The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano // Revell Reads Review

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant's father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman's portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams.The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?


Fan-favorite Joanna Davidson Politano casts a delightful spell with this lyrical look into the nature of women's independence and artistic expression during the Victorian era--and now.

 

 My Review

I have to first say that this is one of the coolest covers I've ever seen, from a tactile perspective. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I really liked this cover.

Joanna Davidson Politano writes deep books. I like that, but it can mean that I come out of reading a book for the first time slightly confused. The twists and turns can leave your mind spinning, but in a good way.

At a high level, what I got out of this book was that we are given gifts to use for the benefit and blessing of others and that we don't check those gifts at the door when we are in a place or situation where we don't think they belong or where we don't want to use them.

Vivienne has a plan. Her life has changed for the better and she thinks she knows exactly what to do next. But God has another plan for her. In a way, I sort of saw Jonah's story here, because Vivienne fights her unexpected circumstances quite hard before finally starting to see that maybe God is wanting to use her where she is.

Because this book is set in an asylum in the old days, it can be dark at times. There are cruel people and troubled patients. But light in the darkness is a very prominent theme woven through the story. My absolute favorite part is how A Midnight Dance was brought into this story. I love cross-overs. I was also quite surprised by the plot twist and revelation. Definitely did not see that coming.

I think there is much in this book that I will have to get on another read-through. While this book does not beat A Rumored Fortune or The Love Note, it was good and I would read it again.


"Things were different than what I'd envisioned for my life, but I'd let circumstances paralyze me for too long when before they had always mobilized me. Inspired me to act. My heart still wished to pursue normalcy, freedom, and my idealized set of circumstances, but this was my locked larder now, and merely enduring it would be a waste of life and heart."

"If you begin to think you are not worthy, too broken, you're focused on the wrong person. Not to worry, dried does that to the best of us. But don't be too long about it. You'll miss the mission He has for you - and the gift."

"I had been lost once. Enveloped in such darkness that I couldn't even see the floor that was holding me up. But God knew where to find me, when to do it, and how to overcome the thing I feared most. This is where He existed - not in the perfection, but in the cold darkness, in the messiest tears, ninth e deepest despair, on the dirty floor of my prison, ready to meet me with His presence."

 

Many thanks to Revell for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.