The Lost for Words Bookshop

April 15, 2018
A jaded bibliophile comes to terms with her dark past and learns to live in the present.Set in a used bookshop, Butland's (The Other Half of My Heart, 2015, etc.) latest novel tackles love, grief, violence, and friendship. Loveday Cardew--an anti-social, tattooed 25-year-old--works at Lost for Words, a secondhand bookstore in York. Despite her name, Loveday doesn't much care for anyone or anything except for books. She's reserved and painfully sarcastic, and the surrounding characters either exacerbate or quell this: Archie, the caring, larger-than-life bookstore owner; Nathan, the handsome, cravat-wearing poet; and Rob, the sullen, dangerous ex. Switching between the past and present, the chapters are organized by genre--Poetry, History, Crime, Travel, and Memoir--and correspond to the plot (i.e., Poetry chapters center around Nathan). Told from Loveday's perspective, the casual first-person narration provides an entry point into an otherwise closed-off character, which works well save for a few startling fourth-wall breaks. Loveday's descriptions of her childhood are among the strongest in the book: "His boots, which smelled of salt and oil, rubber and leather, lived outside," and "the sea was part of their story." As her charmed life descends into darkness, one life-altering moment shatters her world--and sense of self--forever. The buildup to and aftermath of this moment feel earned and purposeful. However, other things do not. Unfortunately, the book sometimes veers into unnecessary stereotypes about mental illness by equating (perhaps unintentionally) being mentally ill with violent behavior. If the novel feels particularly harrowing at times, the well-drawn romance helps temper and elevate the story. The hopeful ending is unexpected but not unwelcome--it's exactly what Loveday deserves because she's been through far too much.A tale full of romance and violence demanding readers not judge a book by its cover.

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April 16, 2018
The latest from Butland (The Secrets We Keep) is an appealing novel about love’s many forms and the power of books. Loveday Cardew, who has taken refuge in books since her childhood in the foster care system, has spent the past 10 years selling books at the Lost for Words Bookshop, a ramshackle used bookstore in York. Following a brief but disastrous affair, Loveday has retreated even further into her solitary world of books and work. One day, she finds a lost book at a bus stop and posts a sign letting the owner know she has it, setting off a series of events that gradually change her plans to withdraw from the world around her. Poet Nathan Avebury, who responds to the sign, keeps returning to woo the hesitant Loveday with words and magic tricks, and his efforts are aided by the bookshop’s exuberant owner, Archie. When books from Loveday’s childhood home, including her mother’s well-used Delia Smith cookbook, start to mysteriously show up in boxes left at the store, Loveday must risk trusting those around her if she is to discover who is reaching out to her from long ago. Rich characterizations, a vibrant bookstore setting, and several poignant Wednesday poetry nights will have readers hoping for a sequel.

May 1, 2018

Loveday Cardew is an introvert bookworm who works in a secondhand bookshop. She is content to surround herself with literature instead of people, with the exception of the shop's proprietor, Archie, and love interest Nathan, a magician/poet. This is a novel about how history can shape our lives, and so much of Loveday's tortured past revolves around books, from the classics her mother owned to the first lines of literary works tattooed on her body. Filled with mystery and intrigue, Butland's latest (after The Secrets We Keep) takes readers on a literary journey via chapters that jump through time and are named for distinct genres of crime, poetry, history, and travel. Readers gain insight into Loveday's character at calculated moments in the story through flashbacks, poetry nights, and her relationships with others. Ultimately, this is a story about family, accepting help when it's offered, and the age-old conundrum of why people like you. VERDICT Strong characterization and a sarcastic, relatable first-person perspective carry a tale that is slow to start but explosive in the end. Lovers of literature will enjoy this mix of contemporary women's fiction and mystery.--Natalie Browning, Longwood Univ. Lib., Farmville, VA

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2018
Butland's (The Secrets We Keep, 2015) novel is truly a book for book lovers. The story revolves around a bookshop and its shopkeepers and, while set in modern day, creates a feeling of time long past, when customers browsed through print books, technology was slower, and local communities thrived. The main character is an enchanting misanthrope, Loveday Cardew, who runs the store with her quirky, fatherly manager. Unlike her boisterous coworkers, Loveday is reserved?a character who will resonate with readers who prefer getting lost in a book over socializing with people. Loveday isn't just quiet, though?she is hiding a dark family history that prevents her from living life to the fullest. Loveday's intriguing personality as well as her stunning beauty draws others to her, people who want to support her in overcoming her family's tragic past. Readers who want to get lost in a world of literature, love, and companionship in a story about breaking out of the past to create a new life will fall in love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)