“A wonderful exploration of the past and the future and, most importantly, of what it means to be present in the here and now. Full of the love of words, the love of family, and the love of falling in love, The Lost and Found Bookshop is a big-hearted gem of a novel that will satisfy and entertain readers from all walks of life. Lovely!”—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art … Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing In The Rain
In this thought-provoking, wise and emotionally rich novel, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself as she asks the question, “If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?”
There is a book for everything . . .
Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, there was a book that embodied exactly the things she was worrying about.
In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Natalie Harper inherits her mother’s charming but financially strapped bookshop in San Francisco. She also becomes caretaker for her ailing grandfather Andrew, her only living relative—not counting her scoundrel father.
But the gruff, deeply kind Andrew has begun displaying signs of decline. Natalie thinks it’s best to move him to an assisted living facility to ensure the care he needs. To pay for it, she plans to close the bookstore and sell the derelict but valuable building on historic Perdita Street, which is in need of constant fixing. There’s only one problem–Grandpa Andrew owns the building and refuses to sell. Natalie adores her grandfather; she’ll do whatever it takes to make his final years happy. Besides, she loves the store and its books provide welcome solace for her overwhelming grief.
After she moves into the small studio apartment above the shop, Natalie carries out her grandfather’s request and hires contractor Peach Gallagher to do the necessary and ongoing repairs. His young daughter, Dorothy, also becomes a regular at the store, and she and Natalie begin reading together while Peach works.
To Natalie’s surprise, her sorrow begins to dissipate as her life becomes an unexpected journey of new connections, discoveries and revelations, from unearthing artifacts hidden in the bookshop’s walls, to discovering the truth about her family, her future, and her own heart.
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I thought it was suitable for a teenage reader. Old story about a gal who has to start over in her grandfather’s bookshop. Enter Prince Charming and the toad. Add to that the walls that contain great treasures, an earthquake that reveals a hidden room containing artifacts worth millions. Uh uh.
Natalie Harper has just attended her company’s celebration of her promotion, but she’s feeling very empty and unfulfilled. Neither her mother, nor her boyfriend attended, and she overhears her co-workers make some very unflattering remarks about her. Truth be told, she hates her job, and is totally sticking with it for the money and security, something which was severely lacking in her growing up years. If she’s being completely honest, her romantic relationship doesn’t feel right either. When Natalie learns the tragic reason her mother didn’t attend, she rushes to be with her elderly grandfather, and her childhood home, the Lost and Found Bookshop.
After dealing with the memorial service, and while still grieving, Natalie digs into the financial state of the store, only to find that her mother has been hanging on by a shoestring, and is heavily in debt. Even using her own money, Natalie sees no way to recover, and reluctantly tells her grandfather, Grandy, that they will have to sell. But while the book store was her mother’s, the actual building belongs to Grandy, and he flat out refuses to sell. The building has historical ties to his ancestors, going back to the turn of the 20th century, and Grandy still believes the family legend of “treasure” hidden somewhere within its walls.
Natalie loves Grandy dearly, as he was her only father figure while growing up. Now that he’s in the beginning stages of dementia, as well as in poor health, Natalie is torn over whether she needs to take legal steps, knowing that it will break his heart. She decides to leave her safe job and move back permanently to try to make a go of the store. Natalie truly pours her heart and soul into the bookshop, adding a café and scheduling author events. She hires a contractor to begin much needed building repairs, and miraculously, one of the most successful authors around comes to her shop, willing to be part of a huge event.
I found THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP to be a beautifully written, poignant, emotional, and captivating read. Natalie’s grief was so brutal and honest, that I could feel it coming off the pages. Grandy’s own grief over the loss of his daughter, as well as his realization that he was slowly losing himself tugged at my heart. The uncertain future, the actual discovery of various treasures, and Natalie’s opportunity for a new love were depicted sympathetically and realistically. Natalie has two men interested in her, the contractor, Peter Gallagher, known as “Peach,” and the wealthy author, Trevor Dashwood, both good men who genuinely care for her. Natalie steps into romance cautiously, but eventually finds her happiness. THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP is a wonderful story, with plenty of emotion and character depth, one that I heartily recommend to readers who love romance, women’s fiction, and family fiction.
As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-1iv
Natalie’s life takes an unexpected turn when a tragedy leaves her in charge of a failing bookshop. Despite looming financial insecurity, she copes through newfound bookshop connections & discoveries.
…
…for a contemplation on what you might do for love.
• Set in San Francisco
• Love & Hope
• Book club suggestion
• Memory loss
• Elder care
• Financial strain
{Thank you to William Morrow for the free galley.}
A wonderful book from this popular writer. She never disappoints her readers! Interesting characters, a plot that moves along at a good pace, and great ending.
I love this author so it was strange to have a book by her that I was so uninterested in. This book just failed to hold my interest for large blocks of time. Natalie was annoying, portrayed as someone who wanted her life to be the exact opposite of her childhood. Which is all well and good but she has major issues about her childhood, her mom, her dad, her job, and her romantic relationships. She really ought to be getting some serious therapy, which she laughs off with a joke about it not being in her health insurance.
A wonderful story about family, lost lives, decisions, and books! Susan Wigg’s story promises all of this and is another winner by her!
I began it, but didn’t like anything about this book and didn’t finish it. Sorry
Very boring!! Like a million other books.
Natalie Harper is a high-powered executive for a wine company when a tragedy strikes that changes her entire life. She goes back home to the bookstore where she was raised in order to get her mother’s affairs in order and to take care of her beloved Grandfather Andrew, whom she calls Grandy. Natalie has no idea of the insurmountable obstacles she will face at the book store and neither do the readers, as one dilemma after another comes up. The building is falling apart and Natalie’s mom had more liabilities than assets. My favorite character was Peach, the handyman who knows so much about books and who also knows how to repair just about everything. I also liked Natalie’s persistence and willingness to take care of her beloved grandfather who is suffering from dementia. The whole story was extremely well-written, with just the touch of romance that kept me wondering what would happen in the end. I can’t write my review without mentioning Dorothy, Peach’s intelligent and oh-so-wistful daughter. She loves books just as I did as a child, so I fell in love with her. Fans of light romance with lots of trivial tidbits will really love this book. I know that I did!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I checked out a copy of this book from my local library using the Overdrive App. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
THE LOST AND FOUND BOOKSHOP by Susan Wiggs is a book for booklovers and everyone else who loves a story about family, love, old buildings, friendship, and loyalty. Natalie has spent her adult life trying to create a life completely different from the one she grew up with, only to realize that she really isn’t happy. When she loses her mother in a tragic accident, she returns home to take care of her grandfather and her mother’s bookshop. Dealing with her grief, her grandfather’s declining health, and a building full of history that needs renovating.
Wiggs introduces a cast of characters that are fun, quirky, and realistic. I love Andrew (Grandy). He is a good man who thinks of everyone else before himself and loves his daughter and his granddaughter. He is stubborn, though. The building has been in his family for generations and it’s the only home he’s ever known and he is determined not to let it go, if only they could find the family treasure. Natalie also gets the chance to start over and figure out who she wants to be and what kind of life will make her happy. Throw in a carpenter with the unlikely nickname of Peach and his precocious daughter and a cast of interesting secondary characters and you have a winner.
This combined so many things that I love: books, family history, a touch of romance, and, of course, books in a well-developed story that kept me turning pages until I reached then end with tears in my eyes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
#thelostandfoundbookshop #thebookclubgirls #bookclubgirl #williammorrow #susanwiggs
Her best of late
Emotional. This is the first word that comes to mind as I think about this book. Loss, sorrow, emotional devastation. Wending the way through the thoughts and remembrances of each person, then bringing them together for a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.
I can’t say enough good about this book. Multi-generational family history, learning to love who you are and then what you do. Taking care of loved ones. Being true to your ethics. Serendipitous meetings that could be great, but one somehow doesn’t measure up and the other is almost lost to silence. The conclusion seems a bit rushed but ties all the different pieces up and the epilogue ‘news’ articles answer all the questions I had.
Very satisfying. One of the best books I’ve read this year.
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