The Land of Lost Things

In this follow-up to The Book of Lost Things the reader returns to Elsewhere, where everything you imagine becomes reality. This time round we follow Ceres, a single mother, whose daughter Phoebe was involved in a car accident and now lies in a coma. Instead of David's fairy tale characters that populated Elsewhere in the first book, Ceres takes with her the folk tales her father used to tell her; as a result the reader encounters faces both familiar and new.

While I enjoyed The Book of Lost Things, I could engage and identify a lot more with Ceres's emotional journey than with David's coming-of-age story arc. There are strong feminist undertones running through the book, and the prose throughout is beautifully poetic and yet incredibly show more accessible – the work of a master wordsmith who knows how to use words so they speak to the heart.

Even though I came away feeling that Ceres's experiences and decisions towards the end of the book were a bit too similar to David's towards the end of the first book, there is no denying that they make for beautiful symmetry.

If you're thinking of reading this book, I think you should definitely read The Book of Lost Things in preparation, as I did, because references to characters and events will make a lot more sense. Recommended. show less

I have been waiting for this book to come into existence for over 15 years and ohmygod it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved it. All of it.
In this sequel, we meet Ceres, mum to 8 year old Phoebe who lies in a coma after a car accident. Wandering lost in her grief and desolation, Ceres finds herself walking straight into David’s world, where we meet up again with the wonderful Woodsman, who is there to help and guide Ceres in her journey this time.
Faced with a dryad, giants, terrifying faes and many more magical creatures, we walk alongside her in this most decisive journey.
Beautifully told and imagined, The Land of Lost Things sits proudly next to my battered copy of The Book of Lost Things, where it belongs.

4.25⭐️

“Twice upon a time—for that is how some stories should continue”

When a car accident leaves eight-year-old Phoebe comatose, her doctors advise her mother Ceres to shift her to a care facility located on the property of a writer who vanished years ago. Devastated and scared of losing her daughter, Ceres, who shares a love for reading, instilled in her by her father, with her daughter spends her time at her child’s bedside reading from her favorite book of fairy tales to her. The writer’s old home located on the property seems to beckon to Ceres who gives in to the temptation to explore further which leads her into a world that she believed only existed in the pages of a book. The narrative follows Ceres as she tries to show more find a way back to her daughter.

“That was what stories did, or the ones that mattered to us: They helped us to understand others, but they could also make us feel understood in turn, and less alone in the world.”

Touching upon themes of grief, loss, loneliness, resilience, and hope, The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly takes us back into the world of Elsewhere -the magic and adventure in a world inhabited by forces of good and evil. We meet several new characters and revisit some whom we met in The Book of Lost Things. Vivid imagery, stories within stories and the magic of books and reading transport us to a world of fantasy, folklore and fairytales (with a dark twist). Beautifully written, full of heart, immersive and just as memorable as The Book of Lost Things, this is another winner from author John Connolly. I did feel the pace faltered in parts, but this did not detract from the overall reading experience. Though this book does work as a standalone, I would recommend reading The Book of Lost Things before picking this one up for a more wholesome reading experience. Overall, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable read that left me with a smile on my face, a lump in my throat and a feeling of gratitude for all the books and stories that have been my best friends and continue to be a source of comfort for whenever I need them.

“You can destroy a book. You can burn it, you can tear it to pieces and scatter them to the four winds, you can soak it until it reverts to pulp or the ink turns the water black, but you can't destroy the contents of the book, or the idea of the book, not as long as there are those that care, who remember...
WHO read.”

Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Land of Lost Things was published on September 19, 2023.

“We carry our childhood, the good and the bad of it, into our adult lives. In that way, we’re never very far from the children we once were.” show less

Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.

Great sequel. Though the last 20 percent did drag a lot. Still five stars.

Full Review: So this book was so good. I loved the first book in the series and thought that Connolly ended it perfectly. I was a little hesitant to see he was revising this series since I thought it wouldn't work as well. But Connolly does a great job with the character of Ceres and her daughter Phoebe. The whole book shows how Connolly still loves connections to myths and legends. This story is a dark fairy tale still threaded with hope.

"The Land of Lost Things" follows 31 year old Ceres. Ceres is left devastated after a car accident leaves her young daughter Phoebe show more comatose. Phoebe seems to be worsening with no explanation of why. Ceres though starts to read a book by a well known author who lived where she grew up (guess who this is) whose stories seem to be breaking into her dreams. Something out there seems to be calling Ceres. When Ceres finally moves Phoebe to a different facility, she finds herself back in her old home and near the author's abandoned house as well. And then just like that, Ceres and us find ourselves back in the "Land of Lost Things."

I have to say this book felt like a warm and comforting hug. There's so many beats done perfectly. Ceres is a great character. I did have questions about why Connolly chose to de-age her. It just didn't add to the story and I thought it was weird.

Though we don't get to really "talk" to Phoebe. She comes alive to us via the memories that we get via Ceres. You keep rooting for her even though the end looks like it won't be happy.

And we revisit old characters we loved like the Woodsman. And of course, our David. And we get some new and old villains too.

The biggest issue I had was the flow. The plot was well done and I loved how this one centered on the fae. I also give the setting top marks. But the flow was painful towards the end. Connolly kept shifting the action back and forth between Ceres, the Woodsman, [redacted] and [redacted]. I was like can we just pick one person to follow and be done? I also thought the ending was a little bit of a cop-out. But then I cried at what we do get to witness [read].

I loved loved loved though that Connolly gives us some dark fairy tales in this one told either to Ceres or she tells to us. I really wish Connolly would do an anthology of some of the tales he has come up with. show less

A beautiful, spellbinding sequel to The Book of Lost Things. Both novels deal with loss, grief, and hope in a mythical fashion, on the fairy tale border between portal fantasy and dream allegory. I thought The Book of Lost Things would be hard to follow up, but this successor is worthy.

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The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly is a novel taking place in a magical universe, following a mother trying to save her child. Mr. Connolly is a published author and an international best-seller author.

Ceres’ daughter, eight-year-old Phoebe, is comatose after being in a car accident. Ceres sits by her bed reading the fairy tale stories the Phoebe loved.

Phoebe is moved to a new hospital, where a book is calling to Ceres. She enters a magical land, which includes childhood memories, folklore, and enemies.

I never read The Book of Lost Things, which this book references that was published about 17 years ago. About half-way through, however, I realized that I might show more should have, as there are some references, I believe I missed.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading The Land of Lost Things by John Connolly even though this book is not the usual genre I read. I do enjoy Mr. Connolly’s work very much, which is why I picked it up.

This book is fully of excitement and adventure, happiness and tragedy. The narrative flows and is very well plotted. There are many characters, which I assume were in the first book, but I wasn’t familiar with them. At times I felt as if I was outside of the circle of “those who know”, which is, of course, true.

The last fifth of the book dragged and the flow was interrupted. We read the story through the actions of several characters, and the shifts were a bit confusing and difficult to follow. I felt the ending was somewhat hurried as well.

One of the highlights was the incorporating of dark fairy tales in the narrative, either ones Ceres tells us, or are told to Ceres. I believe that these dark stories actually reflect the original fairy tales than the sugar coated ones we tell these days.

I enjoyed this book very much, but I would recommend reading The Book of Lost Things first. I wish I had. show less

When I read the Book of Lost Things as a teenager long ago, it really opened my eyes to what could be done with folklore and fairy tales. This book continues that tradition. I love John Connolly's style of writing, it's so poetic.