Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Audible sample Sample
The Book of Lost Things: A Novel Kindle Edition
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own—populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.
Taking readers on a vivid journey through the loss of innocence into adulthood and beyond, New York Times bestselling author John Connolly tells a dark and compelling tale that reminds us of the enduring power of stories in our lives.
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level5 - 9
- PublisherAtria Books
- Publication dateNovember 7, 2006
- ISBN-13978-0743298902
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
From AudioFile
Product details
- ASIN : B000JMKVJE
- Publisher : Atria Books; Reprint edition (November 7, 2006)
- Publication date : November 7, 2006
- Language : English
- File size : 2824 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 352 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : B0018SY6BW
- Best Sellers Rank: #89,551 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #707 in Coming of Age Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #819 in Coming of Age Fantasy eBooks
- #1,169 in Coming of Age Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
I was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and have, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a "gofer" at Harrods department store in London. I studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which I continue to contribute, although not as often as I would like. I still try to interview a few authors every year, mainly writers whose work I like, although I've occasionally interviewed people for the paper simply because I thought they might be quirky or interesting. All of those interviews have been posted to my website, http://www.johnconnollybooks.com.
I was working as a journalist when I began work on my first novel. Like a lot of journalists, I think I entered the trade because I loved to write, and it was one of the few ways I thought I could be paid to do what I loved. But there is a difference between being a writer and a journalist, and I was certainly a poorer journalist than I am a writer (and I make no great claims for myself in either field.) I got quite frustrated with journalism, which probably gave me the impetus to start work on the novel. That book, Every Dead Thing, took about five years to write and was eventually published in 1999. It introduced the character of Charlie Parker, a former policeman hunting the killer of his wife and daughter. Dark Hollow, the second Parker novel, followed in 2000. The third Parker novel, The Killing Kind, was published in 2001, with The White Road following in 2002. In 2003, I published my fifth novel - and first stand-alone book - Bad Men. In 2004, Nocturnes, a collection of novellas and short stories, was added to the list, and 2005 marked the publication of the fifth Charlie Parker novel, The Black Angel. In 2006, The Book of Lost Things, my first non-mystery novel, was published.
Charlie Parker has since appeared in five additional novels: The Unquiet, The Reapers (where he plays a secondary role to his associates, Louis and Angel), The Lovers, The Whisperers, and The Burning Soul. The eleventh Charlie Parker novel, The Wrath of Angels, will be available in the UK in August 2012 and in the US in January 2013.
The Gates launched the Samuel Johnson series for younger readers in 2009, followed by Hell's Bells (UK)/The Infernals (US) in 2011. A third Samuel Johnson novel should be finished in 2013.
I am also the co-editor, with fellow author Declan Burke, of Books to Die For, an anthology of essays from the world's top crime writers in response to the question, "Which book should all lovers of crime fiction read before they die?" Books to Die For is available in the UK as of August 2012, and will be available in the US in October 2012.
I am based in Dublin but divide my time between my native city and the United States, where each of my novels has been set.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
I bought the book a month ago on the strength of my respect for Mr. Connolly's writing, and the book sat on my shelf whilst I finished at least nine other books. All the while, I kept glancing at it, both wanting to read it and fearing I'd not like it. Finally, like David's books in the story Connolly weaves for us, this one called to me, spoke to me of its contents, and I took it off the shelf and began to read.
Began and finished in less than 36 hours, as I was unable to put it down any longer than it would take to dine with a friend, teach a class, make a meal, or get some much-needed shuteye.
If you're hesitant to pick this one up because it's not part of the Charlie Parker series, stop hesitating and do it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
There are so many beautifully-crafted images and themes running throughout this story that it's hard to pick just a few, and harder still to do so without revealing important plot elements and thus negatively affecting other readers' experiences.
The language is wonderful. Mr. Connolly is always good at using English to weave wonderful word-paintings, but he's especially good in this novel. Several times, I found myself awestruck by the clarity of my mental pictures. For me, that only happens when a writer creates something powerfully descriptive and evocative.
The characters are similarly finely-drawn, and from the start, I cared about them, wanted to learn more about them, was both excited and solicitous (or horror-struck and appalled, as the characters demanded) as their journeys unfolded.
I found myself recalling many of the myths I'd read as a child, and that alone was incredible. I didn't realize how much I'd read back then, or how those memories could surface when confronted with Mr. Connolly's references and embellishments.
I loved sharing young David's journey even though at times I found it as bloody and nightmarish as Charlie Parker's has been; each step David took seemed to be mine as well, each realization hitting me almost as hard as it hit him. That's saying something, since one of the main themes of this book--the loss of a loved one, and the longing, guilt, and jealousy that can come after such a loss--isn't new to most of us. It's the way that David journeys to self-awareness that makes all the difference. His healing and his newfound compassion for people he'd previously dismissed or disparaged, even considered betraying, are all the more meaningful because of how hard-won they are. His courage, too, reminds me of how powerful even a child's spirit can be. He rises to each challenge and becomes a man in the course of his travels, both the literal ones and the ones of his spirit.
I was sad at book's end, mostly because I wanted more, but David's journey was done. I hope to share it with other people as soon as the book is out in paperback. Right now I don't want to hand anyone my hardcover copy; it's still very close to my heart, and it isn't going anywhere just yet!
Give this one a go; don't compare it to the Parker series or to Mr. Connolly's shorter writings. Open it up; accept it on its own terms; let it into your heart. ENJOY.
Rose tries her best to make David feel comfortable, and even gives her the room of her late uncle, Jonathan Tulvey. The room is filled with Jonathan’s books and trinkets and David takes comfort in seeing that someone is as connected to stories as he is. David becomes curious and asks Rose about Jonathan and she explains that when he was younger he and his little sister vanished into thin air one day. David becomes intrigued by this and as time passes he begins to hear the books in his room talk to him, and he begins to dream of a very sinister man, whom he names “The Crooked Man.” These dreams become twisted with reality and as time passes, David travels to another world in which the fairy tale characters he has grown up reading about exist. However, these characters are not the same kind and caring versions that he has grown up to love. They are sinister and grim versions, each twisted into a new form.
These characters were one of the absolute best parts of the story. I don’t want to spoil the fun for you so I will just touch upon some awesomeness. First, Snow White is a fat, disgusting and mean person. Second, Ever wonder where werewolves came from? Little Red Riding Hood had some issues with bestiality (I promise the story does NOT go into detail at this point, thank goodness, because, EW.) and the Crooked Man is quite possibly one of the creepiest villains I have yet to encounter (Rumple who?) There was also a rather kind woodsman, a loyal knight and an extremely creepy Sleeping “Beauty” thrown into the mix. All of these characters David met on his journey to see the King, the ruler of the land, who was having a very hard time ruling. David learns something from each encounter and it is through these extremely trying situations that the reader is able to see him grow from a spoiled, selfish child into a mature and kind young man.
When pondering the setting to this story I realized how unique John Connolly writes. Ultimately, he was just writing about a vast forest, a small town, and a few huge castles. Yet, in my mind I saw a darkness creeping from the corners of my imagination toward David. I saw lights extinguishing behind him as he walked down the long corridor, I saw the trees sway when there was no wind. These are things Connolly simply hinted at yet I was able to pick up on these subtle images and make them into something that made me afraid as if I was the one walking through this land.
The Book of Lost Things is harrowing and phenomenal. I haven’t been so enthralled by a novel of this genre since reading The Child Thief by Brom. It was deeply imaginative and sinister enough to have even the bravest adult looking over their shoulder while reading.
Top reviews from other countries
Anyone who has ever had a conversation with me about books will have experienced me badgering them to read this book until they relented just to shut me up about it. I love The Book of Lost Things, it has been my favourite book for a long time now and I am always happy to re-read it. I was inspired to read it again due to the recent and unexpected publication of a sequel which as you can imagine I am very much looking forward to reading with a dash of apprehension because it has a lot to live up to!
This particular version I read this time was the tenth anniversary publication of the book which includes the woodcut illustrations by artist Anne Anderson which were originally only published in a limited edition version some years ago, as well as two new short stories from the world of The Book of Lost Things; The Rat King and a subverted version of Cinderella.
Essentially, The Book Of Lost Things is a dark and fantastical coming of age story that evokes the power of books, storytelling and the imagination in helping us all to escape to another world when reality occasionally becomes too painful to deal with. It's a beautifully written story with well developed characters set across an imaginative landscape laced with moments of terror, adventure, friendship, love, sadness and sheer joy.
Read this book now or I'll send that badger around that I mentioned earlier!
Reviewed in Mexico on February 18, 2020