I love this story. The language of the narrators brought depth to the characters. I would not know if it would be the same story had I not listened to it. The readers made me feel closer to Hanna and Bennie. I love the weave and connection of the century of story and suspect it is what we need more than anything else today. A personal story to connect us so we may be more, a part of something bigger and more meaningful.

Wonderful tale written by a true story teller, Lisa Wingate. The narrators - and I love that they used more than one for this story - were absolutely fabulous. I have never heard of the Book of Lost Friends and am so grateful it actually exists. What a treasure house for those looking for their family members who were enslaved. Our history, all of it, even the parts that make us uncomfortable, needs to be told and understood as it was in the framework of its own time. This book does that brilliantly.

Wonderful book. Well written.

Wonderful! Just wonderful!

Well written and developed characters. I enjoyed the perspective from different times. Engaging story that clearly brings to mind how important true history really is.

Beautiful story and very well written. I enjoyed every minute of it!

The story gets better and better as it goes along. It was very well written. Narrators were excellent!

Very well narrated. An excellent story line as well as being historically interesting. Kept my interest the whole time

Best book I’ve listened to in a long time.

Great story. Narrator was excellent

Lisa Wingate hit it out of the park. I couldn't stop listening!

Loved the book! Loved the narrators especially Hannie. Had this book in my que for a long time before I listed to it and as I was listening I regretted it took me so long to listen! Loved it!

The story was extremely compelling and interesting. I loved the story and narrators went back and forth over the decades span. At times, it felt very long, yet I enjoyed hearing all of the story. There was a point in the book, I was so touched, I was in tears. Well worth listening to, but be prepared for a long story.

Couldn’t stop reading!

I could not stop listening to this book. I was angry each time to be switched back and forth between time periods because I wanted to stay with each, simultaneously. That is the sign of two powerful narratives told in harmony and distinction. I highly recommend this book and excellent narration.

Well-written story of a dark time in history.

Great book! Enjoyed every minute.

This was a great read’

Engaging book. Hard to put down. Interweaving lives from post slavery to modern times and how the past impacts the present.

Great book!

So we’ll written. Amazing story. Narrated by an excellent group!!

Absolutely marvellous

Enjoyed the story and narrators.

Good book, wish the ending was a bit better

Excellent fictional story woven around a fascinating, though tragic, historical activity by which formerly enslaved people emancipated during the Civil War tried to find their families separated by auction, trading, and kidnapping, even after the war. The story brought in other historical events, such as the Mason County war, images of new Ft Worth and Austin, the sharecropper equivalent to slavery, deprivations and scams experienced by many, painted a detailed picture of life in Louisiana and Texas after the war. The outrageous prejudices continue 100 years later as attempts are made to prevent economically disadvantaged children of color and white children from learning of their ancestors who once owned the local cotton plantation or were enslaved by its owners. While this sounds sounds grim, the story is uplifting. Superb narration caused me to cry near the end of the story because I could feel the character’s emotion. Includes author notes at the end.

Beautiful wrote book. The story keeps you interested and engaged to hear more.

This story came to life and I was enthralled from beginning to end. I loved the connection that the author made that brought the lives of the people from the late 1800’s to the 1980’s together. The narrators made the characters believable and lifelike.

great book, great narrators

Enjoyed this book.

Please don’t ever stop writing books, Lisa Wingate . You are a supreme story teller . I was so entranced back & forth into time periods. I loved Hanny’s story the most. Her narrator was so excellent!!! I loved every description, nuance , WORDS! Thank you for taking my mind away

Another amazing story from Lisa. We chose the book for the road trip to our only sons wedding. My husband, who is not a reader by nature, was immediately engrossed in the story. We loved all the characters especially Hani and Benny. This time in history that you so beautifully represented should not be forgotten, taken for granted, or minimized. Loved the book and hats off to the narrators who brought it to life. Can’t wait for the next one.

I wish I could give this read 10 stars! I enjoyed ALL of the narrators. The story was wonderful. I would recommend this as a listen just to experience the voices. I will be thinking of this book for a long time!! More kids should read this book to know their genealogy. Again, I just loved it all!!

I loved this book. It was easy to follow which time period they were in due to different narrators being used. I didn't want the book to end.

Excellent read! Outstanding narration!!!

This was so slow moving, I just couldn’t stand to listen to it anymore. I was disappointed that I wasted a credit on this. The story is an important one to be told, but it was told in such a boring manner.

I could NOT have loved this book any more. I laughed, I CRIED. Absolutely beautifully written and narrated. If this isn’t a best seller, I will loose faith in the list.

Absolutely loved this book! Loved the narrators! Ended too soon for me! I needed more Hanna and Bennie in my life!

Listening to this book is an advantage over reading it. In alternating chapters, we bond with both the former slave of the late 1800’s & with the young teacher in the 1980’s. Hearing their stories allows us to personally know them through the feelings & influences pronounced in their voices. They become friends to us. As in true Wingate fashion, we develop empathy as readers & there is, of course, “the message” we internalize as we read. Whether it is through the suffering of a slave or a teacher attempting to teach & guide minority kids, we realize the bigotry which existed in the 1800’s, continues in modern times. It is a message we need to realize before we deliberately work toward change. Lisa Wingate does not disappoint.

Narrators were fantastic. The writing was slow and wordy, but the audio performance made up for it.

I had a hard time getting into it, but ultimately really enjoyed it. Narrator did a great job.

Amazing book. Had a hard time getting into it. Once I did I was hooked. I didn’t want it to end. Wonderful history tied into modern day.

I enjoyed this book tremendously until the las couple of hours. It ended as the action was still rising with no real climax and much of the resolution taking place off stage. Nicely written and engaging, but ultimately disappointing.

Lisa Wingate never disappoints! This book was well written, with well-developed characters that the reader can’t help but care about. I loved how she wove past and present into a touching, beautiful novel. Great readers, as well. I can’t recommend this one highly enough!

A wonderful book It was so interesting and so much to learn I really loved the book.

I would love to see this as required reading in our high schools. Everyone knows there was slavery, but the characters in this book make it so personal and real. I've seen some of my own family's documents that showed which slaves were expected to go with a daughter as she marries to help set up her home. What a disgrace! I desperately hope my family was at least kind to these precious people they thought they were entitled to. Thank you Sue Monk Kidd for such an enlightening book!