Written by Lisa Wingate (author of Before We Were Yours), The Book of Lost Friends follows two women, 100 years apart, as they both go on journeys of discovery. Frankly, the publishers did the summary far better than I can today –
Louisiana, 1875 In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now-destitute plantation; Juneau Jane, her illegitimate free-born Creole half-sister; and Hannie, Lavinia’s former slave. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following dangerous roads rife with ruthless vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and eight siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the seemingly limitless frontiers of Texas and, improbably, hope.
Louisiana, 1987 For first-year teacher Benedetta Silva, a subsidized job at a poor rural school seems like the ticket to canceling her hefty student debt–until she lands in a tiny, out-of-step Mississippi River town. Augustine, Louisiana, seems suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled oaks and run-down plantation homes lies the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.
The Book of Lost Friends
I loved this book so, so much. It does jump back and forth, pretty much 1 chapter to the next, between the two timelines so if that is something that bothers you, just go ahead and skip it. Bennie and Hannie were wonderful characters to go on this adventure with – both had some amazing strengths and experience to pull on, and they both also really made me think and take another look at the world.
Hannie was born into slavery and was emancipated when she was still a young girl, but after her whole family had been separated from her. Hannie didn’t set out to go on an adventure, she just wanted to get information so she could protect her adopted family and their future.
And Bennie, it was interesting to read a story with a character in the ‘modern’ area being over 40 years ago, and looking at the world that was created by a plantation family and the echoes it had at that point in time. Bennie just wanted to connect with people, and help them.
This is a book about discovery, about adventure, about tragedy and about relationships and friendships. If you are looking for your next GREAT romance novel, keep going, but if any of that sounds interesting to you, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you hop on this train and enjoy the ride.
