The Lost Manuscript

THE LOST MANUSCRIPT by Cathy Bonidan will be published in the United States in January and I encourage you to look for it. The award-winning author teaches school and lives in Vannes, France. Her main character, Anne-Lise Briard, vacations in Brittany where she finds a manuscript in her hotel room. After reading and being moved by the story, she returns it to an address that was inside the book. The author responds and Anne-Lise learns that the manuscript was lost 30 years ago and has since been finished by an unknown second author. That starts a wonderful journey to trace the book’s activity over the last few decades. The story is told in light, breezy, honest letters between Anne-Lise and Sylvestre Fahmer, the somewhat reclusive author.  Eventually, others join the correspondence and the reader learns of thwarted love affairs, estranged parents and children, and budding friendships. Along the way, the manuscript positively impacts its readers and I must say that I found reading the letters to be a delight. They are filled with hope, mystery and even romance, as Bonidan relays the power of books and of caring for each other. Publishers Weekly gave THE LOST MANUSCRIPT a starred review. Add it to your “to be read” pile for 2021 now.