Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Secret of Lost Things

The Secret of Lost Things
reviewed on + 134 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


A readable but meandering book whose main plot point doesn't show up until 2/3rds of the way through the story, with a protagonist whose naivete and decisions are at times infuriating to read, and with no clear resolution when you've come to the end of the book.

And yet...I still enjoyed reading this novel, because Hay's writing is absolutely gorgeous. At times it treads perilously near being verbose, yet communicates emotions and settings flawlessly and beautifully. Because of the prose, the flaws of the book are annoyances but don't throw the whole thing off course. There's not much mystery in this literary mystery, but the descriptions of bookstores, young adulthood, and life in New York City push it over into a three star rating.