Caroline Bishop is one of my auto-read/buy authors so I was super excited to read The Lost Chapter!

I couldn’t put it down and got so invested in the characters that I felt as though they were real, which is a wonderful ode to Caroline’s storytelling. A beautifully crafted story about friendship and forgiveness, and most importantly believing in yourself when it seems impossible. Full of nail biting secrets that unravel throughout which kept me hooked.

I love the the women’s rights elements of Caroline’s books which always leaves me with a can-do attitude, and feeling proud of the generations before me!

Overall a wonderful read that I urge everyone to read!

The Lost Chapter by Caroline Bishop is a brilliant novel that has the ability to sweep the world away as you read it.

The dual timeline narrative of The Lost Chapter allows you to see just how much the world has changed in a relatively short period. In 1957, we see out protagonist Florence as a young woman having to learn the ways of the world and live up to the expectations her privileged upbringing requires. In our second timeline, we see Florence as an old woman - wiser, more experienced and trying to impart guidance and help to those around her all the while trying to keep her own secrets from being revealed.

The Lost Chapter is a joy of a novel and one that really is unputdownable. Usually with a dual timeline novel there is a preference of era and I hunger for more of that narrative thread but both of the timelines had me thirsty for more. I wanted to read it as fast as I could and yet I didn't want it to end. The Lost Chapter was such a glorious read.

The Lost Chapter by Caroline Bishop is available now.

For more information regarding Caroline Bishop (@calbish) please visit www.carolinebishop.co.uk.

For more information regarding Simon and Schuster (@simonschusterPR) please visit www.simonandschuster.co.uk.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this ebook in return for a review.
This is a charming book that explores female relationships – in fact there are no men really very present in the novel, accept one but he is only in one part and not really that important, as he is only a symbol really. That was one of the facts that really made me enjoy this book – it gives us a wide range of womanhood.
As others have noted it is a split timeline, only the timeline set in the past is a ‘novel’ one of the protagonists is reading because she knew the author and feels that it is probably autobiographical about how the two of them met. So, we have the book set in the late 1950s and then a modern woman, Flo, who was in a finishing school back in the day but now is an elderly lady enjoying the fruits of her life.
Her dog walker is an 18 year old with a tragic past and her story of the difficulties of being a teenager, of feeling the odd one out, came out gradually and naturally. In fact her character mirrored the 1950s one, Lenny, in that whilst Alice as a modern teenager has the world at her feet her feeling that she is different is holding her back; Lenny on the other hand, isn’t allowed to explore anything she likes but is proud of her uniqueness.
Carla, Alice’s mum makes up the third modern character and it is here where the author explores the joys and pitfalls of motherhood.
The characters, the plot and the language of the book were lovely and spot on. A perfect summer read, I would say.

A poignant reminder that it is never too late to make things right with those you love, and with yourself. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in. Atmospheric, haunting and superbly plotted.

Easy to read dual time lines, with both part of the stories as good as each other. My only issue was I found it really hard to picture Florence as an 80 year old.
Many thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Unfortunately not for me on this occasion. I struggled to get into it and moved on to something else instead

Alice has escaped a terrible accident that left her friend Ellie dead, hit by a lorry and killed outright. Her mum Carla worries about her so much and notices a huge in her behaviour, but is unsure and too nervous to push into moving in life. Carla doesn’t know how Ellie’s parents have coped with her death, but she does know that if Alice had been take from her, she would have fallen to pieces. Constrained by their grief and anxieties, both are too scared to fully live, when artist Flo asks Alice to walk her dog each day. Flo is in her eighties and knows a thing or two about choosing to live life. She rues spending years married to a man she didn’t love, scared of taking a leap into the unknown till years later when his affair ended the marriage. Alone and free to do anything for the first time, Flo thought back to the example of her friend Lilli at finishing school and decided to take more chances. Now she creates lino prints in her garden studio that sell in local outlets. She can see the anxiety in Alice and convinces her to try printing. Flo can see that she needs to learn mistakes don’t matter - in fact it’s the mistakes that often make the picture. She encourages Alice into applying for art college and also invites her and Carla to travel to France with her to meet Lilli. They have been apart for 60 years, will they still know each other or will they stall for the things to talk about?

Flo is inspired to find Lilli because of a book she wrote and through each chapter the author takes us back unto the past, when the girls were roommates at finishing school in Lyon. Both were stifled by the minutiae of table settings (three forks on the left of the plate must not be more than one inch from the edge of the table) flower arranging and party planning. When Lilli meets a young man named Hugo, renamed Harry, she uses her brother to write a letter granting permission for her to be taken out once a week by their cousin. The couple are now allowed out more easily and spend their stolen afternoons in bed more often than not. A young woman called Celeste who is in the same circles, takes Lilli aside and warns her that Hugo might not be as in love as he seems. A warning that Lilli brushes aside, but it’s not long before she finds out that men can often walk away from an affair unscathed and women are left with the consequences.

I loved how these fundamental inequalities in society are picked up in this novel - that women are held to account, while men can simply move on and pick their next mark. I felt the fear of Flo and Lilli, terrified if they stepped outside the rigid lines that their society dictates, but also full of regret for the time they wasted being conventional. I thought the author had a brilliant grasp of human psychology, showing beautifully how mental ill health can be passed on to the next generation. Carla is so careful I sometimes found myself wincing as she spoke to her daughter, because I could see the damage her words would do. She’s so intent on protecting her daughter that she’s actually harming her. The sense of place created, whether in the surroundings of the artist studio or the incredible heat of the South of France, is incredible and so evocative. The stunning setting of Lilli’s home is idyllic and made me want to visit France. Aside from the character of Hugo, this is a novel peopled by women and it was great to see such a celebration of female friendship. The benefits of having friends with an age gap is that older friends learn from younger ones and the wisdom of the older friends filters down and supports the younger. Flo wants to make sure that neither Carla or Alice live in fear of their future. What she most admired about her friend Lilli was that she always took responsibility for her actions, even when the outcome was going to cause difficulty or show her in a bad light. She just embraced every challenge that came along. I read this so quickly, I simply couldn’t tear myself away from the story of these four women.

1957, France: Florence and Lilli meet at a finishing school in Lyon. Despite some differences, they forge a firm friendship that promises to last a lifetime. But a terrible betrayal prematurely tears them apart. Years later in England, Florence has become the woman her friend knew she could be - creative, bold, and independent. The exact opposite of Alice, a young woman troubled by a recent trauma, whom Florence is determined to help bring out of her shell. Just as Lilli did for her. When Lilli discovers that the novel she is reading is written by Lilli and it's based on their time at school, the two stories begin to unfold together,

This well written book is quick and easy to read. It also has a dual timeline, the past in 1957 when Florence and Lilli were at a French finishing school, and the present day, when Florence is eighty and wats to try and reconnect with Lilli. There's also eighteen year old Alice who is Florence's dog walker, she suffers from anxiety. I loved Florence and Lilli who were fantastic and relatable characters. equally liked both the past and present stories and how everything tied up together.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #SimonandSchuster and the author #CarolineBishop for my ARC of #TheLostChapter in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed reading this. Flo was inspiring. Felt sorry for Alice and Carla and loved how their story developed.
Loved the finishing school stories. Strange to think how recently girls weren’t thought capable of studying maths and science.
Happy to recommend this well written book.

This was a quick and easy read with good writing, well developed characters and a good story. I liked the dual timeline aspect pf the novel and I liked the settings within the book. It was a read that I just couldnt put down and I really enjoyed it.

The Lost Chapter revolves around the relationship of two young women, Florence a posh English girl, and Lilli, a brash American, who meet at a French finishing school in 1958 but circumstances drive them apart. Many years later, when Florence is 80, she sets out to find Lilli again assisted by her dog walker, 18 year old Alice.

This was an easy read, set in two timelines when Florence and Lilli were young and then in the present as Florence embarks on discovering what has happened to Lilli in the intervening years, while helping young Alice overcome her fears.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the writing matched it perfectly. Two girls meet at a French finishing school in Lyon, France. One is English and has all the manners that someone from Downtown Abbey would have, The other is like Molly from the Titanic with her new money and loud voice. Florence, the English girl thinks she sees her path mapped out but Lilli wants a less detailed path and just see where it leads.

Flash forward many years and we see how the two impressionable girls turned out and what became of their friendship. The story grows and we get to find out more about what happened in those years and that is the crux of this weaving and interesting story about friendship past and present.

A lovely tale about the importance of friendship, kindness, self knowledge, growth and courage. Two young women meet at a French finishing school in 1958. Florence, a well bred English girl and Lilli, a brash New Yorker from “new money”. Florence accepts the future her parents have mapped out tor her whereas Lilli, a natural rebel wants to fully embrace life with no restrictions. An unlikely pairing, they become fast friends.
In present day, Florence is 80 and has lived a full and enjoyable life, regarded by the villagers as an eccentric she has a true joy of life. She hires a young dog walker, 18 year old Alice. In Alice, Florence sees the pain and fear an accident has had on Alice’s psyche and spirit. With the wisdom of age, Florence is anxious to help Alice as Lilli once helped her. “You need to figure out the difference between being pushed into things you genuinely don’t want to do and being too fearful to do the things you want to do.”
An interweaving story between the past and the present is quite seamless and adds insight to the characters. Lyon France post war is brought to life and you can just picture the proper young women being finished off and ready to become ideal wives and mothers.
I really enjoyed this book and learned some valuable lesson in a ,life well spent.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy,I highly recommend.