The Book of Lost Things
Ratings82
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings82
Average rating3.9
This tenth anniversary edition includes two new short stories - Cinderella, A Version and The Rat King, the latter introducing the Crooked Man who is central to the world of The Book of Lost Things - and an afterword from the author. 'Once upon a time, there was a boy who lost his mother . . .' As twelve-year-old David takes refuge from his grief in the myths and fairytales so beloved of his dead mother, he finds the real world and the fantasy world begin to blend. That is when bad things start to happen. That is when the Crooked Man comes. And David is violently propelled into a land populated by heroes, wolves and monsters in his quest to find the legendary Book of Lost Things.
Featured Prompt
2,853 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Book of Lost Things is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2006 with contributions by John Connolly.
Reviews with the most likes.
One of my favorite books now. It's that enthralling and special and moving!
I am almost tempted to close it, reopen it at the beginning, and immediately re-read it. Almost...but I'd rather make my husband read it instead.
I need to give this one some thought. I may bump it up to 4 stars. This novel was like an elegant meal from a new culture while on vacation....enjoyable, interesting, different .... But you walk away not sure if you would like to try that again...it needs some time to settle.
The Book of Lost Things looks like a lot of things it isn't, but it is about those things.
I know that's a strange statement. The Book of Lost Things reads a lot like a children's book, and it reads a lot like a fairy tale, but it isn't really either. It concerns itself with the story of David, a young boy whose mother passes away before the story has begun. Struggling to come to terms with the loss and life as it continues on without her, he finds himself in a fairytale world – not a Disney fairytale world, but a darker, Grimm-esque one.
Without wanting to spoil anything for a new reader, the Book of Lost Things borrows liberally from traditional fairy tales, and assembles a new story using them as ingredients. Readable purely on a narrative level, there is a more complex layer underneath, one that – at least in the Kindle edition that I read – is explored in a lengthy afterword, including an interview with the author, as well as a rundown of the stories and themes from which Connolly borrows, written mostly by Connolly himself.
A smart book, smarter than I think it might get credit for. The afterword is worth reading in full.
Darker than I would have expected, but it's great. A bit cliched in parts, but overall an engaging story.
