. There is a lot of emotion, love, and struggle in this story that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside by the end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the audio arc of this book! I loved the narration (there were multiple narrators)!

This book is told exclusively in letters and I LOVED that so much. The idea of finishing a manuscript, mailing it to the author, and kickstarting a chain of communications between multiple people is such a great concept. There was a mystery in this, which I appreciated, but it also served as a way to show the power of books, and connecting over a book. Reading a novel and sharing it adds a new layer to the novel itself. It becomes an extension of it’s readers and also can impact in new ways. It’s catharsis for readers, sometimes even more than the author. It’s also an ode to communication. It shows how difficult communication can be, and the gift that talking to a stranger can become. It subtly unpacks the reasons we share or refuse to share, even with those we love.

This book has a cozy vibe and the length of it was perfect for curling up with a warm cuppa and leaning in! I could not put this down. It was probably a 4.5 stars if I’m being honest, and I actually think (personal preference here) if I had a physical copy I would have given it a 5 star! I will be rereading the physical soon!

Highly recommend, especially if you love novels told in letters or connections between strangers.

I did not care for the book. The written style of letters back and forth between the characters is not how I like to read a book. The story itself was great. It would have gotten a better review from me if it was not written in this format.

This epistolary novel begins with a letter from Anne-Lise Briard, who discovers a manuscript in her French hotel room. She returns the item to the author, who writes back that he has not been to that hotel. He lost the pages on an airplane in Canada decades before, but the story was unfinished.

The mystery of who finished the tale seizes Anne-Lise, so she begins a quest to find the people who have come into contact with the manuscript in the years after its loss. Each letter slowly unfolds the story of the manuscript throughout the 30 years between its original loss and Anne-Lise's discovery.

When compared to a wonderful epistolary novel like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this book falls short. It could perhaps be because the story is not as fraught with danger and tragedy as the World War II tale. It also requires some suspension of disbelief to think that people are still hand-writing letters in 2016.

Most of the narrators have French accents, which adds to the authenticity of the letters being read. Unfortunately, this also means that some of the pronunciation of English words is at times odd. There is less emotion across the board than you would expect from a traditional narrative, probably because each chapter is a letter instead of description and dialogue. The audiobook is short enough to complete on a road trip or a workday.

Recommended for Francophiles and fans of epistolary novels.

This one has an interesting premise & I liked the concept. Not sure if it’s really a romance & I felt it sorta lacked actual romance...maybe its because of how many characters there are. I think it would have been better described as fiction. I really enjoyed the audio, it was an easy quick listen & I appreciated the accents of the characters which was a nice touch. I usually listen at a 1.75 speed-2, and think that it would
best be listened to at a slower speed to fully enjoy the narrators. I did also enjoy that it was written in form of letters which was nice way to go about a book like this. Overall it was a lovely quick listen audio book.

I am so grateful to have gotten both the audio and ebook version of this book from Netgalley! I assumed I would enjoy this novel- a book written in letters between a woman who found a manuscript and the person who wrote it, and at first I thought that was all this would be. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth the book takes as we find how dozens of people in separate countries are connected by this manuscript. The characters are multidimensional and the use of the letters to tell the story was beautiful. I will say that near the end, it was helpful to have the ebook version to keep the characters apart as it grew confusing. But well enjoyed!

In room 128 lays a lost manuscript. Anna-Lise finds it and reads it. She connects with it so much and wants to return it to the author. Sylvester wrote this novel 33 years ago, when he was a young man in love. When the book is returned to him though, he realizes someone else finished it for him. Anna-Lise is on a mission to track down the person that had the book for so many years and finished it. In this journey, there are so many people that we meet along the way. People that come together because they connected with wonderful words. The twists and turns were fantastic and it brought love and light.
This book has many different POVs and is a quick read because each chapter is a letter from one character to another. There is no dialogue besides communication between one another through letter. It is very refreshing. I loved the way it was written. The narrators did a fantastic job as well. It was easy to know which character was who just by voice alone. Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for an early copy of this audiobook.

The concept of this book immediately drew me in. The main character, Anna-Lise, is looking for something to read while on vacation and she finds a manuscript in the drawer in her hotel room. It’s half finished and she finds herself on a journey when trying to find the author(s) of the manuscript. I loved the idea of sending the letters and discovering the mystery behind this unfinished writing. However, I found some of the audiobook hard to understand and I didn’t much care for some of the characters we were introduced to.

I wanted to try an #audiobook and was seeking an interesting story that wasn’t dark or heavy. My thanks to #netgalley for this ARC that fit the bill perfectly. The main characters, or I should say correspondents, are middle-aged with various life experiences: some with adult children, some with children still at home, some married, divorced, widowed. Like everyone who has reached middle age, each character has faced a significant challenge or event individually or as a family, that informs how they engage with the world.

Written in epistolary form, the book is about an unpublished manuscript that is discovered and returned to its author after being missing for 30 years. It had been unfinished at the time it went missing, but along the way someone had written the ending to the story. The manuscript exchanged hands in the course of the 30 years and the story of The Lost Manuscript is a retracing of persons whose hands the book had fallen into, seeking the 2nd author who wrote the end, and learning how the story itself impacted the lives of those who read it.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable experience. A couple circumstances stretched the boundaries of credibility but there was nothing outright unbelievable. The characters are likeable with relatable flaws. There was a certain irony to imbibing an epistolary novel as an audiobook. Being a novice audiobook listener, I was frustrated from time to time in not being able to easily or quickly re-read what I’d just read (rewind what I’d just heard). I understand many people can engage in another activity while listening to a book. I cannot. Or it would take some practice until I can do so.

The #dreamscapemedia production was high quality. The French accents of the narrators were engaging (the story takes place in France and Belgium) and added to the ambience. This is a story written for readers. Definitely a mystery here, a little romance, and a great read for anyone who has ever read a fictional book that transformed their life.

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan was a work of audio art! There were four voice actors which gave a "voice" to each of the characters. This book is written as a series of letters so each section or chapter was shorter so a perfect length for doing a small task for example wrapping one present or unloading the dishwasher. The story was a little magic, recounting the tale of a book that went missing for decades. I would recommend for friends of Beatriz Williams. There was love and deep friendship, I loved seeing the characters lives come together and how much they cared for each other.

Books about books always make it onto my radar, so it's no surprise I was eager to get my hands on The Lost Manuscript.
Told in letters, this book was so charming and unique with a little mystery, adventure, and of course a love for words and books.
The audio format is narrated by an ensemble cast who each does a great job portraying their character. I will say that I found the many points of view and narrators a bit hard to keep track of and docked a star for that from an otherwise sweet and enjoyable book.
Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC.

Before I jump into my thought on this book I must thank the publisher, author, Dreamscape Audio and NetGalley for my digital copies of this book. I was granted both a digital kindle copy and an advanced audio.
(I am spoiled.)

Upon finishing this book I can confidently say-

*It was a good book but not as enjoyable as I had hoped.

*It was a short read/listen which I appreciated.

*I love and epistolary format and without the audio I may have gotten easily lost.

* The audio has multiple narrators and they kept me going. Without this audio I may have DNF'd.

*The cover of this book is adorable and may draw in younger readers but I don't think that is the demographic suited for what I just read.

Overall- I am underwhelmed.

30 years ago a half-finished manuscript was left on a plane and today it is found in the nightstand of a hotel and returned to the author. Told through letters, The Lost Manuscript discovers the journey of this manuscript during its 30 year absence and the lives of the people it touched.

This book is absolute magic and I finished it one day because I couldn't wait to hear what happened next. I loved the epistolary style, the depth of the relationships formed throughout the book and the tenacity and heart of the main character Anne-Lise. It makes me want to write letters again.

The narrators are wonderful and bring depth and distinction to each character. The voices and personalities really helped me keep the characters and relationships straight throughout the book.

I can't recommend The Lost Manuscript enough.

Pros: Epistolary novel! A mysterious manuscript! 5.5 hours on audiobook!

Cons: Although the premise of the book contains many of my favorite things, the execution was just okay. Because of the epistolary format, I had Guernsey-level expectations, which was probably unfair to this book.

Three stars = I liked it

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book.

What an incredibly charming audiobook complete with awesome a fantastic French accented narrator. A bit mystery, a bit culture, travel , intrigue and mostly charm, The Lost Manuscript is a wonderful read!

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan ⠀
Pub Date: 12 Jan 2021 ⠀
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Thoughts: this was a cute read all about this woman who becomes, imo, obsessed with finding the writers of this manuscript! She gets in contact with the main author and discovers there is a second author who completed the book he left in the hotel room. But, this discovery takes her on an adventure! It was slow in parts but all in all okay.
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Audiobook: I thought this was good for an audiobook. I think I actually preferred it to a book. I think it would have gotten a little slow in parts for me personally, but with the audio I didn't skip a beat. ⠀
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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. Not only does the author write back, but he confesses that he lost the manuscript 30 years prior on a flight to Montreal and that he was not the author of the second half of the book. So she sets off looking for the 2nd author! ⠀
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Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion! ⠀
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Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cathy Bonidan, for a copy of this audiobook for review.

Narrated by Elodie Yung, Rupert Degas, Cecile Delepiere, and Jean Brassard - it was a interesting and enjoyable listen. Loved the french accents and the story told to you by letters between the characters.

As an audio, I like listening at 2x the speed but with the strong accents, I drop it down to 1.75x but overall it was a great listen.

I couldn't get into the voice, but I actually loved the book! I thought the actual concept is quite interesting, and the narrative was nice to listen to/read/absorb. I love sort of email, chain, or other romance novels, so this was kind of all of them meshed into one. Although she becomes obsessed with the idea, which was kind of tedious at points, overall is a really nice read!

This book was so good I had to finish it in one sitting. The idea that a long lost manuscript brings so many book lovers together is so amazing. This is what dreams are made of. Although this book was amazing, the nostalgia I felt about reading this book and traveling to England and France was a strong and consuming. After finishing the book, it took me a while to gather myself and shake off the characters and the beautiful story of what ifs. Great book!

The main message of this story is the power of how one book can change a variety of people who live vastly different lives - and how a book can reinforce healing past wounds.

I thought it was interesting how it was written in a series of letters and incorporated a bit of mystery in who wrote the second half of the book.

I did find it a bit disconnected and choppy, given its all various letters went from numerous characters. It was still a very sweet and easy read!

Netgalley provided ARC. All opinions are my own.

While staying in a hotel on the Brittany Coast, Anne-Lise finds a manuscript in the hotel’s bedside table and decides to read it. She finds within its pages the address of the author and sends the manuscript back to it’s owner. Anne-Lise is surprised when the author writes back explaining that he had lost the unfinished manuscript 30 years ago and that the second half of the book had been written by someone unknown to him. This book is told through a series of letters between the characters that have had their lives touched by the manuscript as it traveled over 30 years back to the original author. It’s a charming story that shows how books impact us. I love sharing the books I’ve read and will recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cathy Bonidan, for a copy of this audiobook for review.

The Lost Manuscript narrated by Elodie Yung, Rupert Degas, Cecile Delepiere, and Jean Brassard was a delightful listen. The story is told with a series of letters and emails sent by and between the various characters. Each letter perfectly executes the narrative and makes it a unique journey through the written word but voiced by the characters. This was a uniquely written story and wonderfully narrated. I enjoined the story of how a single manuscript of an unfinished novel could bring together individuals from every walk of life; on a mission to find the original author and the people their story touched.

The Lost Manuscript was not one that I could really get into. I will maybe try again, just not on audible. I think it would be easier to read then it is to listen to given the nature of how it’s written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

An absolute gem of a book, I finished out 2020 with this one and it did not disappoint. I would love to read more by this author. It was he such a great feel good book

When Anne-Lise Briard is on vacation on the Brittany Coast, she searches her hotel room for something to read and discovers an unpublished manuscript in the hotel room night stand. This sets her on the path to solving a mystery that will change her life. When she mails the manuscript back to the address she finds, she discovers that the author lost it years ago on a flight, and that he didn’t write the second half of the book. In her quest to solve the mystery, she finds everyone who ever held the manuscript, makes some friends, and finds romance.

This is a love letter to booklovers, almost literally as much of it is told through written correspondence, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s pretty short, and I tore through it in just a few hours. I loved the storytelling through letters, the characters, and though I’m not a fan of the mystery genre, I do love a good mystery within Literary Fiction.

The narration was great. I loved the cast of characters. They brought even more vibrancy to the story, and it was an excellent choice to have several narrators. Sometimes when books switch POV frequently I get a little lost, but the change in voice made it easy to keep up, and they all did an excellent job.

I am always looking for good books to recommend to book lovers, and I’m thrilled to be able to add this one to the list. It’s out on the 12th, so if you love books, and of course you do, because you are reading this, definitely check it out.

The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss is one of my favorite books of 2021. While technically I started this book in 2020 (about a day ago-ish) and finished it this morning, I loved every minute of listening to this book and honestly want to reread it again!

Let's start with the first and most major part of this book, the topic of mental illness (i.e.: anxiety, depression, etc.). I have found few authors in my time of reading that actually take the dive and write an accurate book about mental illnesses. Amy Parks blew it out of the waters with her story!

Her main character, Evie, is a very smart mathematical logically interesting girl who has anxiety and doesn't understand feelings as much as her BFF Caleb does. She starts to date a guy named Leo and understand her feelings about her BFF and the world around her. She goes to a therapist to talk about her feelings, days, and work through her anxiety. I love that Parks added in the therapist because I, too, used to go to therapy and having that representation in a book just makes me so happy!

Now on to Caleb, the BFF, he blows me out of the water as a characters. While yes, he has a major crush (and he even says he loves her) on his bestie, he takes it slow and allows her to take her time instead of demanding things from her. He is logically and responsible about her anxiety. He tries his hardest to make sure she has someone she that can understand her and help her when she needs it.

All in all, I loved the characters development in this books. I liked the idea of using mental illnesses to raise awareness about what it is like for the person who has them as well as people who are around them. Breaking stereotypes is the first and most important priority society needs to start doing. There was some real though and research put into The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss. However, there is somethings that really did bug me about the book (mostly me being me and being picky).

First, I didn't like how Evie thought she could force her friends into going to the same college as her. While yes I get that anxiety can make the person thing or do unethical actions and them being there for her is their choice, sometimes in the book though it felt like Evie's friend had no choice but to side with her on where to go. However, I will say the friends did stand up and say they wanted to go to different schools so I appreciate that. But it just seems rather late in the book for me, but again that's a personal option there.

Second, I DID NOT enjoy Evie's mother trying to drug her with anxiety medicine through her tea. When I read that part, it really didn't settle with me. The other part that didn't settle with me is how the author kind of play it off as "oh mother is a psychologist and that's just how she is" and Evie just getting mad but sitting down to talk to her mother about it. THATS ILLEGAL! While I do not think the author should of added her mother going to jail, I wish there was a harsher punishment for the mother than a slap on the wrist and a "don't do it again" type thing.

Either way, I still really enjoyed this book a lot and hope the author decides to write sequel or a follow-up story to this one so we can see what the characters are up to later in their lives. To see how Evie and Caleb's relationship is going. To hear about Leo and how he is doing as well. Even all of Evie, Caleb's, and Breck's friends are doing. I recommend this to young adults and teenagers that like romance but not romance in the sense of all the sex scenes or talks (most you get is kissing).

It is perhaps ironic that a book about the power of the written word makes the perfect audio book. This book tells the story of a lost manuscript's journey across continents and decades through letters between people whose lives it touches. The various narrators brought to life the voices of the characters as they read their letters. This book contains elements of romance, mystery, family drama and adventure. The characters are well developed and truly come to life through narration. I would love to catch up with them again in a sequel! Finishing this book was a great way to start the new year. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's press for the ARC.

This was so precious. Anne-Lise found an abandoned manuscript and was determined to find the author. As a person that loves books and loves to read, this tale about a book that wasn’t finished and brought people together touched me! Old friends, new friends, surprising friends. Told mostly via mail correspondence between multiple people, it was very fun to follow. The narrators were wonderful and the accents were lovely. Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to review this book.

I was very lucky to get to preview this book via Netgalley on audiobook.
This devastatingly charming read is an epistolary novel. Similar writing style as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Written in a series of letters between the characters. It’s a lovely tale of a manuscript found in a hotel bedside table. It was returned to the owner via post only to find that said finished manuscript has been missing for 30 years. Hence begins the correspondence between Anne-Lise an the author. Only when the author lost the manuscript he was half finished and someone else finished the work. The journey to trace the books whereabouts over the thirty years begins. Friendships are formed, secrets are uncovered, and love blossoms. It’s a book for those who love books and the power books have over us and the paths they lead us down. 😍😍😍😍😍
The Lost Manuscript ~ Cathy Bonidan

The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is a delightful tale of a story that was lost for many years and has suddenly been found! It is told completely via letters from the different people involved. The manuscript is found after being lost for 33 years in a hotel drawer. The woman who finds it reads it and contacts the address she finds in it's pages to see if the writer may still be there. They talk via letter for several months as they try to trace all the hands that the letter has seen since it was lost all those years ago. The story is fun and exciting and I love how the manuscript reaches all those that have read it. That is exactly what a good story should do! I enjoyed the audio narration immensely, as each character had a different narrator. I highly recommend this story and, most especially, the audio version of it! Five stars!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Cute, romantic story featuring (surprise!) middle-aged characters. Told in letters, the different styles and content of which convey the characters' personalities and histories. An enjoyable read, full of appealing characters and beautiful European locations. I would recommend this sweet and touching novel to fans of women's fiction and those who enjoy books about books.
3.5 stars

Fate works in a weird way: I had a novel/book told by letter (epistolary novel) on my 40 book challenge for the year through Once Upon a Book Club Box. They are not common and I had to search to find one. When in a pinch, Amazon provides. I found one and checked that box off my list... and then this one came along on NetGalley... and I was drawn in. I was hopelessly lost in this one. The story, the narrators, the plot... it was love.

As you may have ascertained, this novel is told by letter. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators helped me get lost in the story. The accents were dreamy and totally transported me to Europe. There's a French/English vibe that pervades the novel in the best possible ways. I strongly suggest the audiobook as it brings out the personalities of the characters.

Ultimately, this is a novel about the power of books to change lives told by letter. It's so elegant, I almost cried at the beauty of it. If it had simply been a novel about the power of books (or a particular book) to change lives, the beauty would have been diminished. The structure and the format add to the power.

I adore the characters, they are so quirky and dynamic. There's some fun romantic twists between two characters. And the main writer has a hidden secret of her own. I love that one unfinished manuscript brings all these people together and weaves a story of its own.

A busybody finds a lost manuscript, and so it goes…

This novel in letters is a delight of a book. Beginning simply with Anne-Lise writing to return the manuscript to someone she does not have a name for and isn’t even sure is the author, this book pretty quickly evolves into a spiderweb of correspondence, all by letter. The involved parties form friendships, disclose secrets, and express unabashed emotion toward each other. The audio version has a full cast, and listeners should be prepared for heavy French accents, which was jolting to me at first, but I quickly adapted and ended up feeling like it added to the believability of the story.

If you are a super critical person, like me, you might have a hard time with the premise that in 2016, almost all of the communication between all of these people happen over handwritten letters. You may also find yourself wanting to grab Anne-Lise and shake her by the shoulders, telling her to stay out of other people’s business. Luckily, some of the letter-writers tell her that just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore (though it does nothing to dissuade her).

I recommend this quick listen (or read!) for anyone who has a soft spot for books about books (and isn’t that most of us?). Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the early listen.

The narration of this book is the best thing ever. I couldn't love this narration more if I tried. I'm not sure the book was entirely my speed as far as content went but the narrators made it so much more interesting to listen to.

As the title says, it is a story of lost manuscript woven skillfully through a string of letters. When Anne-Lise finds the abandoned manuscript written by two authors who do not know each other, she takes up an adventure mission of contacting the original writer. She continues communicating with him gaining more details about him. She persuades her dear friend Maggie to help her in tracing the secret author who has finished the manuscript. In the process, she gets to know people from all over who never would have cross-pathed without a connection to this lost manuscript. She makes new friends, learns their personal secrets, incredible love stories.

The lives of all those who have read this story (which is not meant for them) are transform into better. Sometimes, there seems to be a clear connection between a book and the readers.

Finally, as the plot takes an unexpected twist, Anne-Lise discovers the mystery about the second author who has completed the manuscript.

People who know the pleasure of receiving and replying to letters, instantly connect to this story.
I have enjoyed this book and recommend it especially for people who love letters and books.

What a lovely novel! The Lost Manuscript is a beautifully written, heartwarming story. I listened to this audiobook and it was wonderful. Easy to follow with a great narrator! I highly recommend this unique and charming book.

This one definitely wasn’t for me. The story is written in the format of letter back and forth to each other, which for me was hard to follow. There were also several time jumps and I kept getting confused. Also, the narrators were hard for me to understand. The actual premise of the story is great, and the characters were enjoyable. I may have enjoyed it more if I read it rather than listened to it, but I struggled with this one.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The narrator's did a fantastic job reading this book. I enjoyed how this book is written in letters to each other. It is a delightful listening experience. I can't wait to listen to more books by the narrators of this book. I enjoyed the writing style by this author and can't wait to read more books in the near future by her. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone and everyone it will be in stores on January 12 for $24.99.

Quick and sweet listen. I liked the accents, although it made it harder for me to multitask like I do when listening because they were so strong. Otherwise was a really cute story.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media & Netgalley for an advanced audiobook copy of The Lost Manuscript.

This book had such an amazing and fun premise -- Anne-Lise finds a manuscript of a book in a hotel drawer and finds the author's address and sends it to him, only to find out that he lost it 30 years ago...
It is told in letters and emails as she tries to figure out who touched the manuscript and all of the people who saw it.

The audiobook of this was hard. I liked the full audiobook cast, but there were a lot of switches and I struggled a little bit with the characters and there were a lot of them! I think I would have preferred to read this one.

What a fun story. It starts with a lost Manuscript that someone finds and tries to find the rightful owner and what happens after that is both touching and fun. The storytelling is different in that it evolves into many different stories involving the manuscript. It answers what happen to the manuscript, the people involve in the story and the new relationships that are created because of the discovery of the book. I really got a kick out of the story and listened to it twice to make sure I didn't miss anything and at the end it made me smile.

I want to thank Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this advance copy of a very entertaining audiobook.

3/5 Stars

The atmosphere was so beautiful and the writing for some my be over the top, but I think it really matched the tone of the book. Considering a majority of this are letters back and forth it did a really good job showing the character through that aspect.

This just didn’t end up going the way I thought it was going to. The concept had me hooked and for the first half I was invested. However, it started to just feel dragged out. I just didn’t feel the emotional punch I think the author was going for by the end. I think this book could be some peoples favorite, sadly, it was just lacking something for me.


Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Written through letters, this book felt like a perfect mix of 84, Charing Cross Road and I think The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?? I'm not totally sure but whatever it is works so well!
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I loved, loved, loved this story! Anne-Lise begins this adventure by tracking the manuscript backwards, talking to everyone who has had it in their hands and finds out how much it has changed their lives. I already pre-ordered a copy because I enjoyed it so much!

This book immediately played on my love for the written word and pulled me into a literary adventure richer then I ever expected. The experience was made even more enjoyable with the book being written as a collection of letters moving between strangers who become bonded in friendship as they seek to uncover the mysteries of The Lost Manuscript.

Anna-Lise and the myriad of other characters you come to know will quickly find their way into your heart as you watch the profound impact these letters have on their lives.

A book I will come back to time and again and recommend to many friends over the years I am sure.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Five stars for this breath of fresh air with a G rating for all readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for sharing this beautiful ARC with me in exchange for my honest review

This book was delightful, fresh and charming. I loved the letter format going back and forth and the story about the lost manuscript.

I really enjoyed this and loved how strong, bossy and driven Anne-Lise was! She was hands down my favorite in this book.

My only problem was the audio file. I used the NetGalley app and every female portion of the book sounded very mechanical/robotic, like the file was incorrectly uploaded. It was hard to listen to, but the male portions sounded normal. So odd! This in no way changed my rating of the book - but I thought the feedback was necessary.

I loved the premise of this book but I got lost along the way, the story development did not engage me as much as I would have liked.

This may have been my first ever epistolary style book and on top of that i listened to the audio book which I thought would get confusing but the opposite was true! Each letter had a short intro telling me who was writing to whom and after I got accustomed the narrators’ french accents, i loved how fun and unique the story was.

The story unfolds as Anne-Lise Briard finds a manuscript in a hotel drawer, discovers that it has been lost for 30 years and sets out to help the original author unravel the journey the manuscript took to get back to him. The whole thing was such a quirky mystery to dive into. We meet all sorts of people who handled the manuscript and learn about the impression they either left on it or it left on them. This was quite a fun tale and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, light mystery.

In this beautifully narrated audiobook, the story is told from various letters written between each of the many characters who played a full in the journey of the lost manuscript. This is a story of a group of individuals from all walks of life who are brought together by an unfinished book which touched each of them in their own way. The journey began when Anne-Lise finds the manuscript in her hotel room and begins looking for the author and it quickly grows as they realize there are two others to the manuscript. I really enjoyed the letter format of this novel but found it difficult to follow the characters while listening. I think this was another book I would have enjoyed much more if I read it instead of listen to it.

This audiobook was a pleasant and refreshing listen. It is formatted as a collection of letters and emails sent between the characters giving you a sort of inside look at their thoughts. Listening to this was especially delightful as each character had a different narrator and with how expressive they were it actually felt like you were sitting there listening to the character read their letter out loud. The lost manuscript hooked me right away with Anne-Lise finding and returning the manuscript. Continuing with the response she got from the author, the journey she started on, and her personal problems I couldn’t stop listening!
Towards the middle of the book when the adventures started to plateau I thought it was the end, but as another mystery sprung up which kick started the excitement from the beginning I was pulled into the story more.
By the end of the book I was still on the edge of my seat anticipating what was next to come. Overall this audiobook kept me hooked throughout and left me refreshed.

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.

I love the narrators for this audiobook! They’re easy to understand, but have a beautiful French accent to make the book extra special, something different and romantic. I love the epistolary format. It makes the book feel like you found this bundle of letters that you know you shouldn’t read, but you can’t help yourself. You have to know how the story ends.

Thank you #dreamscapemedia and #netgalley for an advanced audiobook.

Can you imagine opening your night stand at a hotel and finding a manuscript sitting there. Would you be tempted to read it, would you leave it? Anne-Lise can’t help but read it, finds a phone number, and starts a crazy journey to find the two authors of the manuscript who she quickly learns don't know each other. Each person leads to the next and a story about how the manuscript touched and changed their lives.

This book was a feel good story of love, loss, friendship, and connections. I gave it 4 stars because it was a good book but didn’t hold my attention as I thought it would.

Now that’s how you do an epistolary! An epistolary is written in the format of correspondence -- letters, emails, text messages, etc.

“The Lost Manuscript” is about the journey a manuscript takes, through all these different people’s lives, and how it changes them individually, as well as how it brings them together.

What I liked:

I love “books for book lovers,” as I call them. These are books where the characters truly love reading and literature.

The audio is phenomenal. This is a perfect example of how to do an epistolary well, in audio form. There were four different narrators and that makes all the difference. Epistolaries, in my humble opinion, can get very confusing, very quickly.

Having different narrators helps the listener-reader differentiate between the letter writers. Bonus too, that they had accents that corresponded with the area of the world they came from. Very nice.

What I didn’t love:

The ending felt very rushed. I won’t give spoilers, but there was so much build-up to the ending and it felt like it just rushed to reach a resolution. I wanted to know more about the romance that featured so prominently in the lost manuscript.

Plot: 4.0
Characters: 3.5
Performance: 5.0

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to listen to "The Lost Manuscript."

This was a completely delightful yet poignant story. The narration was perfect and made it easy to keep the characters straight. 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.

Anne-Lise Briard finds a manuscript of a book in the nightstand of her room as she stays in Brittany at the Beau Rivage Hotel. Since she is an avid reader, she immediately reads the manuscript. She notices that the original author did not finish the book, but it was finished by another author. The book moved her very deeply, and she just has to know the story behind it. Anne-Lise begins her search.

Oh, I love this book! Written completely in letters, it is through correspondences that we follow the plot. Not only is it a fun mystery with amazingly real characters, but it shows the reader something I, as an avid reader, already know so well: a book can affect a reader very, very profoundly! As Anne-Lise digs into the history of the book, she makes friends along the way. Books also have the power to bind people together!

Netgalley gave me a free audio version of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The audio version is wonderfully done with great actors from the countries that their characters are from, making this book even more real!

Book Trigger warnings: brief discussion of a past rape.

The lost manuscript is a story of Annaliese, who finds a 30 y.o. lost manuscript and is able to reconnect it to its original author, Sylveste, only to find out that someone else along the way wrote the ending. Together, they backtrack through 30 years of readers who have been touched by the love story.

This is an epistolary novel. There are definitely ups and downs to using this style of writing. I think having it in an audiobook form with different voices really helped to bring the story to life as much as possible. Even so, while I think it was pretty well written, it’s hard to really capture some of the events of the story and I found myself wishing it was in a normal novel form (maybe with interspersed letters) more than once. The pacing was good and there were definitely moments I enjoyed in the story.

While I liked all the characters alright, I found myself struggling to connect to them with the exceptions of a couple minor characters and Sylveste. The plot is somewhat formulaic, but for a largely feel-good story that doesn’t really bother me. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but nothing particularly poignant or special to me. If it sounds like something that’s up your alley though and you need to fill a few hours. This one will do the trick.

3.5 Stars

I received a copy of "The Lost Manuscript" from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review and I could not be more excited to have had the opportunity to listen to this book. "The Lost Manuscript" is a charming, beautifully written book that kept me intrigued from start to finish.

Anne-Lise Briars is on a vacation and she comes across a manuscript in the beside table drawer at the hotel. Upon reading the manuscript she becomes completely enthralled with the story. The address of the author is noted in the manuscript, so she writes a letter to him, only to discover the second half of the manuscript has been written by another mystery writer.

Anne-Lise then sets out to find the writer. The story is a collection of letters written to a variety of different people in an attempt to solve the mystery of the manuscripts. New friendships are formed, stories are shared, and the characters come together charmingly to tell an incredible story of friendship, love, and heartache. I love books about other books/stories and "The Last Manuscript" did not disappoint. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of the locations noted within the book. I was able to imagine I was right there with Anne-Lise and the other characters as the story unfolded.

The Lost Manuscript is a charming story for lovers of books. It is written as letters between strangers-who-will-become-friends, and this style fits the story format well. It starts when vivacious Anne-Lise Briard finds a manuscript in the drawer of her hotel room in Brittany. She is so taken by the story that she makes it a mission to track down the author. This she accomplishes in pretty quick order, but he writes her back with a twist. He wrote this story 33 years ago but didn't finish it. A stranger has taken it upon themself to finish the story!

Anne-Lise takes on the challenge of finding the mystery second author, despite Sylvester, the original writer's misgivings. She will meet a cast of characters as she traces the book's path backwards, many of whom were touched by the story or it affected their life in a profound ways. All the characters will change during the story and at the end the second author is revealed and it is a great surprise.

This was a quick listen as each chapter is a letter. There are various cast members reading each part and they did a good job of personalizing their character. I appreciate NetGalley for providing me with this ARC, and also the publisher--St Martin's Press, and the author--Cathy Bonidan.

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.

Anne-Lise finds a manuscript while she is staying at a hotel, and when she enjoys the story she decides to mail it to the address she finds within its pages - assuming this is the only copy.

What follows is a story of discovery, told in epistolary form - as the author writes back and explains that the second half of the manuscript was written by a second person. Anne-Lise embarks on quest to find out what had happened to the manuscript, and over time she discovers various people who have touched the manuscript and who's lives were changed by it.

Friendships are forged, and secrets are revealed.

I listened to the audiobook - narrated by several French speakers, While it gave the book a good atmosphere, and stayed true to that fact that this is translated from French, it did mean that I had to work harder than I expected to follow along. Pronunciation of the English translation was unusual at times - often enough that it started significantly interfering with the story for me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did in the end. I found it boring at times, and found my mind wandering to the point that I had to replay sections to ensure I could follow the plot.

I have read many books about the love of reading. This was a charming tale of how one book that wasn't even published but was read and affected the lives of many who read it. I thought it was fun to have the story unfold through letters written between all the different characters. There were several stories all overlapping and I really appreciated that it wasn't totally predictable. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending and how all was resolved. I actually listened to the audio book which had a full cast which helped me keep all the different characters straight. This as a lovely, clean read/listen.

I adored this book! I knew nothing about it before requesting it through Netgalley and I'm so happy I did. I started it randomly while waiting for library holds and finished it in a day. I'd recommend it to fans of the movie Amelie-- it had the same fun, feel-good, wild-goose-chase story with delightfully French context. I especially enjoyed the narration. I loved that they were French-speaking narrators. The narrator who read Anne-Lise's letters always had so much joy in her narration.

A lost manuscript is found in the Beau Rivage Hotel by Anne-Lise Briard while on vacation in France, bringing to light a mystery for the ages. Upon discovering an address inside the copy, Anne-Lisa proceeds to write a letter indicating she has found this manuscript. The address leads to the author who lost it nearly 30 years ago. Upon discovery and communication with the author and others, she learns the second half of the copy has been written by someone else. Through letters by those touched by the copy, romance and secrets are revealed.

This audio was challenging to navigate with multiple narrators. In addition, the French accent made it difficult to understand at times. I believe I would've enjoyed this better in book form rather than audio. Total audio was only 5:21:39.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC publication for an honest review.
Published - January 12, 2021

This book is:
- enchanting
- charming
- magical (but not in the supernatural sense)

This book is not:
- necessarily gripping
- heavy
- complicated (though I did have to stop a few times to remind myself of character names)

I received the audiobook version from NetGalley (thank you NetGalley!), which is usually my preferred medium, but I wish I would have read this in print. I think it would have added to the enchantment. That said, the audio performances were great, with different narrators for different characters.

All in all, a delightfully quick read/listen at just under six hours, with a snappy plot and intriguing characters.

I just finished listening to The Lost Manuscript a couple of days ago and I really enjoyed it. The story starts with a woman on a mission to reunite a lost manuscript to its author. They then work together to try to find all the other people who had acquired the novel and how it came into their possession.

The story is told through a series of letters between the characters. I haven't read many novels that are framed this way, but despite my initial hesitance I have found I really enjoy them. I like that there's some mystery behind each person writing the letters and you only know as much as you do about them by what they say. This is not to say that you're left in the dark about who they are, but its just a different experience from other fiction novels.

The story itself was fun and light. The characters are interesting, they all have regrets and difficult pasts, but through the friendships they find they're able to grow and work towards happiness. As I read I googled the locations where they live and travelled - needless to say I'm jealous and hope to someday visit these places. One of the things I loved most about the audiobook was that there were 4 narrators, which emphasize the various personalities of the different characters.

Thank you Netgalley, Cathy Bonidan and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just okay for me. I listened on audio and I had a hard time keeping track of the storyline and alternating view points. I do feel as if I would have enjoyed it much more if I had read a physical copy. It was an enjoyable read, however, and I could see myself going back to it to read instead of listen.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars, I enjoyed this audio book and I could understand how this could be a really good book for someone it just wasn’t for me, it took me a while to get into it and I didn’t feel the same spark I got with other books but it was a good book and it could easily be someone’s favorite book!

Thank you NetGalley and Cathy Bonidan for allowing me to read and review The Lost Manuscript. Since reading Meg Cabot’s “The Boy Next Door” years ago, I have been a big fan of books written in the epistolary style. Because “The Lost Manuscript” is more than a boy meets girl story, however, with its multiple narrators and stories within a story framework, I feel that By listening to this story rather than reading it in print, I missed out on the true epistolary experience. Since I LOVED the complexity of this plot line, however, I will be reread it a print version of the book to fill in what I found lacking just by listening.

That said, the curiousity driving Anne-Lise to solve the mystery of how the 30-year-old manuscript she found while on holiday on the Brittany (Breton.?) coast ended up in the drawer of the bedside table of her hotel room was enough to hook me, as it was sufficient to persuade all of the people she corresponded with or otherwise encountered during her “quest.”

This book was quite an enjoyable read (listen)! It follows various characters as they attempt to find out who added to a manuscript that was found in a hotel. It's written as letters to and from these characters, which I very much loved. Books that are written like this are some of my favorites because it is something different and fun from my usual reads.

However, it did get a bit confusing as an audiobook. I typically listen to them while I am doing laundry or dishes but with all the characters to keep track of, I had to kind of focus more on what was being said. This made it a bit harder to enjoy the actual book for me, which is why I am giving it the star rating I did. I think I would have liked it more as a physical book compared to an audiobook. Overall I thought the book had a good premise and was good, but it would have maybe been better for me if I had read it in a different format.

This ended up being a much more exciting book than I thought it would be. This story follows a multitude of characters as Anne-Lise Briard tracks down the author(s) of a lost manuscript found in a hotel room. I loved the characters and the unexpected journey that this manuscript took. It's a sweet, simple story. I listened to this as an audiobook and found the narration charming.

What a charming story perfectly suited to be an audiobook! If you are feeling nostalgic about letter writing, this epistolary tale will delight you.

On vacation in France, Anne-Lise Briaird discovers a manuscript in a nightstand while looking for something to read. She is enchanted by it and resolves to return it to the writer. The manuscript 's journey is slowly unraveled and the simple mystery ends up, as Anne-Lise says "an extraordinary tale full of plot twists, great passions, and missed opportunities."

With their lovely accents, the four narrators have done an outstanding job of adding to the charm of the story.

At first you may think the characters are too literate, too willing to share their stories with strangers. Letters go back and forth too quickly; phones and e-mail are mostly unused even though the year is 2016. But author Cathy Bonidan has taken 'poetic license', requiring the reader to suspend reality and live in the world she has created. It's a magical place to spend time.

BOTTOM LINE: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, but consider listening to the audiobook.

DISCLAIMER: A copy of The Lost Manuscript was provided to me by Dreamscape Media / NetGalley for an honest review.