The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis
Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer’s affinity for books extends beyond the intoxicating scent of old paper, ink, and leather. She can feel the echoes of the books’ previous owners—an emotional fingerprint only she can read. When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, her gift quickly becomes an obsession. Not only is each inscribed with a startling incrimination, but the authors, Hemi and Belle, tell conflicting sides of a tragic romance.
With no trace of how these mysterious books came into the world, Ashlyn is caught up in a decades-old literary mystery, beckoned by two hearts in ruins, whoever they were, wherever they are. Determined to learn the truth behind the doomed lovers’ tale, she reads on, following a trail of broken promises and seemingly unforgivable betrayals. The more Ashlyn learns about Hemi and Belle, the nearer she comes to bringing closure to their love story—and to the unfinished chapters of her own life.
Review: Ashlyn Greer has a deep love for books and a special gift - she can feel the echos of previous owners in the imprint they left on their books. When her bookstore is given two beautifully bound books that seem to never have been published, she becomes intrigued by the tragic romance contained in their pages. The authors of the books, Hemi and Belle, tell two sides of a love story gone awry and Ashlyn becomes determined to track down the truth behind the decades' old love affair and the true authors of the books.
I love a book about books. Each chapter opened with a quote from Ashlyn's own book about caring for old books and the description of her poring over book collections and repairing old copies was very enjoyable. But most of all, I loved the conceit of the book embedded in a book that this book employs. Ashlyn sits down to read the two unpublished texts penned by Hemi and Belle. The mystery of the true identities of Hemi and Belle, the intrigue of the secret love affair and why it tragically ended, and the true story behind the books was deeply compelling. I listened to the audio version of this book and it was so well done; the book used different narrators for Ashlyn, Hemi, and Belle's perspectives, which truly added so much to my enjoyment and made the audio feel very performative and added depth.
Early on, Ashlyn's story dominated the novel but slowly as it progressed, Belle became the dominant character, and the conclusion was very focused on her and her story. I do wish Ashlyn - both her past and where she would go after this experience - had been explored in greater detail. My favorite sections of the book were when Ashlyn was reading the chapters detailing Hemi and Belle's love story. When those books ended and the novel transitioned more to their experiences in real time, I didn't enjoy the book quite as well. Additionally, I think the novel could have functioned just as beautifully without the addition of Ashlyn's supernatural ability to sense book owner's feelings by touching old books. That ability just felt superfluous and was never really explored in full.
Stars: 4
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