The Secret of Lost Things was a carefully written book, with a cast of quirky characters, but a minimal plot that went nowhere and took a long time to get there. Every aspect except the heroine was deliberately peculiar or abnormal: the albino, the transgender, the overweight gay man diddling himself in the stacks, the miserly bookstore owner who always referred to himself in the third person, and several more. But although the author gave many of these characters detailed attention, they remained little more than caricatures of real individuals who, for me, did not come alive in the book. Even the heroine often seemed more like a movie victim whose primary function was to do foolish things to drive the plot along. I was a little disappointed with the ending.

10/03/2020:
I read The Secret of Lost Things in 2008, and I didn't even remember it. I still fill the same about this book I felt 12 years ago. Appreciated the descriptiveness of the novel, it was unique and compelling. The plot did fall a bit short, though. It was not terrible throughout most of the story; there was a mystery and what was promising to be an exciting climax. The thrilling climax, for me, really never came. The ending fell short, and there wasn't a clear message.
None of the characters were particularly likable to me, and I couldn't understand why Rosemary was so in love with Oscar. Also, it bothered me that all the people that worked in the shop seemed to be so vicious.
I am happy that this book is a library one. ( )

The secret of lost things is the story of Rosemary Savage, a native of Tasmania who loses her mother at age 18. A bookstore owner and friend of the family gives her a ticket to New York and her new life begins. She finds a job in a book store and meets its employees: Walter Geist, the store's manager and an albino; owner George Pike; Pearl, a transgender cash register operator, Robert Mitchell, rare books curator; Arnold, in charge of art and photography; Oscar, head of non-fiction; and several others. She begins her stay at the Martha Washington Hotel for Women where she befriends Lillian, the receptionist who is from South America. The relationships between the characters becomes a large part of the book, especially the friendship between Pearl and Lillian, whose son was one of the "disappeared" in Argentina. (And, along with apartment prices helps date the story to late 70'sor early 80s.)

The story is also a mystery into the lost manuscript of Melville, The Isle of the Cross. Rosemary and Oscar research the work at the local library, while Rosemary becomes more involved with Mr. Geist.

Author Sheridan Hay lists the sources used by Rosemary and Oscar and gives citations for all quotes used in the book. She a;lso goes into more detail about the events in Argentina to help explain the "disappeared," persons who were killed for their political views.

The book is compelling and reads quickly. This is Sheridan Hay's only book to date, which is a shame as I'd like to read more of her work. ( )

Lovely book about the mystery of bookstores. A red-haired Tasmanian orphan moves to Manhattan in the late 1970s and begins work in a used book store where she becomes enmeshed in the search for a mysterious Melville manuscript. Echoes of Borges, Moby Dick - a tad twee in places but overall, quite a good read. ( )

Such a disappointment. Almost gave it two stars, but at least I did finish it. The book had such an interesting premise, but was poorly developed. I couldn't ever connect with the characters. It's been described as a coming of age story, but even being 18 can't explain the abysmally poor judgement of the main character.
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It was a little weird. ( )