The Lost Manuscript
- Downloads：1864
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-01-14 04:17:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Cathy Bonidan
- ISBN：9781250256300
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
★ 11/02/2020
French novelist Bonidan makes her English-language debut with this poignant and powerful epistolary romance about the effect a book can have on the lives of its readers。 Anne-Lise Briard is surprised to discover an unpublished manuscript in a hotel nightstand in Brittany。 She’s quickly entranced by the brief but passionate love affair contained within its pages and， after she’s finished reading， she feels compelled to send the manuscript to an address written in the margins， hoping to reunite the work with its author。 In reply， she receives a note from Sylvestre Fahmer， who lost the manuscript when it was still a half-finished work in progress on a trip to Montreal in 1983。 Intrigued by the mystery of who could have completed the story， Anne-Lise and Sylvestre search for the second author。 Together with Anne-Lise’s childhood friend， Maggy， and William， an international poker player they meet along the way， they retrace the manuscript’s path across Europe through correspondence with the people who have read it， uncovering the way the novel has affected the lives and loves of its readers。 The epistolary form allows Bonidan to incorporate myriad emotional love stories， resulting in a sweeping， heart-tugging romance。 Readers will be thrilled。 Agent: Marleen Seegers， 2 Seas Literary。 （Jan。）
Reviews
StephanieC13
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The premise drew me in right away。 A secret/unknown collaboration of a book？！ So cool！ This story is told in a letter format and documents the journey as more and more people are involved or are involved again with this lost manuscript。 Honestly， this letter writing format， although sweet and made me want to be more with physically writing letters （ps: SAVE THE USPS）， wasn't particularly my favorite style to read。 It felt chunky， but I understand how it progresses this novel in a way that is more personal and more involved with each character's thoughts。 This format was also great for slowly revealing each of the character's personalities and hardships， a much more realistic pace of understanding a stranger。 Just not my cup of tea。 Otherwise， this story was definitely interesting in that it touches upon so many other facets of life that I didn't think would be involved in a seemingly lighthearted， contemporary fiction novel。 From elderly loneliness to criminalization stereotypes， this story tackles so much more than a lost story。 This story is also a fun mystery of sorts that you get to discover more of with every letter。
Books， Brews & Booze
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Review forthcoming
Carol Youorski
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Totally immersed I was so hooked from the first page。 I bet thought a good book was letters。 How wrong I was。 Most consuming story。
Ashley Mares
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Delightful and poignant。
Houna
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Un roman épistolaire qui a lieu majoritairement en France but I read it in English， which ruined it a bit for me。It was funny at times but way too dramatic with too many stories， but this is how epistolary novels work。At the end I thought we’d have all the readers in Lozere and the second writer will be revealed， very Poirot style – a nod to the Belgian detective。 I’d say I was rather disappointed with the ending。 What about Lisou’s own affair？ We don’t read about it other than that one time。 Al Un roman épistolaire qui a lieu majoritairement en France but I read it in English， which ruined it a bit for me。It was funny at times but way too dramatic with too many stories， but this is how epistolary novels work。At the end I thought we’d have all the readers in Lozere and the second writer will be revealed， very Poirot style – a nod to the Belgian detective。 I’d say I was rather disappointed with the ending。 What about Lisou’s own affair？ We don’t read about it other than that one time。 All of those readers – de passage – who were so greatly affected by the story … doesn’t seem plausible to me。It’s an unfinished love story and this book is mediocre at best – plot wise。 But the beginning was fun， and it was a short easy read。 I’ll give it 3 stars since I’m being nice this year。 。。。more
Etta
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A manuscript’s journey than spans decades set the scene for this tale。 What would you do if you came across a book’s manuscript randomly while you were on vacation？ The story is set out to find what happens after a woman finds a manuscript and sends it back to its original author。 She finds him easily due to the address found on one of the pages， but there is a twist where there is actually a second author for the ending of the book and the original author never finished his work。 Our tale takes A manuscript’s journey than spans decades set the scene for this tale。 What would you do if you came across a book’s manuscript randomly while you were on vacation？ The story is set out to find what happens after a woman finds a manuscript and sends it back to its original author。 She finds him easily due to the address found on one of the pages， but there is a twist where there is actually a second author for the ending of the book and the original author never finished his work。 Our tale takes place in a series of letters as the woman sets out on a quest to find not only the identity of the second author， but also how the manuscript ended up at point B from its origin as point A。Anne-Lise Briard （her maiden name as I do not recall her married name given） is on vacation in the Brittany Coast at the Beau Rivage Hotel in room 128。 When she opened one of the bedside drawers， she discovered a manuscript。 Her curiosity piqued and she read the pages and became entranced in the story of romance。 While reading she comes across a page with an address written on it before the writing style and formatting changes towards the end of the book as if the same person as the first did not write it。 She decides the manuscript is not to keep and it belongs with its author so she mails it along with a letter to the address found written on one of its pages。 This sets the story in motion and more characters are introduced as we follow the manuscript’s journey from its origin in Montreal， Canada， while the author was on a trip， to the peaceful and quiet Brittany Coast in France。The story begins with Anne-Lise and her best friend Maggy as the known character。 Maggy lives a quiet life on the Brittany Coast near the very hotel that starts our story。 As the novel moves on， little by little her background is revealed and we learn more about her character。 She enjoys her solitude for the most part and lives her life without modern technology， including having a phone （cell phone or landline） as she uses the one at the hotel if needed。 Our third main character of the author， Sylvetre， is introduced when he responds to Anne-Lise’s initial letter。 We learn more about his character a semi-recluse （he used to travel， but has not in decades as he prefers the quiet life）。 Together， they each play a role in finding out the identity of the second author。Our journey spans six months and we follow the manuscript’s journey by starting at the end。 Each letter and new character reveals where the manuscript was a certain period of time and the character whose life was touched by its writing。 We work our way through five different countries and multiple cities within those places。 Each new reveal paints a picture of how the manuscript ended up in their hands， how it moved on to its next destination， and how it touched their lives。 Some characters end up becoming more prominent than others become as they become involved in the manuscript mystery。 However， each does play a part and are memorable。 There are places where it is hard to keep up with their different stories， but overall it was not difficult to understand the main events。The writing is descriptive and each character， generally， has their own voice as the author of their own letters。 Each letter’s writing also follows whom they are a correspondence between as they move between the formal and informal。 One character would write about events one way to a certain character and then the tone would change as is recounted to another。 Each character does reveal their own national pride as their characters describe their own homes and some prejudices are revealed at times when they talk about other places around the world and their cultures。 It is not a huge part of the story as it is revealed as tidbits here and there。Overall， the story is an easy read with well-written poetic letters moving the story along。 We experience the events through each character as a second-hand observer。 Each letter not only recaps the events to give updates on the new developments， but also give the reader insights into each character。 The power of how a book can touch the lives of people was well done and enjoyable。 I loved how it slowly gets revealed Anne-Lise’s backstory and why this book touched her life enough to set the events in motion。 The unearthing of the second author’s identity was unexpected and it was done well as you guess about the identity， but you never become too certain。 It is a light-hearted story with an interesting and unique cast of characters that would probably have never interacted if it were not for the power of one manuscript。 A well-done piece of writing that would intrigue me to read more by this author。**I give a special thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for the ARC to read and review。 Opinions expressed are completely my own。**My Blog: Chonky Books Review 。。。more
Clarissa
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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 ha 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 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 ha 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。 。。。more
Courtney • boozebooksandbeyond
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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 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。 Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a complimentary audiobook of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Melissa （LifeFullyBooked）
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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 th 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 voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Spring
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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。
Letty
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（3。5/5） The Lost Manuscript is indeed a charming epistolary novel。 I found it enjoyable with quite a cast of memorable characters。 Some beautiful moments with a very satisfying ending。 And because of Anne-Lise I will from here on after refer to IKEA as "the Nordic people with their twisted sense of humor。" I found that quite funny！Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy。 （3。5/5） The Lost Manuscript is indeed a charming epistolary novel。 I found it enjoyable with quite a cast of memorable characters。 Some beautiful moments with a very satisfying ending。 And because of Anne-Lise I will from here on after refer to IKEA as "the Nordic people with their twisted sense of humor。" I found that quite funny！Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy。 。。。more
Kay Renee
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The initial reason I was interested in this book was the premise alone- an abandoned manuscript written by separate authors and found by accident by someone who begins to connect everyone that has found it during the decades it was lost。I tried to， I really did but I could not get into this book。The way the book was written felt like there were far too many coincidences occurring at the perfect time to feel realistic。 It was entertaining but began to not make sense as I read it due to the overwh The initial reason I was interested in this book was the premise alone- an abandoned manuscript written by separate authors and found by accident by someone who begins to connect everyone that has found it during the decades it was lost。I tried to， I really did but I could not get into this book。The way the book was written felt like there were far too many coincidences occurring at the perfect time to feel realistic。 It was entertaining but began to not make sense as I read it due to the overwhelming amount of characters with names and connections that were hard to keep track of。I did enjoy the way the book was written in a letter format but it felt like every person who replied to a letter went on unprompted tangents that had nothing to do with the story at hand。 They were interesting enough and added personality and voice to the characters but were too eccentric and confusing for me to go along with。 This was an interesting read if you like to follow the direction of the plot and its many twists and turns， but it unfortunately was not for me。Thank you to the St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy。 。。。more
Alysa
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The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan 💌Thank you to @stmartinspress for the eARC via @netgalley！The Lost Manuscript was a cute epistolary novel told through letters sent by Anne-Lise after she discovers a book manuscript tucked away in a drawer in a hotel room and seeks to track down the people who wrote and added to the story over the years。 Her letters reveal that the manuscript has had an impact on so many lives， including hers， and in the end brings strangers together。 It was a very charming， The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan 💌Thank you to @stmartinspress for the eARC via @netgalley！The Lost Manuscript was a cute epistolary novel told through letters sent by Anne-Lise after she discovers a book manuscript tucked away in a drawer in a hotel room and seeks to track down the people who wrote and added to the story over the years。 Her letters reveal that the manuscript has had an impact on so many lives， including hers， and in the end brings strangers together。 It was a very charming， quick read， and the prose style and vocabulary were beautiful and a little old-timey （for lack of a better word）， and very fun to read。 Epistolary novels are not for everybody， but this was a perfect light read， and I highly recommend it to anybody looking for a quick and entertaining story told in a unique way。 。。。more
Caitlin （CMAReads）
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Thoughts to come。
Ashley
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This book was， sadly， not for me。 I wish I had a more positive review to give。 I received an advance listener copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and I struggled through it。 It was read in such a way that was being lulled to sleep。 I had flashbacks of listening to older audiobooks read with a similar cadence。 That very dry， slow， methodical read。 Normally， I listen to audiobooks at 1。2X the speed。 By increasing the playback rate， the pacing sound more conversational to me and it allows me to en This book was， sadly， not for me。 I wish I had a more positive review to give。 I received an advance listener copy of the audiobook from Netgalley and I struggled through it。 It was read in such a way that was being lulled to sleep。 I had flashbacks of listening to older audiobooks read with a similar cadence。 That very dry， slow， methodical read。 Normally， I listen to audiobooks at 1。2X the speed。 By increasing the playback rate， the pacing sound more conversational to me and it allows me to enjoy the book more if I feel like the read it dragging the story down。 You can NOT speed this book up。 When you do， it gives the audio a sort-of choppy underwater-like quality。 So， while I was struggling to listen to the book at a normal rate， I might have enjoyed it more if I could have speed it up。 But instead， I had trouble focusing on it and staying awake。 Some of the voices were too similar， therefore I would easily lose track of whose perspective I was listening to， which inhibited me from connecting with any of the characters。Basically， if this book sounds interesting to you I would recommend skipping the audiobook。 。。。more
Sheena
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I’m just going to go ahead and say that epistolary format just doesn’t work for me。 I don’t think it really works with an audiobook either but maybe that’s just my opinion。 Maybe it would’ve been better in an epub format but I think the story itself didn’t interest me either so not sure if it would make a difference。The premise is great on how book can touch more than one persons life。 I think that’s a lovely idea and so true since books really do have that power。 Sadly， I just couldn’t connect I’m just going to go ahead and say that epistolary format just doesn’t work for me。 I don’t think it really works with an audiobook either but maybe that’s just my opinion。 Maybe it would’ve been better in an epub format but I think the story itself didn’t interest me either so not sure if it would make a difference。The premise is great on how book can touch more than one persons life。 I think that’s a lovely idea and so true since books really do have that power。 Sadly， I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters and didn’t’t care about the back stories。 The small romance aspect did nothing for me either。 Overall， I felt absolutely nothing for this book。 I do like how it spanned across different countries and that it is a quick read as well， but that it about it。Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of the audiobook。 。。。more
Michelle
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This book was wonderful - I couldn't stop listening to it！ I loved the story， the premise， the voice actors - everything。 The story is about a manuscript that was found in a hotel room by Anne-Lise and her quest to find its mysterious authors。 The book is written in letter/e-mail form （epistolary） and we learn more about Anne-Lise， her friend Maggy and the people they meet。 The second author is revealed toward the end and is a beautifully written twist I could never have predicted。 This book is This book was wonderful - I couldn't stop listening to it！ I loved the story， the premise， the voice actors - everything。 The story is about a manuscript that was found in a hotel room by Anne-Lise and her quest to find its mysterious authors。 The book is written in letter/e-mail form （epistolary） and we learn more about Anne-Lise， her friend Maggy and the people they meet。 The second author is revealed toward the end and is a beautifully written twist I could never have predicted。 This book is quite lovely and mellow and I couldn't wait to hear how the story would progress。 Definitely a very enjoyable read/listen。 Thank you to Netgalley for letting me listen to this brilliant story。 。。。more
Chantique Wilson
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*I was given a free copy for an honest review*This was a wonderful epistolary。 I absolutely loved the writing and the way each character had differences in the styles。 I enjoyed the description of the sights across multiple countries。 The mystery behind the authors of the found manuscript keeps you engaged and excited for "Waldo" to be found。 I enjoyed the ending。 This was a light， fun read。 *I was given a free copy for an honest review*This was a wonderful epistolary。 I absolutely loved the writing and the way each character had differences in the styles。 I enjoyed the description of the sights across multiple countries。 The mystery behind the authors of the found manuscript keeps you engaged and excited for "Waldo" to be found。 I enjoyed the ending。 This was a light， fun read。 。。。more
Kat
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This was a solid 4。5 for me。 An unfinished manuscript thought to be lost by its author leads to a hunt to find the author who finished the novel。 As the journey continues， the books brings more and more people together， showing the power of words and story to bring people together and heal。 A really fun epistolary novel with a lot of heart。
Jenna
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💫 Book Review 💫 The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan Jan 12，2021A manuscript without an ownerA woman using it as an excuse to find herself as she heads out to find the author。An unsolved mystery of said manuscript。 I wanted to love this one so much。 It had all the mechanics for me to love it but it was confusing at times。 I’m wondering if this was one that would have been better in physical form instead of audiobook as I couldn’t listen to the whole thing at once。 That said the narrators were go 💫 Book Review 💫 The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan Jan 12，2021A manuscript without an ownerA woman using it as an excuse to find herself as she heads out to find the author。An unsolved mystery of said manuscript。 I wanted to love this one so much。 It had all the mechanics for me to love it but it was confusing at times。 I’m wondering if this was one that would have been better in physical form instead of audiobook as I couldn’t listen to the whole thing at once。 That said the narrators were good。 I really appreciated the multiple voices for each POV。 I think I just had higher hopes for it and while it was nice to thrown on while I was exercising or running around， I found my mind wandered to other things。 Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
DeAnna
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It’s the 1980’s and Sylvestre has lost a manuscript on his way to meet a friend in the publishing industry。 It is a novel inspired by the love of his life， a woman he met one summer while he was in college。 Fast forward thirty years later。 It’s 2016 and a manuscript is found by Anne-Lise， a wife and mother on holiday in southern France， in her hotel room’s nightstand。 Anne-Lise reads the manuscript and is touched by the love story。 She notices that it appears the story abruptly ends and is picke It’s the 1980’s and Sylvestre has lost a manuscript on his way to meet a friend in the publishing industry。 It is a novel inspired by the love of his life， a woman he met one summer while he was in college。 Fast forward thirty years later。 It’s 2016 and a manuscript is found by Anne-Lise， a wife and mother on holiday in southern France， in her hotel room’s nightstand。 Anne-Lise reads the manuscript and is touched by the love story。 She notices that it appears the story abruptly ends and is picked up by another writer who has written notes and poetry in the margins。 As someone who loves books and the writing process， she immediately wants to reunite the manuscript with it’s owner and find out the true story behind the novel。 I adored this book！ Written in epistolary format， the relationship between authors and readers and the beautiful and sometimes profound ways a book can touch someone’s life is brought to light。 I couldn’t put it down and finished this sweet book in one day。 There are several characters but they have so much depth it’s difficult to confuse them and by the end of the book you feel connected to them as if the letters they write are addressed to you。 Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ •4/5 ⭐️ - I really liked it！ 。。。more
Mehvash Doerr
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This review is based on an audiobook ARC I received fromThe publisher in return for my unbiased review。This story is ENCHANTING。 At first the accents were hard for my ear， but once I got used to the different accents I just fell into the story。 I got pulled into these lives and with every revelation of the mystery I fell deeper under the spell。 There is some romance - lost loves and new loves but mostly the books is a love letter to books and writing。 More importantly it brilliantly paints a pic This review is based on an audiobook ARC I received fromThe publisher in return for my unbiased review。This story is ENCHANTING。 At first the accents were hard for my ear， but once I got used to the different accents I just fell into the story。 I got pulled into these lives and with every revelation of the mystery I fell deeper under the spell。 There is some romance - lost loves and new loves but mostly the books is a love letter to books and writing。 More importantly it brilliantly paints a picture of how books can influence our lives， loves， and bring unexpected people into our world。 The language and structure of the writing almost feels poetic and lyrical in nature。 That probably at least in small part is because of the wonderful narration of this cast。 I thought I wanted to read this book in a traditional manner - and at some point I probably will， but listening to it in this form made the story sparkle。 。。。more
Mariana
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A one-of-a-kind story that highlights the power of stories and words。 Told in multiple voices and just through letters or emails， we get to know the story of Anne-Lise， Sylvestre， Maggy， William， and all the people who were touched， in some way， by a mysterious manuscript。 The journey to discover the origins of the manuscript takes these people on a different journey and changes their lives in ways they were not expecting。The book was fast-paced and was easy to read。 It was enjoyable and peculia A one-of-a-kind story that highlights the power of stories and words。 Told in multiple voices and just through letters or emails， we get to know the story of Anne-Lise， Sylvestre， Maggy， William， and all the people who were touched， in some way， by a mysterious manuscript。 The journey to discover the origins of the manuscript takes these people on a different journey and changes their lives in ways they were not expecting。The book was fast-paced and was easy to read。 It was enjoyable and peculiar in a very positive way。 It makes you think about how much a book or a story can have an influence in your life， sometimes in life-changing ways。 I really liked it; although I thought Anne-Lise was a bit too nosy， I liked all the characters and I would definitely read more books by the author。 。。。more
Kali Cannizzaro
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The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is the perfect novel for someone looking for a feel-good read。 Told through letters exchanged by different characters， it adds an interesting layer to the unfolding of the story。 The book revolves around a misplaced unfinished manuscript’s travels and the lives of the people that have encountered it。 The manuscript is the main character of this story and it is complex and meaningful。 The audiobook was narrated by a cast and was lovely to listen to。 Thank you The Lost Manuscript by Cathy Bonidan is the perfect novel for someone looking for a feel-good read。 Told through letters exchanged by different characters， it adds an interesting layer to the unfolding of the story。 The book revolves around a misplaced unfinished manuscript’s travels and the lives of the people that have encountered it。 The manuscript is the main character of this story and it is complex and meaningful。 The audiobook was narrated by a cast and was lovely to listen to。 Thank you to NetGalley， the author， the publisher， and narrators for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook。 The opinions in this review are entirely my own。 。。。more
Toni
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i Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version of "The Lost Manuscript" by Cathy Bonidan。 I rarely say this， however，I truly could not step away from this book once I started to listen to the story。 I also had pre-ordered the book before I had been awarded the audiobook so I am going to do something else I rarely do， I am going to read the book when it arrives even though I have already listened to it in its entirety。 Is their higher praise when there are so many great reads out there just waiti i Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version of "The Lost Manuscript" by Cathy Bonidan。 I rarely say this， however，I truly could not step away from this book once I started to listen to the story。 I also had pre-ordered the book before I had been awarded the audiobook so I am going to do something else I rarely do， I am going to read the book when it arrives even though I have already listened to it in its entirety。 Is their higher praise when there are so many great reads out there just waiting to captivate me。？ First ， on the audio edition。 I believe that the various narrators added to the enjoyment of the novel ， esp 。 with it being an epistolary layout。 The voices seem to match perfectly with the personalities gleaned from their letters。 It also made listening so much easier knowing instantly to whom one was listening。 For those who enjoy audio books ， I think that this is an excellent selection。For those new to audiobooks， what a great place to start。 Everything about the audio version was perfect。 On to the book itself。 I must state that epistolary novels are one of my favorite styles of writing even though I find it difficult to discover new ones。 。But when I do ， I either love them or meh？ This one was outstanding。 Why has letter writing gone out of style when so much can be said in so few words。 Each letter is a short story with a mood， tale， setting and questions to lead you to the next response。 This book flowed so easily and carried you on with the investigations。 What would you do if you found a manuscript？How curious would you be？ Enough to investigate its history。？ What if you found that it had traveled from Montreal to Paris to Brittany and beyond over a 30 year period and that it had affected multiple people along the way？ Right， you would have to know who ， what， where， why？ Anna-Lise was just the protagonist needed to tie these stories together。 It is very clever and unique yet charming tale that exemplifies the love of books and how that love of books can unite us。 It is love letter to books， letter writing， friendship and taking chances。It is nearly impossible to not be pulled in to their search and the mystery of the 'other' writer。 I enjoyed getting to know Anna-Lise， Sylvester， Maggie， William， and David and others along this literary journey and hope that other readers will be as entranced as was I。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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A lovely epistolary novel about a manuscript- the actual contents of which are never revealed- and the people who handed it over 30 years。 Anne Lise finds the manuscript in a hotel in Brittany and feels compelled to find the author。 She enlists her friend Maggy and between them， they track down Sylvestre， who wrote the first half but doesn't know what happened to it since he last saw it in Montreal。 Now the three of them head down the path， along the way picking up William， and others， including A lovely epistolary novel about a manuscript- the actual contents of which are never revealed- and the people who handed it over 30 years。 Anne Lise finds the manuscript in a hotel in Brittany and feels compelled to find the author。 She enlists her friend Maggy and between them， they track down Sylvestre， who wrote the first half but doesn't know what happened to it since he last saw it in Montreal。 Now the three of them head down the path， along the way picking up William， and others， including David， who is in prison。 Each person's story comes out slowly （you don't， for example， know what Anne Lise does until the very end）。 Not all the characters are likable-I had very mixed feeling about Sylvestre for example and Maggy seems to careen around in emotions。 It will all make sense by the end。 If there is anything unrealistic it is the speed with which these letters are delivered- if only this were so for my mail！ Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 This is a fast pleasant read than made me long for a trip to Brittany， Brussels （I fondly remember those chocolate shops on the Grand Place）， and Paris， of course。 。。。more
•Bookish Em•
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Thank you NetGalley， Dreamscape Media， and Cathy Bonidan for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed the writing and the concept of the book。 I admire the main character and her persistence in finding the authors of the manuscript， however， I couldn’t relate to any of the other characters。 I realized about halfway through this book that I was not at all invested in the lives of these characters。 I think the format is to blame for this。 Also， it might have been easier Thank you NetGalley， Dreamscape Media， and Cathy Bonidan for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 I enjoyed the writing and the concept of the book。 I admire the main character and her persistence in finding the authors of the manuscript， however， I couldn’t relate to any of the other characters。 I realized about halfway through this book that I was not at all invested in the lives of these characters。 I think the format is to blame for this。 Also， it might have been easier for me to connect with the story had I read the ebook or a physical copy。 It’s hard to keep up with who’s speaking when you’re listening to the audiobook。 This book was short and actually perfect to listen to while I was cleaning， cooking， driving， etc。 It made for a good distraction for a few hours。 3/5 stars。 。。。more
Calista
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⭐️⭐️⭐️Note: I received this audiobook from NetGalley to provide an honest review。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 do ⭐️⭐️⭐️Note: I received this audiobook from NetGalley to provide an honest review。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。 。。。more
Homerun2
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3。5 starsThis often-charming but circuitous story about a lost book manuscript that reappears after a thirty-three year disappearance has quite a complex and meandering plot。 Many of the characters have interesting back stories and are quite appealing。 When the manuscript is discovered， the main narrator decides to return it to an address listed in its pages。 She is often difficult to connect with as she is unbelievably pushy and meddling。 Several times those involved tell her quite clearly to b 3。5 starsThis often-charming but circuitous story about a lost book manuscript that reappears after a thirty-three year disappearance has quite a complex and meandering plot。 Many of the characters have interesting back stories and are quite appealing。 When the manuscript is discovered， the main narrator decides to return it to an address listed in its pages。 She is often difficult to connect with as she is unbelievably pushy and meddling。 Several times those involved tell her quite clearly to back off， but she disregards their wishes。 She does make a monumental effort to trace the movement of the draft over the years and in the process meets and befriends quite a few characters。 And her efforts ultimately turn out well for everyone。Thanks to Net Galley and to the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Courtney
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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review， All opinions are my own。The Lost Manuscript was boring。 There are so many characters with relationships with one another and I couldn’t keep them all straight。 And no one endeared themselves to me in their letters either。。。I can’t name a single memorable thing about any of them beyond their names。 I seem to be in the minority on this one， so it must be a “me” thing。
Robin
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