The Book of Lost Friends and Furmidable Foes

I have not yet read Lisa Wingate’s best seller Before We Were Yours, but I had heard positive comments so I was excited to read her newest work of historical fiction, THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS.  Set mostly in Louisiana, this novel alternates between events of 1875 and 1987. Just after the Civil War, recently freed Hannie disappears with Juneau Jane and Miss Lavinia, half-sisters whose father is Hannie’s former owner. It is a perilous journey with Hannie pretending to be a boy as the three of them travel West. Interspersed between chapters are reproductions from Southern papers of “Lost Friends” columns humbly and movingly seeking missing loved ones. Closer to modern day, the story features Benny Silva, a young teacher struggling to make school engaging for her students. She says, “Books were the escape hatch that carried me away during long lonely times …. 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 built my identity. I want that for my students.” I especially liked the modern story with Benny’s optimism and the work she did to help make the past relevant for the class and the town.  A LibraryReads selection, THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS will be welcomed by Wingate’s many fans. 

Another new book which alternates time periods (1788 and 2019) is FURMIDABLE FOES by Rita Mae Brown. Loyal readers will recognize this as another fun Mrs. Murphy mystery (book 29) featuring cats named Pewter and Mrs. Murphy, plus corgi Tee Tucker and a new wolfhound pup named Pirate. Harry Harristeen, best friend Susan Tucker, and other members of the Dorcas Guild are into gardening and beautifying the local church’s property until one of them is killed at a charity event. I generally like these light, cozy mysteries and read this one in an afternoon, but found it to be a bit disappointing.  My personal preference would be to stick to the modern story and that was reinforced in this case due to the historical tale of slave catchers that did not seem to have any real resolution.  From her references to many characters in the past, my impression is that Brown is trying to build two worlds: Harry’s in the present day and one in post-colonial Virginia. Frankly, that means too many details (there is a five page “Cast of Characters”) for the reader – looking for escapist entertainment – to track.