The Book of Lost Hours

A GMA Book Club Pick!

By: Hayley Gelfuso

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK!

For fans of The Ministry of Time and The Midnight Library, a sweeping, “astounding debut” (Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author) novel following two remarkable women moving between postwar and Cold War-era America and the mysterious time space, a library filled with books containing the memories of those who bore witness to history.

One fateful evening, eleven-year-old Lisavet Levy finds herself trapped in the time space—a vast, enchanted library where memories of the dead are bound into books. As she grows up among the stacks, she discovers that government agents are infiltrating and destroying books to maintain their preferred version of history. Determined to salvage what seh can, Lisavet creates her own book of memories...until an American agent, Ernest Duquesne, arrives to stop her, setting off a battle over memory and truth that could change history itself.

In 1965, sixteen-year-old Amelia Duquesne is mourning the disappearance of her uncle Ernest when an enigmatic CIA agent seeks her help in tracking down a book of memories her uncle had once sought. But as Amelia visits the time space for the first time, she realizes that the past—and the truth—might not be as linear as she’d like to believe “in this intriguing novel” (Booklist).

Critic reviews

"Carlotta Brentan’s narration is a master class in poignant storytelling. Gelfuso’s novel, featuring an 11-year-old girl who is trapped in time space, is a thoughtful exploration of memory, grief, and the abuse of power. Her writing is clear, emotionally grounded, and well paced. The story unfolds with quiet intensity and engaging characters that keep the listener entranced. Brentan conveys Gelfuso’s poetic prose with grace and precision, drawing listeners into a world in which time bends and memory can be transformed. Brentan’s narration anchors Gelfuso’s evocative and layered writing with empathy and control. Her tone perfectly matches the audiobook’s mood. The combination of Gelfuso’s writing and Brentan’s performance makes for a compelling experience that is immersive, melancholic, and quietly transformative—a beautiful pairing of voice and vision."

Interesting

Loved the story line. Jumped around a time line quite a bit but tied it all at the end.

Unique story

Loved the story, page turner, narration good but could have been better. I will look for more by this author.

Interesting story.

I did not enjoy the voice actor’s reading. Especially in the beginning, she spoke very quietly, almost like a whisper at times. Her accents weren’t very good either.

Very engaging

This author did a great job jumping from one time to another, leaving breadcrumbs, and developed the characters. It's very engaging.

Midnight Library meets Book Thief

This is my favorite book of 2025 so far! A wonderful blend of fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, and romance.