Title: The Lost StorytellerAuthor: Amanda Block
Published by: Hodder And Stoughton Ltd. on May 10, 2022
Genres: General Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: Mobius Books US
Book Rating: 9/10
Rebecca hasn’t seen her father Leo since she was six. Her family never talk about him, and she has long since pushed him firmly to the back of her mind. All she knows is that, once upon a time, he was a well-loved children’s TV star.
But when a journalist turns up uninvited at her office, asking questions about her once-famous father, Rebecca starts to wonder whether there is more to Leo’s absence than she realised. Then, looking for answers, she unearths a book of fairy tales written by Leo and dedicated to her – but what use are children’s stories to her now, all these years later?
Tentatively, Rebecca tries to piece together her father’s life, from the people he used to know and her own hazy memories. Yet her mind keeps returning to the magical, melancholic fairy tales, which seem to contain more truth than make-believe. Perhaps they are the key to unlocking the mystery of her father, the lost storyteller; to revealing who he was, what he went through – and even where he might be now…
Review:
Imaginative, mysterious, and moving!
The Lost Storyteller is a captivating, beguiling tale that sweeps you away to the UK and into the life of Rebecca Chase, a young woman who, after being contacted by Ellis Bailey, a journalist hoping to write an article about her father who starred in the successful children’s program, The Stowaway, until the late 1990s when after two seasons he vanished without a trace, decides to join forces with him to finally discover what really happened to her beloved father she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl and who actually left her a book of fairy tales that has been hidden by her maternal grandmother for many years and which may hold all the clues she’ll ever need to find him.
The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are multilayered, apprehensive, and determined. And the plot is a tender tale about life, loss, family, friendship, secrets, attraction, self-discovery, mental illness, special moments, forgiveness, contentment, taking chances, and the enchantment of fairy tales.
Overall, The Lost Storyteller is a heart-tugging, absorbing, magical debut by Block that highlights the unconditional, everlasting love that exists between a parent and a child and is a beautiful reminder of the importance and power of stories.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Mobius Books US for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Amanda Block
Originally from Devon, Amanda moved to Edinburgh in 2007, where she attained a master’s degree in creative writing. Since then, she’s divided her time between ghostwriting, editing and tutoring.
Amanda’s writing is often inspired by myths and fairy tales, which she uses as starting points to tell new stories. Her work has been shortlisted in contests such as the Bridport Prize and the Mslexia Short Story Competition. The Lost Storyteller is her first novel.
