The Binder of Lost Stories: An Enchanting Novel of Adventure and Discovery

Gerri M. Pilcher: Thud isn’t s page turner but it proved to be a good read.The author made it interesting enough that you wanted to continue the story if not but to find out what happened to Clarice and Christian

United States on Aug 01, 2022

melanie oliver-trotter: Some bits worked better than others, some of the historical bits dragged on a bit, whereas the main characters in modern day were far more engaging. Reasonable read though.

United Kingdom on Jul 04, 2021

Kelly J Champion: I read most genres but don't read anything I don't like. I loved this book from the beginning because of the way it talks about the importance of books and words. Now I have to buy "The Secret Ways of Perfume" and read it. I can't wait. Thank you Cristina Caboni for writing this book and also to Patricia Hampton for the translation.

United States on Jun 26, 2021

LL: Here is a book that weaves mystery and suspense with hope and love, fear and trust. The reader follows the search started by a rare book, a trail that travels through a woman’s search for self, an answer to a long held rumor of a missing text, and closure to a family mystery. So thoughtful and engaging, I willingly read it twice!

United States on Jun 20, 2021

My view: I would recommend this novel . I enjoyed the descriptions of the different cities, especially Rome. I would love to visit the villa in London and explore the library.

United Kingdom on May 24, 2021

Elizabeth Pritchard: This is a book of two stories, past and present, intertwined. Both stories were love stories but also with a strong literary focus and with a message of independence for women. It's translated from Italian and I wonder if this made any difference to the flow of the book.

United Kingdom on May 23, 2021

Tiggywinkle: I found this book a little difficult to get into when I first started reading it and it didn't really gel until about a third of the way through but after that it was a fabulous read with an amazing and surprising ending. Loved it so much I read it again to finally piece together the start of the book, hence not 5 stars.

United Kingdom on Jul 27, 2020

Constant Reader: This historical romance follows the now familiar format of alternating between two narrators, separated by years, but bound by a mystery. Sophia is our present day narrator. She lives in Rome where she has been desperately unhappy and unfulfilled in an emotionally abusive marriage. No time is spent on that marriage, but her exit from the marriage launches the mystery. She is given a very old book by a neighborhood bookseller that is in bad shape. When she disassembles the book to begin restoration of the extraordinary binding, she finds a letter hidden under the endpapers. Another chance encounter leads to her new romantic interest and her partner in the investigation. Those types of coincidences should tell you how this book goes. Not much is believable or memorable. The European setting, mainly in Rome, but with brief visits to Munich, Vienna, and London, is pleasant. The writing is good enough to tell the story. The book is a pleasant read and a light diversion.

United States on May 12, 2020

Val Mills: This is such a beautifully written story, with elegant prose and a verse of poetry that was an appropriate lead in to each chapter. The switch back and forth in time was seem less and easily followed. The story perfectly unfolded in both past and present, with a well timed buildup of mystery and intrigue, as the two main characters try to solve the puzzle hinted at in letters found in the bindings of antique books of renowned early 19th century author. The connection the female main character feels with the woman who wrote those letters was poignant and the driving force to solve the mystery of not only the 19th woman, but also the author of the trio of books, who was thought to have written another book that was never found.
My reason for 4 stars was the rather slow and plodding pace of the beginning of the book. As the story gained momentum it really pulled me in, and by 50%, I was totally hooked and couldn’t put it down.

United States on Apr 28, 2020

Kindle Customer: Sophia is a trained book binder in an unhappy marriage. She is given an antique manuscript to re-cover. It leads her on an adventure to discover more about a book binder called Clarice who had lived two centuries before her. This is a beautiful story about women seeking to live their own lives and careers in worlds dominated by men. Intriguing, sensitive and poetic Caboni has captured the atmosphere of both worlds. Love, Mystery and books what more could you desire.

United Kingdom on Mar 04, 2020