The Book of Lost Hours
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About the book
For fans of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, a sweeping, unforgettable novel following two remarkable women moving between postwar and Cold War-era America and the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history. Enter the time space, a soaring library filled with books containing the memories of those have passed and accessed only by specially made watches once passed from father to son--but mostly now in government hands. This is where eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in 1938, waiting for her watchmaker father to return for her. When he doesn't, she grows up among the books and specters, able to see the world only by sifting through the memories of those who came before her. As she realizes that government agents are entering the time space to destroy books and maintain their preferred version of history, she sets about saving these scraps in her own volume of memories. Until the appearance of an American spy named Ernest Duquesne in 1949 offers her a glimpse of the world she left behind, setting her on a course to change history and possibly the time space itself. In 1965, sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest when an enigmatic CIA agent approaches her to enlist her help in tracking down a book of memories her uncle had once sought. But when Amelia visits the time space for the first time, she realizes that the past--and the truth--
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 36 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 16% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Rankings average of 7.8. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 36 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“The Book of Lost Hours is a gorgeously imagined tale that blends historical intrigue with speculative wonder, weaving together the lives of Lisavet and Amelia across decades of grief, espionage, and the fragile preservation of memory. The concept of the time space, a vast library of human recollection, is both haunting and enchanting, and the novel shines most when it lingers on the power of stories to resist erasure. While the pacing occasionally falters and the dual timelines can feel uneven, the emotional depth and richly atmospheric prose more than make up for it. A thoughtful, beautifully…”
“I’ll start with the positives: I enjoyed the structure. The story bounces between opposing timelines until they eventually meet in the middle, and I’m a sucker for time travel mechanics. Unfortunately, those were the only redeeming qualities. This was the single most predictable book I have ever read. A friend once told me, "‘Book Club’ picks just mean the plot is dumbed down enough for the masses to understand. I SAID WHAT I SAID." After finishing this, I don’t think I disagree. For a genre that relies on the "mind-bend," there was no bend here. The stakes felt low because the resolution wa…”
Frequently asked
What is The Book of Lost Hours rated?
8.0 out of 10, from 36 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is The Book of Lost Hours worth reading?
Readers give it 8.0/10 from 36 ratings in open sources.
What age is The Book of Lost Hours for?
The Book of Lost Hours sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating.