I am struggling to find words to express how much I loved this book, even as I write this over a week after finishing it. The Lost Storyteller is easily one of the best books I have read this year so far, and it's almost hard to believe it's only this author's debut!

This book has everything: a compelling mystery in the search for Leo, Rebecca's father; family secrets; creepy, multilayered fairytales; atmospheric settings; a slow burn romance; and, above all, the strength of human relationships. This book is about Rebecca's search for her father, yes, but it's also about so much more.

As Rebecca embarks on her journey into the past, which takes her across England and Scotland, she takes us readers along a parallel journey. This is a journey of self-discovery, about finding your place in the world and being true to yourself, discovering little by little what are the things that matter the most and going after them. It's a journey of acceptance and, possibly, forgiveness, without shying away from the difficulties and the ugliness that sometimes lie in between.

This, for me, was the true strength of this book: its honest, multilayered depiction of family, love and life, mental health and the battles that are fought just under the surface, unknown to everyone else. The author's beautiful writing style certainly helped, as she perfectly managed to paint a picture with her words, so much so that I could almost see this playing out as a movie (which very, very rarely happens to me). I was completely captivated by this from the beginning right up to the very last page. I loved the delicate yet honest way in which mental health was described, showing the character's persistence and resilience as well as the struggles.

The seven fairytales written by Leo for Rebecca are a brilliant inclusion, and definitely helped this book to become even stronger. These allegorical tales were the perfect blend of creepy and magical while helping to give a clearer picture of Leo's character. Now, I have to admit from reading the summary at first I thought there would be a magical element to this (think The Hazel Wood or Inkheart), but that wasn't the case and I am actually really happy about this, as I think grounding the story in reality made its message even stronger.

The Lost Storyteller was a wonderful surprise since, while I had an inkling I would enjoy it, I never expected to love it as much as I did. I am very much looking forward to Amanda Block's next work.

For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way. ( )

Oh dear. I went in with so much hope for this book and left completely disenchanted.
The story was promising, but it was so watered down and with such repetition of the same feelings and thoughts, that by the time I got to the anticlimactic end, I felt utterly disappointed.
The main character, Rebecca, is extremely unlikeable; as so are the others. Rebecca, who hasn’t seen her father in years, gets a visit from a journalist trying to write a story about her father, who was a celebrity in a children’s tv show. She then sets out to find everything she can about him and tries to find him.
That’s it.
Skip it. There are more engaging books out there. ( )

10/10 for this book!

The way that Amanda builds her characters and atmosphere, from the complex family relationships to the emotions behind them. She writes a wonderful story about a woman who spent her life not even realizing she was missing her father. She embarks on a journey to discover who and where her father is, along the way she discovers who she is and what really matters to her in life. This is a journey of love and self discovery that will resonate with many readers well past reading the last pages.

Amanda tells a tale of a man, a husband, and father struggling with his mental illness and the toll it takes on all of his family. We learn through the eyes of his illness how his childhood all the way to adulthood was like before he either helps himself or loses himself to his illness entirely. There is so much readers will relate to with Rebeccas familial relationships and where she has ended up in her life. I would 100% recommend this book to any reader who loves a great story and complex relationships. She builds it up in a way that has you questioning everything right up to the end.


While reading this book, I laughed, I scoffed, and I definitely cried. I am not usually a re reader of books as I read so many. However this is a book I will be re reading again and again, I am going to have my teenage children read this book and recommend it to all my family and friends, ( )

Rebecca only has vague memories of her father. He was an actor who disappeared out of her life when she was six. Now, over twenty years later, a journalist is writing a story about cult tv characters and wants to find her father. Rebecca has never really asked questions and her mother's family have kept silent on the subject but when she presses she is met with a wall of silence until her grandmother gives her a book of fairy stories written by her family and left as a gift all those years ago. Maybe these hold the key.
This really is a book that grows on the reader. Rebecca is fairly awkward in terms of character and in terms of the writing but she develops well. The stories are a wonderful way of linking the search together and have a crucial link to the outcome. What sets this book apart is the way that mental health is treated and the challenges for the families who have to deal with a loved one - the great Aunt who never wants to see Leo again, the father who couldn't cope with his wife's depression, the actor who couldn't cope with fame and the family trying to protect the child too young to see what was happening - all handled with utmost sympathy and grounded in reality. ( )

‘’Then there had been his stories, which felt like memories because at the time she’d believed they were true. She’d tiptoed past a knobbly boulder on the moor because he’d whispered it was a sleeping troll; left a tuft of sheep’s fleece caught in barbed wire because he’s insisted it was the beard of a gnome who’d want it back; scattered a trail of biscuit crumbs through the woods at Midsummer because he’s convinced her the trees liked to move around on the longest day, and otherwise they might forget the way back.’’

Rebecca believed she had left the ghost of a father behind her. A reporter who comes with seemingly nosy questions about The Stowaway, a successful TV programme elevated by the presence of her father, and a book of tales written by him, reflecting aspects of his life, lead her to discoveries that question everything she had taken for granted. Seven fairy tales hold the key to a journey of isolation, mistreatment, understanding and, possibly, redemption. More often than not, fairy tales are what we need to start anew.

This book is EVERYTHING!

Amanda Block sets her beautiful story on Devon, London, and Edinburgh, creating a quintessentially British atmosphere and scenery. Where to begin? The sense of place is phenomenal. Your mind will ‘’visit’’ Exeter, London and the beloved capital of Scotland and will ask for more. As I asked for more of Leo’s tales:

The First Tale: The Collector and the Nixie: A boy becomes the unwilling apprentice to a collector or fairies, baby dragons and other magical creatures. When his path is crossed with a nixie’s a wish may set them both free. A beautiful story echoing Hans Christian Andersen’s tales.

‘’When oak meets ash,
And ash meets thorn,
There you will find
Where you were born.’’

The Second Tale: The Golden Door: A very interesting take on the ever-enticing myth of the Changeling in which a young boy goes through several ordeals due to prejudice and hatred.

The Third Tale: The Voyage to the Edge of the World: A beautiful tale of a brave captain, sirens, monsters and a land of shadow beyond the edge of the world. A marvellous story that seems to have jumped out of Arabian Nights.

The Fourth Tale: The Enchanted Lute: The tale of a young man who became a slave to his vocation until a princess broke the spell.

‘’Before long, the man grew alarmed about what might become if he stayed, but by the time he had decided to escape the woodcutter’s cottage, it was too late: the family had taken both of his legs.’’

The Fifth Tale: The Woodcutter’s Cottage: A dark, violent and haunting tale, paying homage to Grimm’s legacy. The story of an exhausted man, lost in the forest, and the evil family that takes and takes until there is nothing left…

The Sixth Tale: The Witch and the Sphinx: A tale of sand and time and riddles. The story of a witch and a sphinx, a magic mask and a man blinded by beauty and greed. One of the BEST tales I’ve ever read!

The Seventh Tale: The Man Without a Shadow: The enigmatic story of a man who is trying to escape his shadow, a wise shaman and a pretty little bird.

Amanda Block weaves a tale of a family chocked with secrets and lies with traces of all the classic tales of our childhood, within a setting that moves between mystic woods and the urban spirit of our furious times. Rebecca’s no-nonsense attitude and her love for History, references to Tintagel (the theme of myths is always with us), beautiful countryside scenes and Edinburgh’s mystery and unique vibe during festival time. Most importantly, she writes about mental health in a moving, direct manner full of respect, sensitivity and hope, while wonderfully exposing every character’s flaws and virtues. Rebecca and Leo will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

This is a summer tale of beauty, expression and thwarted dreams. Of being alone when everyone has given up on you, of perseverance, of having faith in yourself, of being brave enough to trust in others. This is the most magical debut by a writer full of gifts. This is the most magical book of the year.

‘’In the hollow of his timber body, what remained of the man recognised the place where he had been lost long ago, only it did not seem remotely cold or dark or frightening anymore.’’

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )