The Lost Storyteller is the first book I have read by Amanda Block. It's contemporary fiction and centres around the protaganist, Rebecca as she is interrupted from her safe yet slightly dull life in Exeter by a journalist searching for what happened to her father, a children's TV personality who has since disappeared from society.

Block weaves in mystical, allegorical tales in the form of a book Rebecca's father has left her and this was one of the highlights for me. They were written in such a magical way that it drew me in further to the mystery of where Leo Sampson could be hiding.

Rebecca of course goes on a journey of self-discovery as well as she tries to find out what happened and there is the intrigue of a little romance along the way. Block manages to write in both a humorous and accurate way about the dynamics between families and the kind of secrets that can stay hidden away for all the very best reasons with all the wrong consequences.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and I would be keen to read another book by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an early release copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca remembers very little of her father, Leo Sampson – a former star of children’s TV, who disappeared when she was only six years old and, if her family had their way, she would never think of him at all.

However, a meeting with Ellis Bailey, a journalist looking into the lives of former celebrities for an article, sparks her interest and her memories leading to a journey for the pair to uncover clues and to meet people from her father’s past in an effort to find what happened to Leo, why he left and crucially where he is now.

The Lost Storyteller is packed full of secrets and family mystery, as well as romance, misunderstandings, nostalgia and the emotional challenges of having an absent parent.

I really loved the way the author used unique and often quite dark fairytales (written by Leo as a gift for Rebecca) to provide clues to the mystery both she and the reader are working to solve.

This debut novel is both heart-warming and terribly sad in places, particularly when addressing Leo’s struggles. Amanda Block writes her characters very beautifully – Leo is so multi-dimensional and alive and you feel such sympathy for both him and Rebecca in their own ways. The manipulative mother, Rosalyn, also made me so mad at times!

A really wonderful story about the bond between parent and child and the difficulties many of us face – highly recommended!

I almost didn't give this four stars,because I found Rebecca so boring.
However the charm of the rest of the book drew me in,revealing layer by layer the truth of the lost story teller and exactly how lost he was.
The book within a book worked very well and some of the stories were incredibly dark.
Some genuine touching moments too.
Overall it was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Rebecca was brought up by her mum, Rosalyn after her dad disappeared from their lives. When a journalist contacts her asking about her father Leo who, it transpires, was the star of an iconic children's TV show in the 1990's, Rebecca starts to ask questions which her family are reluctant to answer.
Rebecca's search for information about her father who seems to have completely disappeared makes her rethink her memories of the magical and loving father she has not seen for nearly twenty years.
Alongside this search her relationships with her family, particularly her mum and with Ellis, the journalist who started the journey and travels with her change. But her constant companion is the book, Seven Tales, written by Leo which gives Rebecca an insight to his life and struggles.
As a debut novel I look forward to reading Ms Block's second book.