The Library of Lost Dollhouses, Elise Hooper (Review by Lara Ferguson)

When Tildy, head curator of the Belva Curtis LeFarge Library, accidentally stumbles upon a hidden room, a room which houses two incredible doll houses, she is surprised, confused, and curious. She knows this library better than anyone, how could she not know about this room and why are these beautiful pieces hidden? The same day, Tildy discovers that her beloved library is on the brink of bankruptcy and in need of serious repairs. Thus begins the total disruption of Tildy’s quiet and predictable life, as she searches for ways to save the library she loves and decipher the story of the doll houses hidden in the secret room. Her search will take her deep into her own experiences and bring her to an understanding of her personal history. ​This novel, a story of Tildy’s self-discovery as well as a walk through history, beautifully blends large truths about the ways in which talented, influential women have often been overlooked and undervalued with a fictional tale of love, loss, relationship and real life. The doll houses tell their own stories, a conduit for those who have been marginalized, based upon the lives of the women who commissioned them and the women who built them. ​The storytelling transitions smoothly from the present into the past as each woman tells us her story and the author slowly brings all the stories together enabling the reader to understand and appreciate the secrets we all carry and the importance of a venue for each of us to tell our stories. A wonderful read that pulls you in and immerses you in a story of history that could have been.