The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis | Book Review

The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis is a book about books, which should be a genre in and of itself. I would describe it as a historical fiction romantic mystery.

The novel follows Ashlyn Greer, a rare-book dealer, who is a “book medium” of sorts. She can feel the echoes of the books’ previous owners, and get a glimpse into their stories.

When Ashlyn discovers a pair of beautifully bound volumes that appear to have never been published, she becomes obsessed. What she discovers is a tragic romance that she can’t stop reading.

My Rating for The Echo of Old Books

Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction ; Length: 431 pages

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the echo of old books by barbara davis book cover

This is the type of novel you can really sink into. I love books about books, especially hefty historical fictions like this one.

The Echo of Old Books is told in a picture frame narrative, where the central story is a love story between Hemi and Belle, set in the 1940s-50s. Meanwhile, the frame story, a mystery and romance between Ashlyn and Ethan, is set in present day.

I gave it four stars because I really enjoyed the style of storytelling and the central narrative. However, the frame of the novel, especially Ashlyn and Ethan’s love story, seemed underdeveloped.

Overall, I felt like the central narrative really transported me to another time, so I liked it.

I even created my spring baking kit to pair with this book for a peaceful afternoon at home!

My Lavender Lemon Scone Bake Box has everything you need to make these bright, tart, and floral scones with a perfectly paired tea flavor, along with a copy of this book.

Within 35 minutes, you’ll be enjoying these warm and crispy scones and your own personal literary escape.

Lavender Lemon Bake Box displayed view with the box open and the scones in front

Synopsis

The Echo of Old Books follows Ashlyn Greer, a rare-book dealer, who has a gift to sense the emotional imprint of books. When she comes across a pair of mysterious manuscripts, she is drawn in by the ache of heartbreak and loss.

As she reads them, the manuscripts seem to be corollaries, telling opposite sides of the same love story. Ashlyn becomes engrossed in the romance and even more obsessed with solving the mystery behind the authors.

The manuscripts tell the tragic story of Belle and Hemi. She is the daughter of a 1940’s New York publishing mogul and he is a writer from England. Their love is built on a deep connection, but grown in secrecy, and tainted with betrayal.

The deeper Ashlyn gets into their stories, the more she sees parallels in her own life and the harder she tries to piece together the past.

My take on The Echo of Old Books

Spoiler Alert!!!

I found the central narrative, the historical fiction love story between Hemi and Belle, to be the most compelling.

The rich detail and description of the mid-century era was really well done. I enjoyed reading about the lavish parties and cocktail hours, especially Hemi and Belle’s meet-cute.

That narrative opens with the manuscript Regretting Belle, written from Hemi’s point of view. Later, we also get to hear from Belle’s manuscript, Forever, and Other Lies.

I love the way that the point of view balanced between the male and female characters, so you get to see the lust on both sides. It really made me want to learn more about this couple. The forbidden romance between this rich heiress and poor writer made it even more tantalizing.

Critique of The Echo of Old Books

Abandoned on a Train Platform

When the central narrative reaches it’s climax, Hemi and Belle agree to run away together. But when they day comes to leave, Belle doesn’t show up. Hemi boards the train and leaves without her, heartbroken.

Belle shows up a little bit late and when she discovers Hemi abandoned her, she feels the same dejection he did. In the end, it was all a misunderstand.

Although there were many forces trying to keep these two lovers apart, they ended up blaming each other. That’s why the train scene was just so frustrating.

Ashlyn and Ethan’s Love Story

As mentioned, the present-day love story between Ashlyn and Ethan was underdeveloped and underwhelming. Ethan was particularly unconvincing.

I could almost believe that Ashlyn liked him, but Ethan was just going with the flow. What a stark contrast to the deep longing and emotional entanglement between Hemi and Belle!

Psychometry

The magical realism element was less prominent than I thought it would be. The book opens with an explanation of Psychometry – Ashlyn’s gift of feeling the echoes of books.

Thus, I thought this was going to be a bit more of a fantasy novel but instead, it leaned heavily into historical fiction and romance.

Psychometry was just a gateway to discovering Hemi and Belle’s manuscripts – not a key part of the book in itself.

Conclusion

With its rich detail of a mid-century forbidden love and a present-day mystery tracking down these star-crossed lovers, The Echo of Old Books gets 4 stars from me. This book has layers!

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction romances and books about books.

Don’t forget to grab my Lavender Lemon Scone Bake Box, which comes with a copy of the book. It’s the perfect way to sink to a book that transports you to another time!