The Echo of Old Books: A Novel

You guys already know how I feel about a historical fiction. Either it bores me or breaks me. As I read this I was neither broken or bored, but I stayed engrossed in the story. I had to re-write this review a few times based on how the story went and how I was feeling. My emotions in this one and not even tears!

This was beautiful and sad. Reading about Ashlyns childhood was gut wrenching, her adult years also were heartbreaking. As the story went out I found the idea of a books echos fascinating. The stories written by Hemi and Belle kept me on the edge of my seat. I felt myself growing a soft spot for both parties and of Ashlyn as she read them. Belles history was just as sad as Ashlyns and I really was rooting for Belle to have a better future. I knew from the start that Hemi was going to hurt Belle but if felt as if he was extremely conflicted and I hoped for a different ending. As I continued to read the sadness and angry I felt y'all don't even know! I absolutely loved this book until everything unfolded.

Spoiler Below

With Ashlyn I was rooting so dang hard for her love life and was kicking my damn feet and smiling so hard. When Ethan first showed up I was like that's gonna be her man and boy was i waiting for this the entire book. Them finding each other may have been the redeeming .5 star for this book.

What Belle thought Hemi had did was rough but honestly I don't think what he did was unforgivable. Belle knew he was writing a story about her father and it shouldn't have been a surprise that the story would include her family history. They way she found out was rough but he didn't publish the story. He chose her love and feelings over his future. But what Belle did hiding their child isn't forgivable. Both of them were burned and hurt but geez I wanted them together so damn bad, until that revelation. I was so pissed at Belle and honestly I hated her for it. They both could have found each other at any time and had a conversation to fix everything but they waiting 40 years to do it. I wanted that happy ending and the timing and the miscommunication made me groan and this was a 5 star for me until what Belle did. I'm happy they found forgiveness but I just feel for Zachary and Hemi for what they lost.

Dual story line - neatly finished at the end to wrap everything in a bow

This book came highly recommended to me from patrons at the library at work at, and it sure didn’t disappoint! I DEVOURED the last quarter because this story just leaves you dying to know “how it all ends.” I really didn’t have a clue how it was going to end and was pleasantly surprised. A wonderful book if you love books about books, ill fated romance, and second chances. Overall this was a heart wrencher AND a heart warmer and I really really enjoyed it.

The Echo of Old Books is a tale of Four Tragedies with happy endings. The story folds together the bitter and the sweet into a saga that begins in mystery, middles in anger and ends in hope while it puts the readers, both of the story and within the story, through a wringer of emotions, keeping them turning the pages of not just the book in hand, but of the two mysterious books within. It all begins with Hemi and Belle and the two seemingly anonymous, most likely privately published books, that hold their separate perspectives on their clearly doomed, inevitably tragic WW2-era romance. But those little books are only the beginning of the web that has been woven. A web that catches rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer within its sticky strands. At first, she isnared by the emotions that she can feel pouring off the pages. And then by the mystery of how these two books came to be.

This was an interesting storyline or I should say 3 storylines in one. I did find myself rooting for one over the other two as each chapter began so I think that is why it is not a full 10 in my rating. It was a good read overall and it kept my attention but I think, without giving any spoilers, I was very excited by the main character’s talent in the beginning and very disappointed that it played such a very small role in the story. I would have liked to see this interesting and rarely seen talent have been portrayed and explored as the main theme of the story and it really just turned into another book that brought you back and forth in time with a small who done it or in this case who done somebody wrong. It was still a good read but started out with so much more potential to be unique. I would recommend this for a personal or book club read.