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The Lost Village  By  cover art

The Lost Village

By: Alexandra Fleming - translator, Camilla Sten
Narrated by: Angela Dawe
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Publisher's summary

2021 NPR Best Book of the Year

"Narrator Angela Dawe raises the stakes in this atmospheric horror novel...Her varying pacing amps up the suspense, and her flexible voice breathes life into the multitude of characters, regardless of gender and age. Horror listeners will be on the edge of their seats." (AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner)

A Most Anticipated Book Goodreads * Publishers Weekly * Crime Reads * Popsugar * Bookish

A Library Reads Pick!

The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village”, since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left - a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn - have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth....
But what if it finds them first?
Come find out.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

"An enthralling and claustrophobic read. Camilla Sten has written a lurid thriller that will send shivers down your spine." (M.T. Edvardsson, author of A Nearly Normal Family)

"Come for the mounting horror and scares, but stay for a devastating examination of the nature of family secrets." (New York Times Book Review)

©2021 Camilla Sten and Alexandra Fleming (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about The Lost Village

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Mixed

This book had outstanding potential. The premise is extremely unique, clever, and totally original. The first 3/4 of this book I was riveted, couldn’t put it down. However, as the denouement approaches, it’s as if the author lost her steam, or just wanted to wrap the story up quickly. I wanted to hear more about this place, the lake, the mine, I was left wanting. There were so many things in the end that felt unresolved; too simply and neatly concluded without actually fulfilling the promise made in the beginning. This was such a great read until the last third of the book. Also, I totally agree with my fellow reviewer who talked about how unlikeable the main character was. In order to be satisfied, the reader needs to truly empathize with, or at the very least relate to, the main character. And unfortunately, as the story unfolds, we see just how vapid, selfish, and quite honestly, stupid the main character is.
I have never felt so conflicted about a book.
It was so strong and original but that ending was just a little too simplified and convenient. Worth one read but not a book I will revisit for a second pass. This was this author’s debut novel. She has great potential and I still look forward to her future endeavors. This could have been the best read of recent months with the exception of the ending.
Finally, the performance was outstanding. I have not a single complaint there. The performer was excellent and mastered several completely different voices with skill and professionalism. She was fantastic.
Bottom line: worth a read
Greatly looking forward to her next book(s) as she has a ton of potential.

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25 people found this helpful

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Absolute Dreck

Don't waste a credit on this horrible so-called "novel." The writing is so bad and so cliched it made me groan. I was very interested in the premise of the story and I suffered through a few chapters trying to convince myself I could endure the gratingly bad prose, but I gave up. Nope, not worth it.

It's one of these fancy thrillers where the author decided her story is too boring on its own, so breaks it up with "the past" perspective, and yanks you back and forth for no good reason.

The "now" part is written as present first person, as in, "I gulp and swallow before clearing my throat to speak." "We drive into the town where houses seem to be looking at me with empty eyes. 'Wow, I can't believe we're really here," I say. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest."

Be prepared to have "I say" and "I mutter" and "She says" or "He says" repeated every ten seconds.

Absolutely godawful mind numbingly awful. Run far away!

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21 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Spooky vibes!

After reading many crime thrillers and romances lately, I was on the hunt for something spooky, something to shake up my reading corner! What better than a book about an entire town going missing with only a stoned-to-death woman, an abandoned baby, and letters from the main character's grandmother, who had grown up in that same town before everyone's disappearance?

“The Lost Village” was certainly creepy; I'll give it that. It‘s told from three main perspectives, providing a then and now layout, which plays exceptionally well off each other, all the way up until the final reveal. Mental health plays a significant role, with those impacted having a wide array of experiences influencing their every move and belief. Without giving too much away, a film crew with ties to the town’s past goes to explore and prepare the makings of what is to be a documentary of the lost village of Silvertjärn; character’s prior history and drama amplify the tension surrounding their exploration when equipment is damaged, members of the crew become physically affected, and sinister sightings lend way to weary eyes. Who knows what or who to believe?

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the town's disappearance the most, as told through narration from Alice’s great grandmother Elsa and letters via her great aunt Aina to her grandmother, Margareta. The cult-like vibes were strong and powerful, leaving me in anguish for many of the townsfolk. I wasn't as fond of the present-day story; I’d hoped for more of a supernatural, ghostly conclusion. Nonetheless, “The Lost Village” was hard to put down, and I was enthralled from start to finish.

I'd recommend this book to any mystery/thriller fans with interest in spooky vibes, cult-like happenings, and dual timelines! I heavily enjoyed following along between the audiobook and text; the narrator was superb.

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13 people found this helpful

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The lead character is horrid!

The concept of this book was good but the execution, not so much. All the characters were irritating, but the lead character was such a selfish horrid person that by the time I was 25% through the book, I didn't care what happened to her. The narrator was pretty good consider that all she had to work with was a character so clueless and self absorbed that it was almost too irritating to even finish the book.

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13 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Just Okay!

I had high hopes for this book so it was a bit of a let down! While the story was decent enough, it didn't live up to my expectations! The main character was so unlikable that I didn't care what happened to her! Kind of takes all the suspense out of a book when you don't care if anyone lives or dies! LoL!

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Delightfully eerie!

I absolutely love this book the storyline was great and the narrator was spot on, kept me on my toes and sent chills down my spine several times. What got me the most was the epilogue, there was just something about it that pulled the whole novel very nicely. Definitely a five star read!

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6 people found this helpful

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Very Good

I really enjoyed this book. Although it took place in Sweden, outside of how names are pronounced you wouldn't notice at all. Very hood translation. Excellent story.

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3 people found this helpful

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Now….Then…

The story is good, however there are TOO many NOW’s and THEN’s. Plus, it seems like the author writes “she says,” and “I say” way too much as well.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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a Swedish atmospheric noir story

“The Lost Village” is a Swedish atmospheric noir story that was noted as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2021. I chose to listen to the audio, narrated by Alexandra Fleming.

Author Alexandra Fleming begins her story in 1959 with two men driving to an old mining town, Silvertjarn, a village in the middle of the forest. It appeared deserted of its 900 residents, until they hear a newborn baby’s cry. Curiouser, there was a bloated body, tied to a stake. She appeared stoned to death. As the two men search the town, it appears that the citizens vanished while doing everyday activities. Did the entire village drop off the face of the earth?

From there, Fleming switches to “now” or contemporary time. Alice Lindsteadt leads a film crew of four into the abandoned village, known as “The Lost Village,” where she intends to shoot a documentary film detailing this strange phenomenon. Alice’s maternal grandmother, Margareta, a retired nurse was one of the missing. Letters from her great aunt Aine to her grandmother provide a “cult-like” vibe. The vibe was reminiscent of our puritanical history in the USA. Alice’s great grandmother Elsa’s narration furthers the menacing feel.

Alice’s life hasn’t been easy, suffering through clinical depression and poverty which muddles her thinking. She needs this documentary to help her career to become a TV producer. She is not a likeable character.

Trouble ensues right away when the co-producer sprains her ankle while exploring, and then she mysteriously disappears. After the van is set on fire, the crew becomes apprehensive. This is 5 days of crazy, with the epilogue wrapping up this very strange story.

I listened to the audio, narrated by Angela Dawe. She had a tough job, narrating a very unlikable character. Translator Camilla Sten deserves a shout-out as well.

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Good read.

I enjoyed the audiobook but the characters where just bad ppl. Not all of them but most of them. It didn’t end with total peace but enough to give you some relief. It’s a great fall read.

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