2024 the best historical books review

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a dramatic historical novel of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives.

“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.

From the Publisher

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; First Edition (June 29, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1984819909
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1984819901
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.18 x 0.81 x 7.93 inches
Reviewer: Constant Reader
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good Characters, Compelling History, Good Writing
Review: Five Stars Minus. I bought this book for two reasons: (1) I liked her book Before We Were Yours and (2) a close friend recommended it highly. The book switches between two main points of view. Hannie is a former slave in Louisiana in 1975. She is looking for the members of her family who were stolen and sold before the end of the Civil War. Bennie is a teacher in Louisiana in 1987. She is a new English teacher at a small town school in the shadow of the plantation where Hannie lived as a slave. True confession: I started this book two times before I forged ahead. The switching point of view made the beginning less engaging and there is a Kindle specific problem. The hook to this story is the search for Lost Friends. I had no idea that in the years after the Civil War, many freed slaves composed personal ads with their family history and published the ads in a newspaper. That newspaper asked churches throughout the South to read and post the ads. The aim was to reunite family and friends separated by slavery and the Civil War. It is compelling and interesting. Unfortunately for Kindle readers, the actual ads that end Hannie’s chapters are reproduced as graphics that cannot be enlarged. If I turned my light to a very bright setting and changed my glasses, I could puzzle through the ads. Needless to say, that took me out of the story and made reading in bed disruptive. Hence, the stopping and starting. The third time was the charm, and I got caught up in the story. Hannie is bright, strong, resilient, and loyal. She is on a great journey through Louisiana and Texas to find her family and to find her former owner. The details and dangers of the journey are written well. Bennie is also a good character. She is trying hard to connect with her students and connect them with the possibility that their lives can be different. Many of the town residents are descendants of the plantation owners and slaves. This is a book where you can care about the characters, including the secondary characters. There is romance that is romantic. (No graphic sex scenes for those who care.) I enjoyed this book. I would have enjoyed it more without one “surprise” secret revelation that comes near then end. To avoid spoilers I will not say more, but to me it cheapened the story and lessened the impact. Nevertheless, this is history that I did not know, and the writing is very good.

Reviewer: muralmum
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Hmmmm....
Review: Got to say the theme of this book was interesting , for sure....but very s-l-o-w. Found myself jumping ahead and skimming some of the pages....but what I did learn more about was the horrible atrocities and hardships that took place in our history. Well researched by Wingate and an important subject to write about, too, but just found it a little tedious.

Reviewer: Faith B. Stuart
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you love history, this book is for you!
Review: This was a great story that follows a southern plantation town in two timelines. One timeline gives an inside look at the lives of slaves and plantation owners. The other timeline is more modern times. The plot and characters are all well developed and relatable. The back and forth between timelines keeps it suspenseful and interesting. Lots to like about this book but I really especially the main charater's spirit and love for books!

Reviewer: Vicki
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great historical novel
Review: Enjoyed this book, it gave me some insight into the difficult,dangerous, heartbreaking times slavery brought to this country. Sad for those who lost their loved ones.

Reviewer: Blue Bandit
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: amazing
Review: One of the best books I ever read all year. While not my typical genre, this story is well written and easy to follow as it bounces from one century to another. A poignant look at the Southern caste system which is alive and well. I suspect the north has their own version, Italian vs Pole, Russians vs Serbs, seems we can find reasons to keep inherited hatred alive and well.

Reviewer: carilynp
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Heartbreaking and hopeful.
Review: A dual narrative, three women, each fighting their own way, each searching for a connection in the deep South, where land was handed down between generations and the disparity between the haves and the have-nots is jarring. This is Lisa Wingate’s novel THE BOOK OF LOST FRIENDS.In a small town in Louisiana in 1857, post-Civil War, slavery abolished, Hannie, recently freed, finds herself in the most unlikely of circumstances. Joined with the possibly wickeder than her mother, Lavinia, her family’s plantation on its way to ruin, and her unacknowledged half black half-sister Juneau Jane. The young women have hit the road, each seeking the same set of documents, each with a different purpose.Fast forward to 1987, Benny has student debt and it seems the only job she could find to help repay it was in this same rural town at a school that has seen better days, teaching students who are more violent and disrespectful than concerned with an education, and locals who are dubious of this newcomer who has come in with her bright ideas.During Reconstruction, many families were separated and had no way to find each other. Ads were circulated through newspapers, by families searching for parents and siblings whom they were separated from, and perhaps had some idea of what state they might have gone to, but very little information otherwise, hoping to be reunited. The ads, known as the Lost Friends column. A precursor to social media?The book within the book (of Lost Friends) represented hope. It carried many along. Through hard weather, through fear, and through suffering. This was all they had. But it was what was most important. While not everyone is on the same road, often, they want to get to the same place. Wingate proves this with the past meeting the present, which she easily transitions between. She demonstrates that with suffering comes strength, with putting hate aside we can feel love, and looking past differences, we can see that we are more alike than we realize. With authentic characters, who touch the heart and those who make you fume with rage, each of whom develop vibrantly across the pages.

Reviewer: Doug West
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This has got to be one of the best novels I've read yet ! I love the way Lisa Wingate writes so much... that I'm buying more of her novels... The first one was "Before We Were Yours" and now I'm hooked on her novels. Definitely buy ! You won't regret it !

Reviewer: Patricia Fidler
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Loved it, good book group read

Reviewer: Val
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I found this story fascinating... the Book of Friends is a heart wrenching reminder of a very sad part of worldwide history. But let’s not forget that slavery still exists even in 2021!!!

Reviewer: Laraine Taylor
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Suspenseful. I liked going from present to past times. Even the ending was a surprise about the narrator's life and I wanted it to continue on to see how her relationship with the new male character in her life would go.

Reviewer: david canford
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This novel switchesbetween the two story lines with each new chapter , a former slave’s journey and near death experiences to find relatives sold away before emancipation, and a teacher’s struggle to inspire her unruly class in 1980s Louisiana by getting them interested in their past.It’s a great premise and the author is an impressive writer. Personally though, I found the book overly long and at times I felt quite disconnected from the story.The ending was brief, including the modern protagonist’s back story which seemed almost like an afterthought.Before each chapter is an extract from the ‘Southwestern’ where former slaves posted details of relatives sold away which would be read out in African American churches, a sobering reminder of the enduring pain and evil of slavery even after it was abolished. So many must never have found parents or siblings they were so brutally parted from