Elise Hooper's spellbinding fifth novel, The Library of Lost Dollhouses, takes readers deep into the world of intricately crafted miniatures and the secrets they contain. Through the connected stories of Belva Curtis LeFarge, an art collector and philanthropist, and Tildy Barrows, a librarian and curator who runs the San Francisco museum founded by Belva, Hooper examines the layers that often lie behind polished, public narratives--especially for women.
Tildy has devoted her life and career to Belva's library and museum, known locally as "the Bel." As she learns that the Bel is facing deep financial trouble, Tildy stumbles on a secret room in the museum containing two large, ornate dollhouses. Both pieces bear the maker's mark "CH"--and, astonishingly, one holds a miniature portrait of Tildy's mother. Stunned and intrigued, Tildy embarks on a quest to uncover the dollhouse maker's identity and save the Bel's finances by mounting an exhibit showcasing the miniatures.
Hooper (Angels of the Pacific; Fast Girls) shifts between Tildy's present-day search for Cora Hale and Cora's own experiences, a century before. Sent to Paris in 1910 after a scandal in New York, Cora crosses paths with Belva, who quickly becomes benefactor and friend. Commissioned to create a dollhouse for Belva, Cora throws herself into the project as World War I creeps ever closer to Paris. Meanwhile, in 2024, Tildy's research takes her to rural New Hampshire, where she meets a handsome man connected to Cora--and stumbles on a manuscript that could change everything.
Constructing a narrative as finely detailed as these dollhouses, Hooper builds a world of brave women, complex artistry, and long-buried family secrets. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams