The Library of Lost Dollhouses

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

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 uneventful 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 starts to believe that Belva Curtis LeFarge, the influential heiress who established the library a century ago, is conveying a significant final message.

With a newfound sense of spontaneity, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey to understand 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, overlooked history, but also a future for herself, filled with exciting possibilities—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 of the past.

A native New Englander, Elise Hooper spent several years writing for television and online news outlets before getting an MA and teaching high-school literature and history. Her debut novel, The Other Alcott, was a nominee for the 2017 Washington Book Award. More novels—Learning to See, Fast Girls, and Angels of the Pacific—followed, all centered on the lives of extraordinary but overlooked historical women. Hooper now lives in Seattle with her husband and two teenage daughters. 

“A straight-laced San Francisco librarian is surrounded by a dazzling cast of characters in Hooper’s latest, which jumps from modern day to Belle Époque Paris before taking off like a rocket through the 20^th century. An exploration of the link between art and artist, the secrets women must maintain in order to survive in a man’s world, as well as the caustic effects of withholding the truth from those we love most. This one’s an absolute gem.” — Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

“Elise Hooper’s The Library of Lost Dollhouses is impressively shape-shifting. It’s a story that ranges over a century and continents, but it’s also a portrait of the artist as a young — and not so young — woman. It’s a coming-of-age tale — two in fact — but it’s also a beguiling mystery. And in every incarnation, it’s as inspiring and extravagantly detailed as the miniatures at its heart.” — Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of Family Family

"Who would have guessed at the transformative secrets a long-forgotten dollhouse could hold? In Elise Hooper's wonderful The Library of Lost Dollhouses, librarian Tildy Burrows discovers two mysterious miniature realms. As she reassembles the pieces of the dollhouses' puzzle -- traversing an array of times and places to do so -- an unknown image of the past and the historic women inhabiting it begins to materialize before her. As Tildy solves the dollhouses' mysteries, she also answers long-standing questions about herself in this compelling tale."  — Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Queens of Crime

“Elise Hooper’s latest marvel takes readers on an enchanting journey from San Francisco to Paris, love to war, deception to redemption, as her main character—a little-known artist—moves out of the shadows into the limelight. This beautiful page-turner kept me reading all night.” — Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library 

“Fast Girls is a high-speed romp…ambitious and heart-pounding…A gold medal read from Elise Hooper.” — Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author

“Absolutely riveting. A stay-up-all night read.” — Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author, on Angels of the Pacific

“[A] heart-stopping tale of courage and resilience.” — Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author, on Angels of the Pacific

“Hooper’s eye for detail and skillful storytelling shine once more in …a gripping, satisfying read.” — Heather Webb, USA Today bestselling author, on Angels of the Pacific

“Kinetic, mesmerizing, and terrifically entertaining…A wonderful novel.” — Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author, on Fast Girls

"Heroism, strong characters, and period dialogue shine in Hooper's latest." — Booklist, on Fast Girls

"Told in intricate detail, against the backdrop of a world on the brink of war, the novel shines a light on these long- overlooked athletes." — Real Simple, on Fast Girls

“Her adventures illuminate the world of intrepid female artists in the late 1800s, a milieu too little appreciated today.... The Other Alcott comes alive in its development of the relationship between Louisa and May.” — New York Times Book Review on The Other Alcott

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