The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano ~ Book Review

 

About the Book 

Book: The Lost Melody

Author: Joanna Davidson Politano

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

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 Thoughts 

Wow!! Another amazing story from Joanna! I always look forward to her books. They are always filled with depth and the characters are so believable. This book is no different. I honestly did not know what to expect the summary truly is just a little sampling of what this book entails. There is SO much happening here and it was hauntingly beautiful and I must admit this was one of those books that I tried really hard not to look at the back of the book to see how it ended. Trust me it is hard not to an I'm glad I didn't because I would've ruined all the surprises.

Vivienne Mourdant is the main character in this story. She is a concert pianist who wants to not only play music because it flows through her but she wants to help women in need. Those that come from abusive homes. Her father was not the kindest of men and when he passes she sees her future as it should be but boy do things go awry as she tries to uncover who this ward is that her father has been hiding at Hurstwell Asylum. While she is at the asylum twists and turns begin to happen as she is admitted as a patient rather than an employee. I will not spoil it for you so you will definitely have to find out on your own. 

Politano does an excellent job at bringing life at an asylum to life. You can tell that she has done her research especially in that time period that she is writing in. The reasons that people ended up in asylums was unbelievable. The treatable reasons that we may know today such as dementia, post-partum depression, autism are some of the reasons people ended up in these institutions. Sadly even if you were of another race, culture or even if someone wanted to hide you away they could do so if enough payment could be provided. 

I absolutely loved how music played a part in this story. I believe that music does play a huge part on our mental health and it resonates with those that their mind may have wondered. It releases endorphins and gets the mind going. The way that music resonated with the patients was beautiful. I think this is the part of the story that stayed with me because despite the circumstances you see how Vivienne has grown. How she has let God truly let her be the light amongst the dark circumstances. She starts seeing who she really is in God and how he wants to use her. 

There is romance in this story as well. It is not the grandiose because its not the complete focus of the story but it was there and it was so perfect. Here is another thing that I absolutely loved and probably because I have read a few of Politano's book but the storyline that is in the book that goes along with characters from her book A Midnight Dance was perfect and what an amazing close to those characters. I will admit I stopped in disbelief when I realized who they were. Again I will not spoil it for you but it was amazing!

This book was beautiful, touching, hard, sad and perfect in every way. I cannot talk it up more if I could give it more than 5 stars I would! If you enjoy her stories you will enjoy this book. If you have never read her books add them to your list! 

My Rating: 5 Stars/Absolutely LOVED it!

Favorite Musings/Quotes: 

"Perhaps God saw fit to to break down who you were becoming and help you build back up the right way. To prepare you for something greater."

"That light shining out of you is not some sort of magical glow of your own, you know. It's him. It's God in you, and what candle God lights..." "What God has set ablaze , no man can extinguish."

I received a copy of this book from the author. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

Joanna Davidson Politano freelances for a small nonfiction publisher but spends much of her time spinning tales that capture the colorful, exquisite details in ordinary lives. Her manuscript for Lady Jayne Disappears was a finalist for several contests, including the 2016 Genesis Award from ACFW, and won the OCW Cascade Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is always on the hunt for random acts of kindness, people willing to share their deepest secrets with a stranger, and hidden stashes of sweets. She lives with her husband and their two babies in a house in the woods near Lake Michigan and shares stories that move her at www.jdpstories.com.