The Book of Lost Friends
A Novel
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Written by:
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Lisa Wingate
About this listen
“An absorbing historical . . . enthralling.”—Library Journal
Bestselling author Lisa Wingate brings to life startling stories from actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, as newly freed slaves desperately searched for loved ones who had been sold away.
Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous era of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest: Hannie, a freed slave; Lavinia, the pampered heir to a now destitute plantation; and Juneau Jane, Lavinia’s Creole half sister. Each carries private wounds and powerful secrets as they head for Texas, following roads rife with vigilantes and soldiers still fighting a war lost a decade before. For Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of stolen inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery’s end, the pilgrimage west reignites an agonizing question: Could her long-lost family still be out there? Beyond the swamps lie the 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, is suspicious of new ideas and new people, and Benny can scarcely comprehend the lives of her poverty-stricken students. But amid the gnarled live oaks and run-down plantation homes lie the century-old history of three young women, a long-ago journey, and a hidden book that could change everything.
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What the critics say
“Wingate brings to life a new and exciting historical drama.”—Deep South magazine
“[A] wonderful novel . . . a story that is heartbreaking and full of grief but also joy and optimism. It’s a perfect excuse to curl up on the couch and read.”—Bookreporter
“This is what I love most about historical fiction, the chance to learn things we unfortunately aren’t taught in schools.”—All About Romance
“Emphasizing throughout that stories matter and should never go untold, Wingate has written an absorbing historical for many readers. . . . Enthralling and ultimately heartening.”—Library Journal
Featured Article: Historical Fiction Listens with Strong and Inspiring Female Protagonists
History teaches us what happened; historical fiction novels let us feel what happened. Without female protagonists in these historical fiction books, we’re only getting half the picture of what it might have been like to live through different time periods. Whether it’s a historical romance set hundreds of years ago or a twentieth-century drama based on actual events, discover listens that are both heartbreaking and humbling as female characters lead the way.
Fantastic story
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my new favourite
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it's a book about family and what would we do too find them again.
I like how it went back and forth between past and present and how the kids learned about their heritage.
What a great idea the advertisement of lost friends.
Happy Listening
Thought Provoking
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Chilling to think it was true (ish)
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The accents and dialects sound really good to me (in Canada) but the one Irish man they meet in a Texas prison. He's frankly, very terrible. But all in all I would highly recommend this story and will be looking for more Lisa Wingate books.
heartwarming & heartfelt
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