Lost and Found: Oliver Jeffers

Product Information

So when a stranger leaves a book of stories written by her dead grandmother, she is excited, but very confused. You see, the book was printed three years after her grandmother's death. With few clues, Martha begins a search for her grandmother who may still be alive. She meets some kind people on her journey and unwittingly uncovers family secrets that change her perspective and ultimately her relationship with her sister.

Martha Storm works as a librarian. She constantly puts others before herself and doesn’t know how to say ‘no’ to people when they ask her to do their chores for them, including her sister. The Library of Lost and Found is a heartwarming story about family and letting go of the past to make the most of the time we have. Ahh, the charm of a library? Heaven for us book lovers, right? Martha Storm is a librarian and a touch quirky. She prefers books to people and keeps lists of how to help others in her notebook. She never feels like she belongs.Parts of the book might be cathartic for people who grew up in dysfunctional households. Specifically Martha’s father is shown to be a bully and emotional abuser of his family. His emotional abuse has had a profound effect on how Martha feels about herself and how she lives her life. If someone has experienced this type of abuse in their own life, they may find it comforting to see, at least in the world of fiction, that they are not alone.

For me it was really depressing. I won't reveal why, but I really dislike it when characters rationalize their poor mistakes. Your parents deceived you!! They USED you!! And the two loved ones who should have rectified that were TOO SELFISH to do so. Their lives mattered more than you (and all it would have taken them was a visit and the truth)!! I get it... Why waste your elderly years on anger. Move on. See your past as idealistic so that you don't dwell on what you don't have. Sigh. It's not an uplifting book to me.The crux of the story is a search for self — Martha is essentially lost and ultimately finds herself. At the same time, she also comes to care about herself first and foremost. It is a story about Family — the ties that bind us as well as the ties that choke us. Martha’s obsession with the book initiates a change regarding how she feels about putting others ahead of herself and sets her on a course of searching for answers. Martha’s search leads her to encounter a group of people who expand and challenge her to take a look at her life, It also leads to some changes within Martha regarding how she values herself.