The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper

Book Blurb
Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

My Review
I was delighted to be invited to be part of the blog tour for The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Elise Hooper by Anne Cater and Harper 360. The book blurb for this book piqued my interest but it was the cover that had me hooked, all those books!. This is a beautiful story with the plot split into different time periods. In the present Tilda is the head curator of the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library in San Francisco, a museum that is suffering financial dificulties. When she finds a secret room with two dollhouses in she goes on a journey to find out more about the woman who built them and this soon turns into a personal journey for Tilda, a chance to learn more about her mother.

The second timeline starts in 1910 when a young Cora Hale arrives in Paris at seventeen years old after the death of her father. Cora is a talented artist but a chance encouter with the Comtesse LeFarge sees her start a career of creating minature versions of the houses of some incredible women. Cora is the keeper of the secrets from these women, but she also has a secret which saw her having to leave New York.

Elise Hooper has woven an beautiful story through the eyes of these incredible women. Cora’s story is set against some of the important events of the twentieth century, from World War I, the sinking of the Titanic, World War II and how these effected Cora’s life which gave reference points to her life. This really is a book of extraordinary women who thrive in a man’s world and are all based on real people. I loved Tilda’s story, following the clues of Cora’s past and along the way learning more about her own family and herself. There were so many different layers to this story, like a layered cake where each layer is different but as a whole they really complement each other bringing the whole together. I thought that the writing was beautiful and flowed seamlessly between the timelines, with the reader finding out about Cora the same time as Tida does.

The Library of Lost Dollhouses is an enchanting and captivating read. The writing was beautiful, capturing not only the wonderful stories of the characters but also the atmosphere of the different periods that span a century. This is a book about secrets, forbidden love, romance and finding out who you are and being true that. Mesmerising prose and strong characters make for an engaging and enjoyable read.