The Library of Lost Dollhouses

A Novel

De: Elise Hooper

Narrado por: Emily Rankin, Caroline Hewitt

"This beautiful page-turner kept me reading all night." —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

"This one’s an absolute gem." —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

When a young librarian discovers historic dollhouses in a hidden room, she embarks on an unexpected journey that reveals surprising secrets about the lost miniatures.

Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, is meticulously dedicated to the century’s worth of inventory housed in her beloved Beaux Art building. She loves the calm and order in the shelves of books and walls of art. But Tildy’s life takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses.

After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Époque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney’s bustling Burbank studio in the 1950s. As Tildy unravels the mystery, she finds not only inspiring, hidden history, but also a future for herself—and an astonishing familial revelation.

Spanning the course of a century, The Library of Lost Dollhouses is a warm, bright, and captivating story of secrets and love that embraces the importance of illuminating overlooked women.

©2025 Elise Hooper (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Delightful and captivating novel

This novel combines so many of my favorite things: the role of women in history, compelling mysteries and detective work, libraries and museums, keen research, human connection, optimism, and miniatures. As a miniaturist who builds miniatures to tell stories, I knew I was going to enjoy this novel before I read it based on the subject matter alone. But being unfamiliar with this author prior to reading The Library of Lost Dollhouses, what I did not expect was that this is truly a novel that stands on its own beyond niche interests. Hooper has an incredible gift for telling stories, weaving together threads in different time periods to create a beautiful narrative. I can't wait to read more of her writing!

I listened to the audio version (twice in a row, because it was that enjoyable!) and I loved the voice & style of the narrator.

What a delight!

It’s a wonderful story filled with interesting characters, locations, and intrigue. I’ve always been fascinated by the doll houses I saw in Chicago. Or maybe miniatures is a better description so it was fun to listen to. The building and development of the doll houses.

fun and unforgettable

I loved the weaving of the story and life of the library. it was a fantastic tale that could easily have occurred in real life. the characters are rich and well developed.

such warm and beloved characters

I loved the inclusion of history. Making the Library into a place I would love to be and giving me a new appreciation of art in all its forms. I laughed and cried the best 2 emotions a book can invoke.

Wonderful plot

The only hitch for me as I tried to figure out what the connection would be between Tildy and Cora ent al - I expected they would be related. The actual connection for them was less than exciting.

Lessons learned and courage to be honest to yourself. Secrets are never a good idea.

The love of doll houses in my childhood. I have an artist friend who made some beautiful doll houses. I think it was a clever way that she wove the story and the history of the doll houses. What craftsmanship.

What a shame . . . (Spoiler)

Such a great idea, such a good story and narrators but sadly, it's a tale of homosexuality which ruined the whole thing for me.