Welcome to Litsy!

I liked this one so much more than I thought I would. There is a lot going on in both narratives and much is unresolved but it was an interesting and emotional historical telling in dual-narrative format that held my interest to the end.

Took forever to read because I‘ve been gardening! I enjoyed it!

I Flowers from my garden!
II Tagged - only book for April
III Our youngest graduates from Penn State on Friday! 💙🤍

@Eggs #wondrouswednesday

1. I‘m still reading it - only book this past month. 😊
2. West with Giraffes for bookclub.

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView #two4tuesday

1. Longwood Gardens today. Work in my gardens the rest of the week.
2. My Viburnum in full bloom and birds on our bird feeders.
3. SE Pennsylvania - sunny and warm!
4. Tagged

@Cupcake12 #motivationalmonday

Up next…

This book is so bizarre! It reads like something between Roots and a high school drama. It is so full of themes and topics that just fly by quickly without deserved focus. The idea of the book is so intriguing but the execution is not what I hoped for. I feel like somehow this book manages accidentally romantice both slavery and it's consequences to the later generations without meaning to. I'm just not sure how I feel about this.

Started reading this

Catching up, I was away for New Year's.

#12Booksof2023 June
@Andrew65

#12BooksOf2023 @Andrew65

My favorite book in February was The Book of Lost Friends, which I read with my IRL book club.

1. The Silent Patient and The Invasion of the Body Snatchers
2. The Book of Lost Friends 5⭐
3. The Way of the Bear 3⭐

#WonderousWednesday
@Eggs
@TheSpineView Thanks for the tag. 😊

5 ⭐. Historical fiction. The book is true, a compilation of names of loved ones lost to each other thru slavery in the hopes of being reunited.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
@NataliePatalie

#Weekendreads
@rachelsbrittain
@NataliePatalie

I love books that transport me to another time and place, books with characters that I want to meet in person and never forget, books that fill my soul with hope and ignite inspiration...this one does all of that and more. Every emotion is brought to the surface and my vision is changed or at least brought into question. This is what the best books can do and this one leads the way!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I highly recommend this book! A very captivating historical fiction story about slavery, friendship and family.

Good read! A little dragged out with very abrupt ending for both characters Hannie and Benny in the two different timelines. But a great piece of history to read about.

“Books built my identity.”

Another dual-timeline book, where each chapter is a cliffhanger, got in the way of the story a bit for me. But the story is worth It. I love genealogy but never knew about these lost friends advertisements. A pick for my in-real-life book club.

I started this today for my irl book club and discovered it had a pretty bookmark inside. #foundinbooks

The story was beautiful, however the pacing was a bit off for me. Very lengthy exposition with a rushed resolution but worth reading in my opinion.

This was a wonderful book that showcased even more of the pain of slavery. Highly recommended.

A story of two women living in different time periods of the same geographical area of the South trying to connect others with family lost along the way.
The story line set in 1875 is much more cohesive than the modern day story. The ending for both feels hurried.

A lovely book!! 4 stars out of 5.

5/5

I would recommend this historical novel to anyone, especially those who have grown up in the south. Wingate's writing encapsulates two stories, the first of Hannie, a freed slave embarking on a life changing quest to find her people in the year 1875; the second of Miss Silva, a teacher seeking to educate and empower students in a low-income school system in 1987. Both stories link beautifully at the end. I was so moved!

Louisiana, 1875: The dramatic story of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students‘ lives. Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” ads that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away.

"Sad thing when stories die for the lack of listening ears."

This book has touched me so far. I have been going through items that belonged to my great grandmother. I've been typing, scanning, and preserving her 100 year old letters... I've been learning what to do with old tintype photos of family from the 19th century. They are unmarked! Who are they? Hidden mysteries, lost stories.

This book. Oooffff. It started me off with an ugly cry and I almost didn‘t know if I could go on. But I kept with it and could scarcely put it down two chapters later. Two stories - one in 1875 and one in 1987 - are juxtaposed , leapfrogging over one another chapter to chapter until finally they meet at the end. And culminate in what was for me yet other ugly cry. 😂 Seriously, this is a wonderful book about surviving trauma to hope another day.

Engaging story of freed slaves trying to find lost family. Told in two timeframes, I enjoyed both plot lines and how they weaves together by the end. On the modern timeline, the character development felt light but the plot moved more swiftly. The older timeline had more character development but a much slower plot. Strange combination but overall a rich read.

Books made me believe that smart girls who didn‘t necessarily fit in with the popular crowd could be the ones to solve mysteries, rescue people in distress, ferret out international criminals, fly spaceships to distant planets, take up arms and fight battles. Books showed me that not all fathers understand their daughters or even seek to... Books made me feel beautiful when I wasn‘t. Capable when I couldn‘t be. Books built my identity.

Watched this movie last night which was a great warm up for the tagged book. Finished half of it out on the boat today and am really enjoying both parts, post Civil War and 1987. Both main characters are intriguing. Back to work tomorrow so probably won‘t finish until next weekend.

Couldn‘t figure out what to read this weekend and then this happened! I don‘t understand how these work and I always feel a little guilty for cutting in line, but I love when it happens!!🍀🍀looking forward to settling in with it on this cold wet weekend.
#lovemylibrary

I should be reading the tagged book, or any number of my BOTM TBR pile, or to prep for upcoming lectures. Instead, the second dose of vaccine has knocked my on my ass and I‘m going to watch Dances With Wolves with some hot tea.

I‘ve been wishing for this book! Thanks @Gissy for the book and yummy chocolate. I can‘t wait to dive into both. 💘📖🍫 #bookcupidswap

@candority

Well at least my reading has started 2021 with a bang! Another 5 stars. An amazing book with two different timelines about historical slavery. The two timelines take place in Louisiana and Texas. This novel covers friendships during a difficult time in our history. My eyes were wide open and my heart hurt. Pulled on my emotions in so many ways. A must read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3159906980?book_show_action=false&from_rev...

Last book of 2020, am I going to get it finished before the new year starts?! We shall see. Seeing as my New Years plans have been cancelled because everyone went home early due to weather (wanted them safe instead of sorry) I would say the odds are in my favor. 🤔🤓🤷‍♀️

Wingate is known for taking a little-known aspect of history and bringing it to life. In this book, the story centers around a newspaper column in the 1870s where former slaves could write to in hopes of finding their loved ones. I enjoyed the story of Hannie and her adventures while trying to find her mother and siblings. I did not find the modern portion of the story to be as strong. In particular, the reveal at the end felt very rushed.

#2020Book47
This novel does two of my favorite things: 1. Jumps back and forth between two time periods/characters, and 2. Explores a part of history that I didn't know much about.

This book alternates time periods, following the life of a freed slave and her journey to find her lost family members, as well as a young teacher in Louisiana in 1975. It was captivating and enjoyable, but often felt a bit over-the-top and unrealistic to me. 3/5 stars.

My newest novel to listen to #thebookoflostfriends #lisawingate my heart is already aching for the characters in the book, and I‘ve barely started, I guess that‘s a good sign, it means I‘ll be emotionally invested and really enjoy the book.
#bookworm #readeverything #itsacoffeekindofweek
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heartandsoulbooks.blogspot.com

Very sweet story.

We had some thunderstorms today and our lights flickered, but we didn‘t lose power. Happy about that since I started a new book! (See tagged.) Sometimes it‘s the little things that mean the most. 😊📚

Worthy historical fiction with new learnings for me regarding freed slaves searching for the families they had been stolen or sold away from. Wingates‘s two story line formula worked for me. The ending of the modern storyline was a touch forced but overall I enjoyed it.

Is this worth reading

This novel was AMAZING! It has everything I love about historical fiction: a compelling and unique view of history, characters that you can‘t help but fall in love with, and twists that leave you gasping. I listened to the audiobook at work and had to stop multiple times to keep from sobbing and embarrassing myself. Just beautifully written! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Excellent historic fiction! Inspired by the "Lost Friends" advertisements posted by freed slaves, desperate to reunite with family members following the Civil war. I experienced so many emotions reading this, it was so thought provoking - for both time periods actually (1875 and 1987). ⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. I read a lot of good books this month so I couldn‘t pick between the tagged, The Book Woman if Troublesome Creek, Just Mercy and Sing, Unburied Sing.
2. Just #bookspinbingo and #heycarrots

#two4tuesday @TheSpineView