The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES by Elise Hooper shares the stories of Tildy, a young librarian living in present day San Francisco, and Cora, a talented artist who lived in the early twentieth century. Their connection is the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library where Tildy discovers two long hidden dollhouses. As the alternating stories enfold, readers learn about Cora’s early life, travels in Europe, love affairs with both men and women, and her time during and after World War I when she began creating the miniatures. Although the story is sometimes a bit too slow-paced, Hooper certainly motivates her readers to reflect on the contributions of little recognized female artists (for a novel with a similar theme, see Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Vreeland). For me, the best part of Hooper’s book was the description of the intricate, detailed work on the dollhouses and their contents. Both the Thorne Rooms (on display in Chicago) and Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House (near London) are mentioned in the book and Hooper explains that “there's actually a psychological rationale to explain our affinity for small things: dollhouses offer us a sense of control and imagination. They can provide a feeling of agency. Miniatures allow us to create the world as we'd like to see it.” The audiobook is narrated by Emily Rankin and Caroline Hewitt who provide a clear and entertaining account of Cora’s and Tildy’s adventures. THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES is a bonus fiction pick for LibraryReads in April 2025. Booklist recommends it for fans of Kate Morton and Fiona Davis.