If a good story always begins with tea, what does an amazing story begin with? This book totally captivated me to the point that I couldn’t stop thinking about it even when I wasn’t reading it, leaving me antsy to get back to it. The characters were so vividly created that I felt as though I knew them personally.

I loved this storyline as it took twists and turns that I never expected. With every page I anticipated that moment when Opaline’s and Martha’s stories would intersect, not knowing even if they would. Through the whole journey I was met with mystery, heartache, and intrigue, as well as a reminder of the horrors women have had to endure.

This book went beyond my expectations and left me saddened that it had ended, but so glad I was able to experience it.

The Lost Bookshop is the first novel by Irish author, Evie Woods (who also writes as Evie Gaughan). In 1921, twenty-one-year-old Opaline Carlisle runs away to Paris to avoid the financially advantageous marriage her older brother Lyndon has arranged. With a love of literature instilled in her by her late father, Alfred, and a keen eye for a literary bargain, she funds her escape with the sale of a rare book, and ends up working at Shakespeare and Company.

Sylvia Beach introduces her to literary ephemera, and sets her on the path to becoming a literary sleuth with a particular interest in a possible second novel by her favourite author, Emily Bronte. Turns out that Lyndon Carlisle is persistent, though, she has to make another quick exit, and she ends up running the late Mr Fitzpatrick’s Nostalgia Shop at 11 Ha’penny Lane, Dublin, adding her books to his eclectic mix. The shop has a curious history and, Opaline begins to realise, a mind of its own.

In the present day, Martha Winter flees to Dublin from her small hometown in Sligo to escape her abusive husband. Soon enough, she’s living in the basement flat of Madame Bowden’s home at 12 Ha’penny Lane, cooking and keeping house. She tries to stay under the radar: no one in Sligo knows where she’s gone, and she’d like to keep it that way.

Londoner Henry Field is in Dublin following up a lead: a letter from rare book collector Abe Rosenbach to Opaline Gray mentions a lost Emily Bronte manuscript, and finding that would make his name in the world of rare books. Henry took a chance when he first arrived, going to the address despite his inebriation, and into the bookshop, but was then perplexed to find himself outside in the dark.

He’s gone back to 11 Ha’penny Lane several times, but there’s just a vacant block. And that’s where Martha spots him, just outside her basement window, no doubt a perv. He says he’s looking for a bookshop, maybe he’s a weirdo too. An attractive one, but still.

Woods delivers her story through three alternating narratives in two timelines, and readers will pick up on parallels between the stories. She drops plenty of clues for the reader to discover in how many ways the stories connect: some are fairly obvious, but there are also some splendid surprises. Minor roles are played by James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and one or two other famous literary names, and there’s a cameo by Alice Liddell.

While there are some truly awful ones, many of her characters have depth and appeal. Their dialogue is quick and clever and entertaining, and she gives some of them wise words insightful observations. There’s sweet romance and passion and heartbreak; there are quirky, magical things like a tree that offers books, tattoos that write themselves, and a sewing box with a secret. A truly marvellous read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter.