I cannot stop thinking about The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. This novel was so good. It was beautifully written and left a lasting impact on me. It jumped between time periods which I loved, and all of the characters were strong and sympathetic.
Louisiana 1875, Hannie, Juneau Jane, and Lavinia are on a journey together heading for Texas. For Juneau Jane and Lavinia this journey is for an inheritance from their father, for Hannie, this journey is to find her family who she was separated from before the end of slavery. All Hannie wants to know, is if her family is still out there somewhere. Louisiana 1987, first year teacher, Benedetta Silva is working in a poor rural school. The town is not very welcoming of newcomers and Benny feels as if this is all too much. She doesn’t know how to reach her students, nor can she begin to comprehend their poverty-stricken lives. But amidst all of this, lies the history of three young women on a long ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything and help Benny finally be able to reach her students.
I found this novel to be so interesting and different. I loved that it jumped back and forth between time periods and that the characters mentioned in 1875 were being connected to the characters from 1987. I found that with it jumping back and forth between time periods, it made the book go faster because it almost felt like two different novels. This book also contained real letters from newspapers in 1875. These letters and articles were known as The Lost Friends where people would write letters looking for their family, whom they were separated from during slavery.
I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. I would highly recommend this novel. I have been on a bit of a historical fiction kick lately and this novel made me just want to keep reading historical fiction. I honestly kind of randomly bought this book and I am so glad that I did. It was a super fast read for me, but I was able to take away so much from it. If you are looking for a good historical fiction novel, I would not hesitate to recommend this book.
Lotuskey Poetry 