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The Lost Girls
A haunting tale of love and loss that will make you think twice … What would you do if you had the chance to change a pivotal moment from your past? How far would you go to save someone you loved? These are just two of the fateful choices a woman must face in this highly original and hauntingly evocative detective story of love and loss. At the core of the enigmatic Stella’s story, past and present, is a mystery she is compelled to solve, a beautiful young woman who went missing fifty years ago – and a tragedy much closer to home she must try to prevent. As Stella unravels the dark secrets of her family's past and her own, it becomes clear that everyone remembers the past differently and the small choices we make every day can change our future irrevocably. This utterly original, gripping and mind-bending tale will stay with you long after the last page. 'A beautifully compelling book that dares to not only ask “What if?” but to explore that question with heart-busting yearning, wry humour and masterful storytelling.' Kate Mulvany, playwright and actor? ‘The Lost Girls is a wonderfully unsettling novel about anger, loss and hope. Tightly written and compulsive, its twists had me frantically turning the pages.’ Emma Viskic, award-winning author of And Fire Came Down and Resurrection Bay
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2019
47 people are currently reading
762 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Walsh
17 books2 followersAlso publishes under Jennifer Spence and Jenny Spence.
I worked for a long time in IT as an author of computer manuals and help systems. Now I am a full-time author, writing children's books under this name and adult books under another name.
I worked for a long time in IT as an author of computer manuals and help systems. Now I am a full-time author, writing children's books under this name and adult books under another name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
February 26, 2019
An intriguing time travel book, set in Sydney, that sees Stella get on a bus in 2017, but when she gets off she finds it's twenty years earlier. She immediately goes and looks up her family in the past and passes herself off as her long lost aunt, Linda. As she becomes more entwined in her family's earlier life, including her younger self, she realises she has the opportunity to try to avert a coming tragedy.
I'm not going to go to far into the plot, as I don't want to give anything away, I'll just say The Lost Girls is a gem of a book. Jennifer Spence has done a marvellous job of weaving a story around a past and present narrative. I raced through this book in a day, it's so easy to read and I had trouble putting it down. A wonderful book of families, of loss, and yes, of time travel. Recommended.
My thanks to Simon And Schuster AU for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
I'm not going to go to far into the plot, as I don't want to give anything away, I'll just say The Lost Girls is a gem of a book. Jennifer Spence has done a marvellous job of weaving a story around a past and present narrative. I raced through this book in a day, it's so easy to read and I had trouble putting it down. A wonderful book of families, of loss, and yes, of time travel. Recommended.
My thanks to Simon And Schuster AU for a copy to read and review. The opinions are entirely my own.
April 15, 2019
I’ve been putting off reading this book purely because I’m not a fan of time travel books and the reason being is I just find them difficult and confusing to follow and I lose interest in them. The Lost Girls was a tad confusing, but not enough for me to lose interest in the story in fact, I found myself quite intrigued which I found surprising.
Following Stella through her journey which starts when she is on a bus going home and the year is 2017, but when she hops off the bus its 1997. And so the story begins where Stella goes in search of her family, which is when she finds out about the disappearance of her aunt. Will Stella find the answers she is looking for or will she be faced with more questions?
The Lost Girls by Aussie author Jennifer Spence turned out to be a far better read than I anticipated and one in which I surprisingly enjoyed. Yes, this was a time travel book and like I stated at the beginning of this review I am not a fan of these books, but I did enjoy this one and I look forward to reading more by this author. Recommended.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster AU for my ARC to read and review.
Following Stella through her journey which starts when she is on a bus going home and the year is 2017, but when she hops off the bus its 1997. And so the story begins where Stella goes in search of her family, which is when she finds out about the disappearance of her aunt. Will Stella find the answers she is looking for or will she be faced with more questions?
The Lost Girls by Aussie author Jennifer Spence turned out to be a far better read than I anticipated and one in which I surprisingly enjoyed. Yes, this was a time travel book and like I stated at the beginning of this review I am not a fan of these books, but I did enjoy this one and I look forward to reading more by this author. Recommended.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster AU for my ARC to read and review.
January 25, 2019
Utterly captivating! A most unusual and highly original theme, which had my heart in my throat many times.
Gradually making her way home after watching an enjoyable movie, Stella felt a little off. She was obviously more tired than she realized – but things around her looked slightly different. There was something wrong with her home and the surrounding properties. What was happening? Then Stella made the astounding discovery that she had somehow slipped through time – it was 1997 instead of 2017…
Stella found she had an opportunity to change what would happen a few years into the future; she just wasn’t sure how. And the mystery of a disappearing relative had her determined to find the answer. But she also knew she had to take great care – there was a danger in altering the future.
The Lost Girls by Aussie author Jennifer Spence is set in and around Sydney and is the author’s second adult novel; the first being No Safe Place published under Jenny Spence. The suspenseful mystery is intriguing, the plot fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed every poignant and heartfelt page and can’t recommend it highly enough!
With thanks to Simon & Schuster AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Gradually making her way home after watching an enjoyable movie, Stella felt a little off. She was obviously more tired than she realized – but things around her looked slightly different. There was something wrong with her home and the surrounding properties. What was happening? Then Stella made the astounding discovery that she had somehow slipped through time – it was 1997 instead of 2017…
Stella found she had an opportunity to change what would happen a few years into the future; she just wasn’t sure how. And the mystery of a disappearing relative had her determined to find the answer. But she also knew she had to take great care – there was a danger in altering the future.
The Lost Girls by Aussie author Jennifer Spence is set in and around Sydney and is the author’s second adult novel; the first being No Safe Place published under Jenny Spence. The suspenseful mystery is intriguing, the plot fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed every poignant and heartfelt page and can’t recommend it highly enough!
With thanks to Simon & Schuster AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
March 18, 2019
*https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
The Lost Girls is a contemporary time travel novel, perfect for readers that don’t normally read time travel. It is 2017 and Stella, on her way home from work, alights from the bus to find the streets are different yet familiar. She has arrived at her street only it is 1997.
Spence explores the theme of regrets. What if we could go back in time and change how we lived our life? This idea further expands to ideas of changing the past and what consequences this has on the future. A future that has already taken place! How would our memories, the ones we have made and are firmly imbedded, change?
The narrative is firmly lodged in 1997 with events of 2017 showing as Stella’s thoughts and written notes, which makes for an easier reading experience for those that find jumping back and forward in time difficult to follow.
Although, as with any time travel, you will need to suspend belief, Spence has addressed issues such as accommodation, identity and money in a believable way.
The mention of world events places the story solidly in its era and I loved the descriptions of Sydney trains, ferries and shops. All familiar landmarks for this reader!
There is a fascinating side story of the disappearance of Stella’s Aunt Linda which occurred in 1950. A compelling mystery weaving its way through the story to a startling conclusion.
This is a cleverly plotted page turner. I read it in two days. The story pulls you in and was actually causing me great anxiety. Stella was a wonderful character easily identifiable both as a 43 year old busy mum of teenagers and a 63 year old with a loving husband but some regrets in life.
The ending was superb! I can see why everyone is raving about The Lost Girls.
*I received a copy from the publisher to read.
The Lost Girls is a contemporary time travel novel, perfect for readers that don’t normally read time travel. It is 2017 and Stella, on her way home from work, alights from the bus to find the streets are different yet familiar. She has arrived at her street only it is 1997.
Spence explores the theme of regrets. What if we could go back in time and change how we lived our life? This idea further expands to ideas of changing the past and what consequences this has on the future. A future that has already taken place! How would our memories, the ones we have made and are firmly imbedded, change?
The narrative is firmly lodged in 1997 with events of 2017 showing as Stella’s thoughts and written notes, which makes for an easier reading experience for those that find jumping back and forward in time difficult to follow.
Although, as with any time travel, you will need to suspend belief, Spence has addressed issues such as accommodation, identity and money in a believable way.
The mention of world events places the story solidly in its era and I loved the descriptions of Sydney trains, ferries and shops. All familiar landmarks for this reader!
There is a fascinating side story of the disappearance of Stella’s Aunt Linda which occurred in 1950. A compelling mystery weaving its way through the story to a startling conclusion.
This is a cleverly plotted page turner. I read it in two days. The story pulls you in and was actually causing me great anxiety. Stella was a wonderful character easily identifiable both as a 43 year old busy mum of teenagers and a 63 year old with a loving husband but some regrets in life.
The ending was superb! I can see why everyone is raving about The Lost Girls.
*I received a copy from the publisher to read.
January 21, 2019
Three and a half stars.
“Whatever can have happened to the jacarandas?’ The first sentence of this story got me in as jacarandas are a favourite tree of mine. The next paragraph added to the picture. Then came the change. Stella finds herself back in a different time. If you found yourself back in time with the chance to change a pivotal event would you do it? What else might it change? These two questions are explored in this novel about a family and their secrets, loss and the pain that some choices can inflict.
This is the second novel I have read recently about time travel. While this book did not quite captivate me as that other one did, I did find it interesting and highly readable. The first half of the story worked better for me than the second half, where in trying to pull the threads of the story together it left me a little confused. Having the current day Stella and the Stella from the past seemingly existing side by side, added at times to the confusion. I also wanted to yell at Stella and tell her to wake up and not be so naïve but to exercise her responsibilities as a parent. The fact that I became so annoyed with her is demonstration of the writer’s skill in developing the character – that she felt real.
As well as Stella’s story, there is that of Linda who went missing from her family. What really happened to her? Does the book answer this question? You will have to read it and se. It does raise lots of others questions about what we choose to remember and how sometimes those memories can be suspect. A thought provoking read that I enjoyed even though it never captured me completely. My thanks go to Simon and Schuster who provided me with this ARC to read and review.
“Whatever can have happened to the jacarandas?’ The first sentence of this story got me in as jacarandas are a favourite tree of mine. The next paragraph added to the picture. Then came the change. Stella finds herself back in a different time. If you found yourself back in time with the chance to change a pivotal event would you do it? What else might it change? These two questions are explored in this novel about a family and their secrets, loss and the pain that some choices can inflict.
This is the second novel I have read recently about time travel. While this book did not quite captivate me as that other one did, I did find it interesting and highly readable. The first half of the story worked better for me than the second half, where in trying to pull the threads of the story together it left me a little confused. Having the current day Stella and the Stella from the past seemingly existing side by side, added at times to the confusion. I also wanted to yell at Stella and tell her to wake up and not be so naïve but to exercise her responsibilities as a parent. The fact that I became so annoyed with her is demonstration of the writer’s skill in developing the character – that she felt real.
As well as Stella’s story, there is that of Linda who went missing from her family. What really happened to her? Does the book answer this question? You will have to read it and se. It does raise lots of others questions about what we choose to remember and how sometimes those memories can be suspect. A thought provoking read that I enjoyed even though it never captured me completely. My thanks go to Simon and Schuster who provided me with this ARC to read and review.
February 5, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence has been flagged as a ‘Guaranteed Read’ from publisher Simon & Schuster. I have to agree with this cover sticker, this is a stunning read from cover to cover. Enlightening and imaginative, The Lost Girls crosses moral codes and the edge of reason.
Think of a life changing moment from your past, would you change it if it was at all possible? If you lost a loved one and you had the chance to save them in the past, would you go to the ends of the earth to save them? What original and stimulating scenarios, that clearly involve careful consideration. One woman is delivered a polarising twist of fate when she finds herself locked back in the past. Stella’s life has been marred by both love and loss, but a chance opportunity to go back to the past and set things differently throws up all sorts of moral conundrums. Two mysteries define this intriguing novel from Australian author Jennifer Spence. One is centred on preventing a family tragedy and the other is a missing person’s case. In getting to the bottom of these mysteries, Stella must re-enter her past. She must work to untangle her family secrets and take a critical eye on the choices made, no matter how small, as they clearly impact on the turn of events in today’s world. The Lost Girls is about fractured and conclusive memories, snapshots into the past and the decisions we make on a daily basis.
The eye-catching torn floral wallpaper cover of The Lost Girls immediately seduced me to read this novel. The cover is like a window into the soul of this book. I wanted to crawl inside the gap and discover the secrets of the lost girls.
‘She puts her head on my shoulder and her emotions, the grief of the crowd and the innocence of the day all descend on me and I weep with her. We weep for Diana, for Linda, for Claire, even for myself. We weep together for all the lost girls.’
Jennifer Spence’s prose is beautiful. It has a lyrical and graceful quality. It evokes emotion and touches the audience through the simple gesture of reading. I appreciated it very much and the overall tone of the novel itself worked particularly well for me.
The concept, well, I am not a fan of time travel and I will say The Lost Girls does employ this theme and narrative fixture. However, despite my reservations about not liking time travel fiction, I make the exception with this one. I loved the storyline and for once, the time travel aspect didn’t bother me! I did have questions about the whole mechanics of the time travel thing, but I was able to get over this for the sake of the engrossing storyline.
The Lost Girls is much more than a time travel novel. I think, at its core, it is a book about memories. It is about how we make, store and retrieve memories. It is about the associations we make to our lives. It is also a critical examination into moral boundaries. It makes you think deeply about the possibility of change to an aspect of your life. Could you go through with altering your fate? In the case of this story in particular, I understood why the lead character went to such lengths to prevent a family tragedy. It was completely understandable and acceptable. But, in tinkering with the past, there are consequences to pay, which we learn through the progression of this novel.
What really worked for me, was the glimpse back into the past. When the lead is catapulted back into the past, she meets herself twenty years before. This is a time that holds powerful memories for me personally. It was when I became a young adult. This is a time I always look back on fondly, a time of less world craziness and life was scaled back. Mobile phones were still a novelty, there was no social media, dial up internet existed and we were all concerned about the millennium bug! Spence encapsulates us in the not too distant past with clarity and understanding. I really liked her focus on key world events that defined this time, such as Princess Diana’s death. It transported back to this tragic moment in time very vividly.
The Lost Girls is a beautifully rendered Australian based mystery. It did come with some moments where I had to really think carefully about what I was reading, but this is a sign of a sharp writer. Jennifer Spence has crafted a novel that incorporates mystery, identity, salvation, sacrifice and memory, all within the one involving novel. I savoured this one, it was a transfixing read. I am keen to catch up on the previous suspense novel penned by this author.
‘Thinking along these lines gives me a pang of longing for Richard, for the comfort of his arms around me, and tears come to my eyes. All this is eating away at the edges of my identity, so that I still wake up sometimes wondering if I really do know who I am.’
*Thanks is extended to Simon & Schuster Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Lost Girls is book #14 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence has been flagged as a ‘Guaranteed Read’ from publisher Simon & Schuster. I have to agree with this cover sticker, this is a stunning read from cover to cover. Enlightening and imaginative, The Lost Girls crosses moral codes and the edge of reason.
Think of a life changing moment from your past, would you change it if it was at all possible? If you lost a loved one and you had the chance to save them in the past, would you go to the ends of the earth to save them? What original and stimulating scenarios, that clearly involve careful consideration. One woman is delivered a polarising twist of fate when she finds herself locked back in the past. Stella’s life has been marred by both love and loss, but a chance opportunity to go back to the past and set things differently throws up all sorts of moral conundrums. Two mysteries define this intriguing novel from Australian author Jennifer Spence. One is centred on preventing a family tragedy and the other is a missing person’s case. In getting to the bottom of these mysteries, Stella must re-enter her past. She must work to untangle her family secrets and take a critical eye on the choices made, no matter how small, as they clearly impact on the turn of events in today’s world. The Lost Girls is about fractured and conclusive memories, snapshots into the past and the decisions we make on a daily basis.
The eye-catching torn floral wallpaper cover of The Lost Girls immediately seduced me to read this novel. The cover is like a window into the soul of this book. I wanted to crawl inside the gap and discover the secrets of the lost girls.
‘She puts her head on my shoulder and her emotions, the grief of the crowd and the innocence of the day all descend on me and I weep with her. We weep for Diana, for Linda, for Claire, even for myself. We weep together for all the lost girls.’
Jennifer Spence’s prose is beautiful. It has a lyrical and graceful quality. It evokes emotion and touches the audience through the simple gesture of reading. I appreciated it very much and the overall tone of the novel itself worked particularly well for me.
The concept, well, I am not a fan of time travel and I will say The Lost Girls does employ this theme and narrative fixture. However, despite my reservations about not liking time travel fiction, I make the exception with this one. I loved the storyline and for once, the time travel aspect didn’t bother me! I did have questions about the whole mechanics of the time travel thing, but I was able to get over this for the sake of the engrossing storyline.
The Lost Girls is much more than a time travel novel. I think, at its core, it is a book about memories. It is about how we make, store and retrieve memories. It is about the associations we make to our lives. It is also a critical examination into moral boundaries. It makes you think deeply about the possibility of change to an aspect of your life. Could you go through with altering your fate? In the case of this story in particular, I understood why the lead character went to such lengths to prevent a family tragedy. It was completely understandable and acceptable. But, in tinkering with the past, there are consequences to pay, which we learn through the progression of this novel.
What really worked for me, was the glimpse back into the past. When the lead is catapulted back into the past, she meets herself twenty years before. This is a time that holds powerful memories for me personally. It was when I became a young adult. This is a time I always look back on fondly, a time of less world craziness and life was scaled back. Mobile phones were still a novelty, there was no social media, dial up internet existed and we were all concerned about the millennium bug! Spence encapsulates us in the not too distant past with clarity and understanding. I really liked her focus on key world events that defined this time, such as Princess Diana’s death. It transported back to this tragic moment in time very vividly.
The Lost Girls is a beautifully rendered Australian based mystery. It did come with some moments where I had to really think carefully about what I was reading, but this is a sign of a sharp writer. Jennifer Spence has crafted a novel that incorporates mystery, identity, salvation, sacrifice and memory, all within the one involving novel. I savoured this one, it was a transfixing read. I am keen to catch up on the previous suspense novel penned by this author.
‘Thinking along these lines gives me a pang of longing for Richard, for the comfort of his arms around me, and tears come to my eyes. All this is eating away at the edges of my identity, so that I still wake up sometimes wondering if I really do know who I am.’
*Thanks is extended to Simon & Schuster Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Lost Girls is book #14 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
April 1, 2019
We all know the two golden rules of time travel, don't we? 1) Don't change anything. 2) Don't meet yourself!! But if you've ever wondered what might happen if the rules are broken, this book by Australian author Jennifer Spence, might give you some ideas.
We meet Stella Lannigan following an afternoon cinema outing in Sydney, when she has somehow slipped back 20 years, to 1997. By p2 she's already beginning to realise something's not right. Arriving at her harbourside warehouse apartment, the figurative alarm bells are ringing, so what does she do - she walks the short distance to her former family home to confirm her fears and meet her family! There's a 43yo version of herself, her younger husband Richard, teen son Julian and her young daughter Claire, about to turn 12. Everyone notices the resemblance between the two Stellas of course, but luckily her family history provides her with the perfect cover, and the 63yo Stella becomes 'Aunt Linda' who mysteriously disappeared back in the 50s. Younger Stella invites older Stella to stay in the spare room, and with no other real options, Stella accepts.
Having found herself in this most unusual predicament, Stella decides to do what she can to avert a family tragedy that she knows is coming in a few years time (even though she, too, knows the rules of time travel!), and to spend more time with her mother, whose time is running out. Well, you would, wouldn't you?
Once again I contemplate staying in this quaint, innocent world for another twenty years, and quail at the thought. From here on it's going to be one long process of material acquisition, spiritual impoverishment and international disasters. I don't know if I can bear to witness all that again.
I found this book equally intriguing and entertaining. Breaking the rules is one thing, but the way Spence handles it was really interesting too. Stella's memories fade and change as even some of the most innocuous events occur. She tries to keep track by making notes, but then can't fathom the meaning or import of the notes when she reviews them later. As much as this messed with Stella's mind, it stretched mine too, but in a good way. If you can follow the implicit 3rd rule of time-travel readership - don't try to make sense of it - this is a thoroughly satisfying family drama/mystery.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for a copy to read and review.
We meet Stella Lannigan following an afternoon cinema outing in Sydney, when she has somehow slipped back 20 years, to 1997. By p2 she's already beginning to realise something's not right. Arriving at her harbourside warehouse apartment, the figurative alarm bells are ringing, so what does she do - she walks the short distance to her former family home to confirm her fears and meet her family! There's a 43yo version of herself, her younger husband Richard, teen son Julian and her young daughter Claire, about to turn 12. Everyone notices the resemblance between the two Stellas of course, but luckily her family history provides her with the perfect cover, and the 63yo Stella becomes 'Aunt Linda' who mysteriously disappeared back in the 50s. Younger Stella invites older Stella to stay in the spare room, and with no other real options, Stella accepts.
Having found herself in this most unusual predicament, Stella decides to do what she can to avert a family tragedy that she knows is coming in a few years time (even though she, too, knows the rules of time travel!), and to spend more time with her mother, whose time is running out. Well, you would, wouldn't you?
Once again I contemplate staying in this quaint, innocent world for another twenty years, and quail at the thought. From here on it's going to be one long process of material acquisition, spiritual impoverishment and international disasters. I don't know if I can bear to witness all that again.
I found this book equally intriguing and entertaining. Breaking the rules is one thing, but the way Spence handles it was really interesting too. Stella's memories fade and change as even some of the most innocuous events occur. She tries to keep track by making notes, but then can't fathom the meaning or import of the notes when she reviews them later. As much as this messed with Stella's mind, it stretched mine too, but in a good way. If you can follow the implicit 3rd rule of time-travel readership - don't try to make sense of it - this is a thoroughly satisfying family drama/mystery.
With thanks to Simon & Schuster for a copy to read and review.
March 20, 2019
A great Australian book, something a bit different and fun but with a serious story behind it all. Who doesn't love a bit of time travel!
March 13, 2019
The Lost Girls is the fourth novel by Australian author, Jennifer Spence. When sixty-three-year-old Stella Lannigan heads for the cinema it’s November 2017. When she emerges, slightly drowsy, the first thing she notices is that the jacaranda blooms have disappeared. It’s not until she’s standing in front of the former Engineering Building in their waterfront suburb, registering the missing keypad by the door and the state of dilapidation, that she notices other anomalies: the absence of smart phones and transport card readers on the bus, defunct businesses still operational, trees smaller than remembered.
Richard, her husband of some forty years, will be waiting for her in their apartment, but it seems not to be there. She wanders past their former home, and begins to realise that this is not the world as she left it. And then Stella, forty-three-year-old Stella, comes out of the house. Older Stella considers for only a moment before calling out to her younger self: she presents as Linda McCutcheon, her mother Anne’s younger sister, who went missing almost fifty years earlier.
Invited in, she meets her fifteen-year-old son, Julian, her twenty-years-younger husband, and her daughter, Claire, soon to turn twelve. The newspaper proclaims August 1997. Well aware of the far-reaching consequences that may result from anything she does, Stella nonetheless determines to do whatever she can to save Claire from her awful fate, in that stinking alley off Riley Street, in 2001, a scene that she has never been able to erase from her mind.
This is the fascinating start to a time-travel novel with a difference. Does Stella actually change the past, and therefore the future? Current research into memory has discovered that every time we take out a memory and examine it, we change it. Stella’s memory of her daughter’s demise and the ensuing years does seem, on first telling, strong and definite.
But then those memories, and her recall of the last twenty years, certainly changes, quite radically, each time she brings it to mind. Is that really because of her actions, because of what she does as she tries to influence the lives of those she loves? Ever present in the background of all this is the unexplained disappearance of Aunt Linda, something which always intrigued Stella, a mystery about which she now is finding more clues.
Spence easily evokes her settings, both time and place, with some beautiful descriptive prose and mentions of technology and literature that firmly establish the era. Her characters are easily believable, their dialogue natural. The logistics of the time travel aspect are well handled, and Stella’s interpretation of it is credible. This is a novel that will have the reader thinking about memory, about the fiercely protective instinct of a mother, and about the many possible paths that lives can take. Moving and thought-provoking, this is a captivating read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia
Richard, her husband of some forty years, will be waiting for her in their apartment, but it seems not to be there. She wanders past their former home, and begins to realise that this is not the world as she left it. And then Stella, forty-three-year-old Stella, comes out of the house. Older Stella considers for only a moment before calling out to her younger self: she presents as Linda McCutcheon, her mother Anne’s younger sister, who went missing almost fifty years earlier.
Invited in, she meets her fifteen-year-old son, Julian, her twenty-years-younger husband, and her daughter, Claire, soon to turn twelve. The newspaper proclaims August 1997. Well aware of the far-reaching consequences that may result from anything she does, Stella nonetheless determines to do whatever she can to save Claire from her awful fate, in that stinking alley off Riley Street, in 2001, a scene that she has never been able to erase from her mind.
This is the fascinating start to a time-travel novel with a difference. Does Stella actually change the past, and therefore the future? Current research into memory has discovered that every time we take out a memory and examine it, we change it. Stella’s memory of her daughter’s demise and the ensuing years does seem, on first telling, strong and definite.
But then those memories, and her recall of the last twenty years, certainly changes, quite radically, each time she brings it to mind. Is that really because of her actions, because of what she does as she tries to influence the lives of those she loves? Ever present in the background of all this is the unexplained disappearance of Aunt Linda, something which always intrigued Stella, a mystery about which she now is finding more clues.
Spence easily evokes her settings, both time and place, with some beautiful descriptive prose and mentions of technology and literature that firmly establish the era. Her characters are easily believable, their dialogue natural. The logistics of the time travel aspect are well handled, and Stella’s interpretation of it is credible. This is a novel that will have the reader thinking about memory, about the fiercely protective instinct of a mother, and about the many possible paths that lives can take. Moving and thought-provoking, this is a captivating read.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Simon & Schuster Australia
April 20, 2019
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The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence. (2019).
What if you could change just one thing from your past? How far would you go? A woman is forced to consider these choices in this story. While trying to prevent a family tragedy, Stella is also compelled to solve the 50 year old mystery of a missing young woman. As secrets are unraveled, it becomes clear that everyone remembers the past differently and the small choices we make everyday can change our future completely.
This book was different and unexpected, in a good way. Reading the blurb really didn't indicate that the main character Stella was time travelling (not a spoiler, you learn this within the first couple of chapters). I found this book to be sad, beautiful and frustrating all at the same time. It is common lore (haha) that should one time travel, one shouldn't change anything as one does not know how that will make everything different in the future. However as this book points out, how can a person stop themselves from changing anything, especially if there has been a tragedy that affects your family? I think most of us would try to stop that tragedy! Small parts were slightly confusing when it was original Stella and time traveler Stella in the same scene, and when time traveler Stella's memories were changing as events happened; but nothing so confusing to the point where the reader can't understand what's going on.
I'm happy to recommend this book and I think it would make a fabulous holiday read.
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The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence. (2019).
What if you could change just one thing from your past? How far would you go? A woman is forced to consider these choices in this story. While trying to prevent a family tragedy, Stella is also compelled to solve the 50 year old mystery of a missing young woman. As secrets are unraveled, it becomes clear that everyone remembers the past differently and the small choices we make everyday can change our future completely.
This book was different and unexpected, in a good way. Reading the blurb really didn't indicate that the main character Stella was time travelling (not a spoiler, you learn this within the first couple of chapters). I found this book to be sad, beautiful and frustrating all at the same time. It is common lore (haha) that should one time travel, one shouldn't change anything as one does not know how that will make everything different in the future. However as this book points out, how can a person stop themselves from changing anything, especially if there has been a tragedy that affects your family? I think most of us would try to stop that tragedy! Small parts were slightly confusing when it was original Stella and time traveler Stella in the same scene, and when time traveler Stella's memories were changing as events happened; but nothing so confusing to the point where the reader can't understand what's going on.
I'm happy to recommend this book and I think it would make a fabulous holiday read.
April 9, 2019
I had made some assumptions about this novel, based mostly on the cover and title. I was expecting a fairly standard novel of mystery involving a missing girl or two, but what I discovered was a compelling and unique story using one of my least favourite tropes - time travel.
It is 2017 and sixty three year old Stella Lannigan is making her way home from a night out when she realises that her surroundings seem somehow changed. Baffled, she wonders if she absentmindedly took a wrong turn, but the landmarks are familiar, just not quite... right. Stella slowly realises that she has inexplicably stepped into the past, it is 1997, and as she stands outside her former home, she watches her forty three year old self step out of the front door.
What would you do if you had the chance to change a moment from your past, to rewrite your history, and avoid inevitable tragedy? Stella knows she will do whatever she must to subvert her daughter’s fate.
The concept of time travel is, as I have said, one of my least favourite devices in film and literature. It’s either presented in a too simplistic, or convoluted, manner. In The Lost Girls, Spence uses it in a way that made sense to me. As Stella insinuates herself into her family, posing as her own long last aunt, she subtly attempts to manipulate the future, but destiny, it seems, is not as malleable as it may appear.
There is also a traditional mystery, with a missing girl at it’s heart, which is central to the story.
I’m loathe to say much more, lest I inadvertently spoil your own future reading of this novel . Suffice it to say, The Lost Girls is a poignant, intriguing ,and captivating read I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
It is 2017 and sixty three year old Stella Lannigan is making her way home from a night out when she realises that her surroundings seem somehow changed. Baffled, she wonders if she absentmindedly took a wrong turn, but the landmarks are familiar, just not quite... right. Stella slowly realises that she has inexplicably stepped into the past, it is 1997, and as she stands outside her former home, she watches her forty three year old self step out of the front door.
What would you do if you had the chance to change a moment from your past, to rewrite your history, and avoid inevitable tragedy? Stella knows she will do whatever she must to subvert her daughter’s fate.
The concept of time travel is, as I have said, one of my least favourite devices in film and literature. It’s either presented in a too simplistic, or convoluted, manner. In The Lost Girls, Spence uses it in a way that made sense to me. As Stella insinuates herself into her family, posing as her own long last aunt, she subtly attempts to manipulate the future, but destiny, it seems, is not as malleable as it may appear.
There is also a traditional mystery, with a missing girl at it’s heart, which is central to the story.
I’m loathe to say much more, lest I inadvertently spoil your own future reading of this novel . Suffice it to say, The Lost Girls is a poignant, intriguing ,and captivating read I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.
September 15, 2021
The Lost Girls by Australian author Jennifer Spence is a family mystery with a time slip at its core. Stella gets on a bus in Sydney in 2017, however when she steps off, it's 1997. Without knowing how, Stella has 'travelled' 20 years back in time, and I enjoyed following her around as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
Accepting her newfound circumstances rather quickly, Stella wonders if she's been given a second chance to alter events and in doing so, avoid a family tragedy. Visiting her family home, she sees her younger self which is usually a 'no-no' in time travel. However the author provides a refreshingly different take on the time slip and Stella introduces herself as an Aunt who disappeared many years ago and is still considered missing.
The usual themes in time slip novels and movies arise, such as whether the slightest change can alter the future, or if the future is already set. Stella starts to record her memories so that she can determine if she's making any headway on changing the future. Here's where it starts to get a little too 'timey-wimey' for this reader. If Stella is successful in changing her past, then surely her memories will also change to reflect this, right? And shouldn't 2017 Stella, remember her long lost Aunty turning up and staying with her family in 1997? Things get hazy for Stella and the reader, and I found that I couldn't quite let go of the attempt to stay on track with the science fiction nature of this particular angle of the time slip narrative.
The Lost Girls is set in Sydney Australia and I enjoyed the setting in both time frames. Incorporating key historical moments within the narrative was interesting (the death of Diana, Princess of Wales for example) as were some of the internal observations Stella makes along the way. Most entertaining of all was the cold case mystery within the family.
Published in 2019, this has got to be one of my favourite cover designs of that year, don't you agree? As for whether Stella was successful in her endeavours or whether she made it back to her 'own time' in 2017, you'll just have to read the book to find out.
Accepting her newfound circumstances rather quickly, Stella wonders if she's been given a second chance to alter events and in doing so, avoid a family tragedy. Visiting her family home, she sees her younger self which is usually a 'no-no' in time travel. However the author provides a refreshingly different take on the time slip and Stella introduces herself as an Aunt who disappeared many years ago and is still considered missing.
The usual themes in time slip novels and movies arise, such as whether the slightest change can alter the future, or if the future is already set. Stella starts to record her memories so that she can determine if she's making any headway on changing the future. Here's where it starts to get a little too 'timey-wimey' for this reader. If Stella is successful in changing her past, then surely her memories will also change to reflect this, right? And shouldn't 2017 Stella, remember her long lost Aunty turning up and staying with her family in 1997? Things get hazy for Stella and the reader, and I found that I couldn't quite let go of the attempt to stay on track with the science fiction nature of this particular angle of the time slip narrative.
The Lost Girls is set in Sydney Australia and I enjoyed the setting in both time frames. Incorporating key historical moments within the narrative was interesting (the death of Diana, Princess of Wales for example) as were some of the internal observations Stella makes along the way. Most entertaining of all was the cold case mystery within the family.
Published in 2019, this has got to be one of my favourite cover designs of that year, don't you agree? As for whether Stella was successful in her endeavours or whether she made it back to her 'own time' in 2017, you'll just have to read the book to find out.
June 1, 2019
3.5★
Interesting plot, although the time travel and changing how things happen and the resultant changes in Stella's memory were a bit mind-boggling. Perhaps it didn't help that I was reading it with a slightly fuzzy head at the tail end of a cold!
A clever concept.
Interesting plot, although the time travel and changing how things happen and the resultant changes in Stella's memory were a bit mind-boggling. Perhaps it didn't help that I was reading it with a slightly fuzzy head at the tail end of a cold!
A clever concept.
May 13, 2020
4.5 stars
I'm going to start this like many other reviews I've seen on this page. I didn't realise this was a time travel story until I opened the first chapter. My mum loaned the book to me and said she'd enjoyed it, and she thought I'd like it - but she never told me about the time travel either.
So I started, and for three chapters I kept thinking: this really isn't for me. I didn't feel particularly motivated to read it, but I couldn't quite give up on it either. (That's about when I came on Goodreads to see the reviews).
Then, whammo - somewhere about chapters 4 and 5, I found this story took off and from there I finished it really quickly.
The writing is approachable and I liked the voice and style, but it's the plot that is so clever and intriguing and when Stella's narrator's memory begins to blur as events change, well, I just found this fascinating.
I'm going to start this like many other reviews I've seen on this page. I didn't realise this was a time travel story until I opened the first chapter. My mum loaned the book to me and said she'd enjoyed it, and she thought I'd like it - but she never told me about the time travel either.
So I started, and for three chapters I kept thinking: this really isn't for me. I didn't feel particularly motivated to read it, but I couldn't quite give up on it either. (That's about when I came on Goodreads to see the reviews).
Then, whammo - somewhere about chapters 4 and 5, I found this story took off and from there I finished it really quickly.
The writing is approachable and I liked the voice and style, but it's the plot that is so clever and intriguing and when Stella's narrator's memory begins to blur as events change, well, I just found this fascinating.
December 6, 2019
3.5 stars, rounded up (I seem to have a few of those recently!).
This was an intriguing read, although it took me a little while to get into it, perhaps because I was reading it as an ebook via the Libby/Overdrive App, which isn't my preferred medium.
60-something Stella returns from a trip to the cinema to find that her Sydney neighbourhood doesn't seem quite right - she has somehow slipped back 20 years to 1997! Understandably disoriented, she walks the short distance to the home her family lived in at the time and promptly bumps into her 40-something year-old-self. Caught on the hop, she introduces herself as Stella's aunt Linda, who disappeared from a country town in 1950, aged 16 (which would make her approximately the right age to match 2017-Stella), and is invited to stay with her own (20-year-younger) family.
It transpires that Linda's disappearance isn't the only tragedy to hit the family over the years - 2017-Stella knows that her daughter Claire (aged 12 in 1997) will die from a drug overdose in a little over 4 years' time. Can 2017-Stella successfully hide her real identity and save Claire, whilst also solving the mystery of Linda's disappearance (while pretending to be Linda!), all the time wondering if and when she'll instantaneously be returned to 2017? Sounds convoluted, doesn't it? It is, and aside from the time-travel element, certain aspects defy belief.
There are various paradoxes associated with the theory of time-travel, and the author tangles seriously with the so-called "Grandfather paradox"", as 2017-Stella's presence starts influencing the relationship between 1997-Stella and her husband and she tries to steer both her grandchildren away from decisions and situations she knows won't end positively. The longer she stays, the hazier her own "future memory" becomes, and the reader is aware that the inconsistencies indicate 2017-Stella is changing the future.
I've found time-travel a fascinating literary device since I first read Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time as a child, and enjoyed the way Jennifer Spence explored it here.
This was an intriguing read, although it took me a little while to get into it, perhaps because I was reading it as an ebook via the Libby/Overdrive App, which isn't my preferred medium.
60-something Stella returns from a trip to the cinema to find that her Sydney neighbourhood doesn't seem quite right - she has somehow slipped back 20 years to 1997! Understandably disoriented, she walks the short distance to the home her family lived in at the time and promptly bumps into her 40-something year-old-self. Caught on the hop, she introduces herself as Stella's aunt Linda, who disappeared from a country town in 1950, aged 16 (which would make her approximately the right age to match 2017-Stella), and is invited to stay with her own (20-year-younger) family.
It transpires that Linda's disappearance isn't the only tragedy to hit the family over the years - 2017-Stella knows that her daughter Claire (aged 12 in 1997) will die from a drug overdose in a little over 4 years' time. Can 2017-Stella successfully hide her real identity and save Claire, whilst also solving the mystery of Linda's disappearance (while pretending to be Linda!), all the time wondering if and when she'll instantaneously be returned to 2017? Sounds convoluted, doesn't it? It is, and aside from the time-travel element, certain aspects defy belief.
There are various paradoxes associated with the theory of time-travel, and the author tangles seriously with the so-called "Grandfather paradox"", as 2017-Stella's presence starts influencing the relationship between 1997-Stella and her husband and she tries to steer both her grandchildren away from decisions and situations she knows won't end positively. The longer she stays, the hazier her own "future memory" becomes, and the reader is aware that the inconsistencies indicate 2017-Stella is changing the future.
I've found time-travel a fascinating literary device since I first read Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time as a child, and enjoyed the way Jennifer Spence explored it here.
March 1, 2019
This book was something that had my attention from the first page. I honestly ended up so much more involved in the story than I ever expected to be going into it.
Stella is returning home when she finds that she cannot open the door to her apartment block. In fact, it doesn’t even look the same anymore. When she walks around the corner to her old house, she’s confronted by herself – from 20 years ago. Stella immediately sees an opportunity to right the greatest tragedy of her life. She passes herself off as an aunt to herself from 20 years ago and infiltrates her old house, determined that her small actions change the course of history.
What a fascinating premise for a novel and Jennifer Spence executes this so well. Stella gets on a bus to go home and finds herself back in 1997. Opal cards for public transport don’t exist. Her mobile phone has no service – and no charger cord in this ‘now’ either. Most importantly of all, she can observe her own family from the point of view as an outsider. But of an outsider who is terribly invested in the future, because she is the future.
It begs the question – what would we change, if we could? If we could go back in time to some arbitrary point in our lives. Maybe it’s a point in time where the most innocent of things triggers a terrible event. Maybe it’s a decision, a crossroads, where later on, you know you picked the wrong choice. What would you change about your life, if you could? And if you were able to go back and alter that path, in small subtle ways…..what would you set in motion?
Because the thing is, when you go back in time….you can’t just ‘fix’ things and everything will all be fine. All actions have consequences, which is something that Stella discovers the longer she stays in the ‘before’ time. It creeps up on her slowly, so slowly and the way in which this is written is so good. Stella has excellent motivation for wanting to be able to change things and I understand that. And when Stella goes in, she goes in knowing that she might alter the outcomes in some ways but create different issues so she tries to be subtle.
Stella is able to interact with her family from 20 years ago by pretending to her 1997 self that she’s an aunt, a woman who vanished as a teenager years ago. The mystery of what happened to Linda has definitely been something that hung over the family, particularly Stella’s mother, who was in her teens when Linda was born and played a significant hand in raising her. This gives Stella a way of being involved quite intimately with the family without having to ingratiate herself, as Stella-in-1997 is more than willing to accept that her aunt who hasn’t been heard of in decades has just randomly turned up on her doorstep. She’s given a different perspective on not only her marriage but also the lives of her children and the relationships she had with them at the time.
It also gives her the opportunity to explore Linda’s disappearance, given the reactions of certain people when she ‘shows up’ again. It’s always been something that people have never been able to answer and caused the family and others a large amount of pain. Stella’s time warp becomes the key to finding out what happened to Linda and why. I really enjoyed the struggle of Stella to ‘be’ Linda, especially around her family. She has to sort of keep her distance from her own children even as she desperately wants to help them (ie interfere). She also gets the chance to interact with her mother (who is deceased in the 2017 timeline) and even though her mother knows she isn’t really Linda, she seems drawn to Stella anyway and is willing to give her a chance. I really liked the way that Stella proved that she was really from the future – she does it twice and her second list encapsulates all the big moments that the average Australian is likely to remember from 1997-2017.
I don’t read a lot of time travel books but I always really enjoy them. It’s something that I think intrigues people because of the chance it gives them to either experience a different timeframe/lifestyle or to change something that they think was a mistake or could better their lives in some way. This was really intriguing and I enjoyed Stella’s journey and her attempts to change a path of a loved one. I’ll definitely be looking out for Jennifer Spence’s future books.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
Stella is returning home when she finds that she cannot open the door to her apartment block. In fact, it doesn’t even look the same anymore. When she walks around the corner to her old house, she’s confronted by herself – from 20 years ago. Stella immediately sees an opportunity to right the greatest tragedy of her life. She passes herself off as an aunt to herself from 20 years ago and infiltrates her old house, determined that her small actions change the course of history.
What a fascinating premise for a novel and Jennifer Spence executes this so well. Stella gets on a bus to go home and finds herself back in 1997. Opal cards for public transport don’t exist. Her mobile phone has no service – and no charger cord in this ‘now’ either. Most importantly of all, she can observe her own family from the point of view as an outsider. But of an outsider who is terribly invested in the future, because she is the future.
It begs the question – what would we change, if we could? If we could go back in time to some arbitrary point in our lives. Maybe it’s a point in time where the most innocent of things triggers a terrible event. Maybe it’s a decision, a crossroads, where later on, you know you picked the wrong choice. What would you change about your life, if you could? And if you were able to go back and alter that path, in small subtle ways…..what would you set in motion?
Because the thing is, when you go back in time….you can’t just ‘fix’ things and everything will all be fine. All actions have consequences, which is something that Stella discovers the longer she stays in the ‘before’ time. It creeps up on her slowly, so slowly and the way in which this is written is so good. Stella has excellent motivation for wanting to be able to change things and I understand that. And when Stella goes in, she goes in knowing that she might alter the outcomes in some ways but create different issues so she tries to be subtle.
Stella is able to interact with her family from 20 years ago by pretending to her 1997 self that she’s an aunt, a woman who vanished as a teenager years ago. The mystery of what happened to Linda has definitely been something that hung over the family, particularly Stella’s mother, who was in her teens when Linda was born and played a significant hand in raising her. This gives Stella a way of being involved quite intimately with the family without having to ingratiate herself, as Stella-in-1997 is more than willing to accept that her aunt who hasn’t been heard of in decades has just randomly turned up on her doorstep. She’s given a different perspective on not only her marriage but also the lives of her children and the relationships she had with them at the time.
It also gives her the opportunity to explore Linda’s disappearance, given the reactions of certain people when she ‘shows up’ again. It’s always been something that people have never been able to answer and caused the family and others a large amount of pain. Stella’s time warp becomes the key to finding out what happened to Linda and why. I really enjoyed the struggle of Stella to ‘be’ Linda, especially around her family. She has to sort of keep her distance from her own children even as she desperately wants to help them (ie interfere). She also gets the chance to interact with her mother (who is deceased in the 2017 timeline) and even though her mother knows she isn’t really Linda, she seems drawn to Stella anyway and is willing to give her a chance. I really liked the way that Stella proved that she was really from the future – she does it twice and her second list encapsulates all the big moments that the average Australian is likely to remember from 1997-2017.
I don’t read a lot of time travel books but I always really enjoy them. It’s something that I think intrigues people because of the chance it gives them to either experience a different timeframe/lifestyle or to change something that they think was a mistake or could better their lives in some way. This was really intriguing and I enjoyed Stella’s journey and her attempts to change a path of a loved one. I’ll definitely be looking out for Jennifer Spence’s future books.
***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***
February 27, 2019
3 1/2 probably. Made sense at the end. Lovely writing.
February 10, 2019
This had a huge amount going for it: time-travel theme by an Australian author, with a feature most time-travel novels ensure is taboo: meeting yourself in another time line. It ends up being an intriguing exploration of regret and grief and of that central of all time-travel questions: can you change the past? The reader gets some answers through the morphing memories of the narrator - it makes perfect sense that her memory shifts and that subtle changes occur in her timeline even though she
But here’s my problem. I was stopped in my tracks by a central aspect of the set-up early in the story which I found almost totally implausible and which nearly made me stop reading then and there. As I said, I really just don’t buy it.
I've asked myself if this scenario could possibly be an attempt by the author to show how human beings can often just refuse to accept the truth, even when it’s staring them in the face. I wish that were the case, but that’s just not one of the themes the novel goes on to explore. We are simply expected to believe the truth never occurs to the characters.
The problem is that this becomes an integral part of the plot - which is a positive in that it’s not merely a convenient plot device, but also problematic, because everything else hinges on it. To change it would be to change the whole novel.
I was curious and kept on reading, and my curiosity was rewarded, because I think the writer did a terrific job of exploring the possible ramifications of the way each self would affect the other, and of the effect on the memory of attempts to alter what has already happened. But because I couldn’t buy that central premise, the novel, while intriguing, just failed to hold the power it could have had for me.
But here’s my problem. I was stopped in my tracks by a central aspect of the set-up early in the story which I found almost totally implausible and which nearly made me stop reading then and there. As I said, I really just don’t buy it.
I've asked myself if this scenario could possibly be an attempt by the author to show how human beings can often just refuse to accept the truth, even when it’s staring them in the face. I wish that were the case, but that’s just not one of the themes the novel goes on to explore. We are simply expected to believe the truth never occurs to the characters.
The problem is that this becomes an integral part of the plot - which is a positive in that it’s not merely a convenient plot device, but also problematic, because everything else hinges on it. To change it would be to change the whole novel.
I was curious and kept on reading, and my curiosity was rewarded, because I think the writer did a terrific job of exploring the possible ramifications of the way each self would affect the other, and of the effect on the memory of attempts to alter what has already happened. But because I couldn’t buy that central premise, the novel, while intriguing, just failed to hold the power it could have had for me.
March 14, 2019
I love time travel but this book is just too problematic on a number of levels. The first is the TERRIBLE writing, however I was prepared to slog through because I was interested in the plot. I'm able to suspend disbelief and I don't always need to know how or why the time travel is enabled but in this case I felt it needed more explanation OR the character to be a bit more shocked that she had time travelled rather than just "Whatever can have happened to the jacaranda's?" (first line. Not sure if that would be my first response to time travel!).
Then there is the problem with the characters themselves. Linda has been missing for over 20 years, and from out of nowhere shows up at Stella's house. Stella tells her to wait in the kitchen because she has to run out and get bread for the school lunches. I understand why the author did this, to show that shops closed early back in the day, but if a relative of mine was mysteriously missing for 20 plus years and shows up at my door, I'm damn positive I'm not going to say "oh, can you just have a seat I have to go and get bread!". Never the less I continue through all of this because I'm interested in how this confusing mess of a story will unfold.
On page 285 it just turns to shit! The entire story is told in first person by the 'older' Stella (in what I can only describe as a tedious monologue from start to finish) but then on page 285 both the younger and older Stella are in the same room and SUDDENLY it's the 'younger' Stella whose taken over narration of the story (but only for a couple of paragraphs then it switches again). I had to read over that part several time before I worked out who was narrating. WAY TOO CONFUSING AND MESSY!
Then on page 326 (nearing the finish line) the bracelet shows up but Stella has no recollection of it, and I can only assume that Stella has completely forgotten about the time travel but then....she remembers Paul! WTF?! I was totally confused by this point to even wrap my head around the ending. Now I understand that writing time travel can be problematic (however Audrey Niffenegger pulled it off flawlessly), and I have read a lot of time travel - some great some not as good - but this is just too messy and confusing for me to rate any higher. This will be the first time I take up the money back guarantee on a book. I'm sorry Jennifer Spence, I really wanted to like it, particularly after listening to your podcast. So much potential, so poorly executed.
Then there is the problem with the characters themselves. Linda has been missing for over 20 years, and from out of nowhere shows up at Stella's house. Stella tells her to wait in the kitchen because she has to run out and get bread for the school lunches. I understand why the author did this, to show that shops closed early back in the day, but if a relative of mine was mysteriously missing for 20 plus years and shows up at my door, I'm damn positive I'm not going to say "oh, can you just have a seat I have to go and get bread!". Never the less I continue through all of this because I'm interested in how this confusing mess of a story will unfold.
On page 285 it just turns to shit! The entire story is told in first person by the 'older' Stella (in what I can only describe as a tedious monologue from start to finish) but then on page 285 both the younger and older Stella are in the same room and SUDDENLY it's the 'younger' Stella whose taken over narration of the story (but only for a couple of paragraphs then it switches again). I had to read over that part several time before I worked out who was narrating. WAY TOO CONFUSING AND MESSY!
Then on page 326 (nearing the finish line) the bracelet shows up but Stella has no recollection of it, and I can only assume that Stella has completely forgotten about the time travel but then....she remembers Paul! WTF?! I was totally confused by this point to even wrap my head around the ending. Now I understand that writing time travel can be problematic (however Audrey Niffenegger pulled it off flawlessly), and I have read a lot of time travel - some great some not as good - but this is just too messy and confusing for me to rate any higher. This will be the first time I take up the money back guarantee on a book. I'm sorry Jennifer Spence, I really wanted to like it, particularly after listening to your podcast. So much potential, so poorly executed.
March 18, 2019
What would you do if you could travel back in time. Would you try to change lives or outcomes particularly ones that have caused grief to you and your family? Its Tuesday 7 November 2017 but is it? Stella is in her way home from the movies but at some stage between the cinema and the bus, a change in time happens. Getting off the bus Stella wonders why everything seems the same but so different. Arriving at her home where Richard will be waiting, her building is deserted and ramshackled. Where is home? As darkness descends, Stella realises that she just can't stand there, eventually she ends up at her home of long ago and on viewing the house realises that the house is as it was when she was much younger. Her younger self, steps out of the house, aged Stella, speaks her name and to avoid confusion introduces herself as Linda, Stella's mother's long lost sister. The story moves through all the events of Stella's life from this past time to the present. At the beginning the reader may believe that this perhaps is what a person with dementia may experience that of the past being more real than that of the present. However this story reveals more than that, the aged Stella is recognised as such by her mother Ann who knows almost immediately that she is not the long lost Linda and who still worries about what happened to her sister. The time traveller Stella eventually solves the mystery of Linda's disappearance but events that happen to her own family are left to run their course even with Stella posing many scenarios that could change the events of her pain and loss. This is a beautiful read and one that seniors in particular on reflecting from time to time on their own lives will appreciate that love and loss go hand in hand.
February 11, 2019
The Lost Girls by Jennifer Spence is a new release reminiscent in some ways of 1998 movie Sliding Doors, but with a darker, more urgent tone. The central question asks, “What would you do if you had the chance to change a pivotal moment from your past?” The protagonist, Stella, finds herself twenty years back in her past – in her old house with her younger family – and adopts the identity of her long-lost aunt. Armed with disturbing knowledge about her family’s future, she grapples with wanting to change and influence things so the outcome is different. But is that the right thing to do? The Lost Girls tackles the moral dilemma cleverly and insightfully, providing the reader with not only a compelling story, but plenty of what-ifs to mull over.
May 9, 2019
DNF. Read the first 25 or so pages over and over and just couldn't engage with this novel whatsoever. Disappointing.
January 8, 2021
Sigh. Such high hopes...
February 7, 2025
Well, this is not what I expected when I picked this book out of a friend's bookshelf.
I thought it might be a bit of a fluff read. Instead, what I got was a compelling read, with a well crafted protagonist and story line.
Within a few pages, I was well and truly invested in Stella's story.
A lot of authors have used time travel as the primary hook for their novel and the events within. Not all authors have done it successfully.
Jennifer Walsh has succeeded in writing a book that not only manages to keep a cohesive story thread but remains consistent to the characters.
In the writing, there are no obvious, and ham fisted attempts to elicit emotion from you.
The writing style is relaxed and smooth, and the story carries you with it. You cannot help but feel for Stella's desperation to save her daughter.
The way Jennifer Walsh writes Stella's new memories as they are created when she changes events is really quite well done.
This was an enjoyable yet emotional read, which pulled me in against all expectations.
I don't give 5 stars lightly.
While this was not a perfect read, I was torn between racing through the pages wanting to find out what happened and wanting to stop and delay the inevitable last page.
When I did finish the book, I gave a big sigh of emotion; sadness, grief, happiness, and a desire to know what happens next for Stella.
I currently have a 'book hangover', and the story is currently on repeat in my head. This, for me, is the sign of a 5 star book.
Will I recommend this book? Without a doubt.
I thought it might be a bit of a fluff read. Instead, what I got was a compelling read, with a well crafted protagonist and story line.
Within a few pages, I was well and truly invested in Stella's story.
A lot of authors have used time travel as the primary hook for their novel and the events within. Not all authors have done it successfully.
Jennifer Walsh has succeeded in writing a book that not only manages to keep a cohesive story thread but remains consistent to the characters.
In the writing, there are no obvious, and ham fisted attempts to elicit emotion from you.
The writing style is relaxed and smooth, and the story carries you with it. You cannot help but feel for Stella's desperation to save her daughter.
The way Jennifer Walsh writes Stella's new memories as they are created when she changes events is really quite well done.
This was an enjoyable yet emotional read, which pulled me in against all expectations.
I don't give 5 stars lightly.
While this was not a perfect read, I was torn between racing through the pages wanting to find out what happened and wanting to stop and delay the inevitable last page.
When I did finish the book, I gave a big sigh of emotion; sadness, grief, happiness, and a desire to know what happens next for Stella.
I currently have a 'book hangover', and the story is currently on repeat in my head. This, for me, is the sign of a 5 star book.
Will I recommend this book? Without a doubt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2019
I went into this story completely blind and had no idea that the tale unfolding before me would go down the route that it did. Being in my forties, I had a delightful time playing with the idea that instead of being over the hill, I am in fact, in the prime of my life. The way the sixty something protagonist saw her younger self as vibrant, attractive and living out her glory days was extraordinarily satisfying. We don't often see middle aged characters described as being in their prime. Quite often they're portrayed as a cliche; bemoaning the fact that they aren't still in high school or cheating on their spouses with an old college flame to satisfy some yearning for their lost youth. Witnessing the older version of Stella gaze upon her family with nostalgic affection made for fascinating reading. The interwoven plots and Stella's attempt to affect the future were compelling and relatable. Who wouldn't like to have a go at righting perceived wrongs and re-writing their own history? It's a tale of loss, love, despair and regret but also a lesson in appreciating the fact that true happiness doesn't lie within the past or the future - the true magic lies within the here and now. A highly recommended read.
February 15, 2019
I usually love a good time travel book – but I will admit I found this one a tad confusing at times. Most time travels I have read though do not send the main character back to 20 years before and actually be with her own character! I enjoyed the storyline and the premise of being able to possibly change events so that an awful tragedy does not happen, but I will say I was thoroughly confused sometimes with current day Stella and Stella from the past being side by side in the same house and current day Stella pretending to be a relative who went missing years ago. Loved the Australian setting and was intrigued to keep reading to the very end to see how the journey changed or didn’t change lives in the future. 3 ½ stars!
February 27, 2020
This is one of those books that presents a problem for the reviewer. The blurb on the back cover gives the reader no clue about the strategy the author adopts to tell Stella's story, and I'm not going to outline it either.
There are two lost girls, and the story swings between two main time frames: 1997 and 2017, in a very creative scenario.
One review called the format "the butterfly effect", another called it "unsettling", which it. It strains your sense of credibility. And is it crime fiction - oh yes!
When I was 100 pages in, I really wondered whether I wanted to continue reading, but I'm glad that I did. I can't even remember who recommended the book to me, but thank you.
There are two lost girls, and the story swings between two main time frames: 1997 and 2017, in a very creative scenario.
One review called the format "the butterfly effect", another called it "unsettling", which it. It strains your sense of credibility. And is it crime fiction - oh yes!
When I was 100 pages in, I really wondered whether I wanted to continue reading, but I'm glad that I did. I can't even remember who recommended the book to me, but thank you.
March 31, 2019
3 1/2 stars. I read in one day as it was intriguing, fast paced with the moral dilemma of if you could change things in your past, would you. The butterfly effect was well and truly explored as Stella accidentally said something that caused a change and her memories of events kept shifting as things didn't happen as they had in her past. The story was unusual in that modern time travelling Stella could interact with herself 20 years in her past. A few events didn't make sense to me, particularly Stella and Paul's relationship, but overall it was an enjoyable read as I like a story that is outside the box.
March 8, 2021
Time travel books are a dime a dozen gamble, but this one got it all pretty much right!
I kept bringing this along on overnight hikes when I could only get through a couple pages in my bunk before my lids would collapse and then got home to piles of library books that I hadn’t wanted to stuff into my backpack, but that needed to be read before they were due - this is the only reason it took me a month to get through this page-turner.
It wasn’t a weep fest like the time travellers wife, but it was quietly sad and beautiful and reminded me not to take this moment with young kids for granted. I finished the last page and went to cuddle my youngest in bed for a while and then made plans with my eldest for a mom/daughter movie and dinner night on the weekend.
I kept bringing this along on overnight hikes when I could only get through a couple pages in my bunk before my lids would collapse and then got home to piles of library books that I hadn’t wanted to stuff into my backpack, but that needed to be read before they were due - this is the only reason it took me a month to get through this page-turner.
It wasn’t a weep fest like the time travellers wife, but it was quietly sad and beautiful and reminded me not to take this moment with young kids for granted. I finished the last page and went to cuddle my youngest in bed for a while and then made plans with my eldest for a mom/daughter movie and dinner night on the weekend.
February 15, 2019
Whoa nelly, this had a really good start.
I was all in...
But then I wasn’t sure. I didn’t like where Linda/Younger Stella was taking things. I wanted things to be kept known. And I wanted more effort. Also, fate wasn’t in order.
Yes, it sounds cryptic because you are thrown into the unknown and it messes with your mind.
I was all in...
But then I wasn’t sure. I didn’t like where Linda/Younger Stella was taking things. I wanted things to be kept known. And I wanted more effort. Also, fate wasn’t in order.
Yes, it sounds cryptic because you are thrown into the unknown and it messes with your mind.
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