I have mixed feelings about this story as I really struggled through the first 3/4 of it. It was slow going with a lot of importance around Dot's job at the Lost Property office and how meticulous she was in labeling and returning items. I couldn't get a sense of Dot's age as she seemed to come across as older and quite matronly, however I think she might have been in her forties. She certainly acted as an old woman and the story wasn't holding my interest.

However, towards the end when everything started to fall into place and I could finally understand why Dot was like she is. Her complex family situation and the truths that came out in the end really hit me in the feels.

I wish the book had gone into this earlier on as it would have held my interest a lot quicker and this would have been a 5 star review.

This is a well written gentle tale of loss, grief and memories. It very carefully portrays the great sadness that dementia brings to the sufferer and to those around them. A lovely read.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you have anyone in your family ,or have had anyone in your Family who has or is suffering from any form of Dementia ,in my case Both , plus when I was Nursing I looked after many of these Patients and in many ways their relatives too. Then this Book will resonate with you the reader more perhaps than many other Readers . The analogy between Dot ( Dorothea ) our Heroine's Job in the Lost Property Department at TfL ( formally the Baker Street Line ) & it's articles & those souls lost in the world that Dementia brings will hit home like a sledge Hammer.
This is a beautifully crafted Book which will make you Laugh, Cry & possibly even reassess things in your own life or in how communities are dealing with Mental Health issues heightened by the current Pandemic ,But Do read this book as it is fantastic fodder for the soul, & has some wonderful touching Romance within it too. #FB,#Instagram,#GoodReads, #NetGalley,#Amazon.co.uk,#Waterstones, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>

This is a great debut novel. It has an interesting plot, a motley crew of characters, and it is written in a beautiful prose. Even the structure has an interesting twist: each chapter begins with a "Dijon" label, similar to the ones they fill in at the lost property office where the heroine works.
I loved Dot, the main character. At first sight she seemed only a misfit, but later on you realise that she is broken. She has been carrying the burden of not only the grief over the loss of his father, but of the guilt as well for a very long time. And it is heartbreaking to see her interactions with her mother who is a dementia sufferer.
When she meets Mr Appleby who cannot get over the loss of his wife, Dot starts to remember and revaluate certain details of her own past. She slowly finds her way back to people and finds strength to start again.
My only objection is that at places I found Dot's musings and trepidations a little lengthy.
I recommend this book to everyone who likes good contemporary fiction. I will look out for the next works of the author.

Dot works at the London Transport Lost Property office and she is somehow lost too. Her appearance and personality are almost unnoticeable, but her inner world is rich and full of interesting thoughts. In the past she lived, loved and worked in Paris, so what happened?
Can she change something in her life or will she stagnate in her routine forever?

Wonderfully written with interesting characters and issues about love, loss, grief and illness. Life as it is.

Joy to read.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Dot Watson has lost her way.

Twelve years ago her life veered off course, and the guilt over what happened still haunts her. Before then she was living in Paris, forging an exciting career; now her time is spent visiting her mother's care home, fielding interfering calls from her sister and working at the London Transport Lost Property office, diligently cataloguing items as misplaced as herself.

But when elderly Mr Appleby arrives in search of his late wife's purse, his grief stirs something in Dot. Determined to help, she sets off on a mission - one that could start to heal Dot's own loss and let her find where she belongs once more...

Ahhh Dot. I loved you. Our main character loves her family and friends fiercely and also anyone she comes across and feels an infinity to the nice ones, especially Mr Appleby.

This book is fantastically written. You fall in love with Dot and realise why she is so well suited for the job with TfL in Lost Property.

A particular highlight of the book was the short but very important part of Zeus - he sounded like a perfect person to be there at that moment, also when Dot went back to see him - that scene touched me.

This book will stay with me for a long time - bravo!

This was a curious book. Part way through I wanted to put it down and yet I also wanted to read to the end as well. The action was mostly set in one location (the Lost Property office) and maybe I got tired of the same setting. Maybe that was the point. Dot explored the world from the confines of the office. Was she going to escape?
I did complete reading it and was glad I did.

Found this a hard book to get into and the main character a little odd - from her description Dot is rather frumpy and middleaged but we are never told her age. The story doesn’t seem to get going until 2/3 of the way through the book and it’s only near the end you discover why she behaves the way she does.

This was an ok story but I can’t say I loved it like many other reviewers have.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an e-book to review.

I'm afraid I found it difficult to get into this book. The Lost Property office, and the people and things that came through it were interesting and engaging enough. But my problem was I didn't find Dot either believable or likeable. I couldn't really decide on who she was. I think that her old-fashioned name, her clothing and her demeanour made me think she was quite elderly, but then in parts of the story she seemed fairly young. Sorry if I've missed any obvious clues there, but because I couldn't picture her I never really understood her and she seemed a bit snooty and judgemental.

Although I read through to the end I never really got to the point where I 'got' it. Just not for me.

Lost Property is not the book I was expecting.

I gained so much from reading this novel.

This is a story that is poignant and purposeful.

In this tale we follow Dot, this is a woman who cares deeply for her family, for her friends and in fact for anyone who should have the luck to cross paths with her.

She works for TFL in lost property, carefully sorting out and looking after items that have unfortunately been parted from their owners. I instantly felt warmth when reading about Dot, her nature was so gentle and giving.

What started out as quite a slow yet witty story turned into something a lot more necessary (in my opinion) as we get more detail about Dot's own personal life, the moments in time in which she's experienced. From her mum's gradual change with dementia, to the mental health issues that her late dad suffered so silently with.

I got the sense that this novel is disguised as something simpler but wrapped within those more carefree moments are deep, meaningful memories. And what I learnt as I read was that how each of us remember things is entirely different, what one person could deem as a good memory, another could have captured moments that were perhaps not quite as positive.

But however we see our past, it doesn't make any of those feelings less important or significant.

Dot inspired me.

Her attitude towards life was refreshing and it was a joy to see her feelings of guilt and grief being transformed into something more hopeful. The journey she takes herself on is one of self discovery and what she discovers is something that money can't buy. clarity and forgiveness (to herself).

A uniquely, compelling debut read that left me wonderfully satisfied.

When I first started reading Lost Property, I didn’t think I was going to enjoy the book and even questioned whether I was going to stick with it, however, I’m glad I did!
Anyone out there who enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (of which there are many) will equally fall in love with the protagonist, Dot’s character. Unusual and quirky, she wheedles her way into your psyche as you realise more and more why she behaves the way she does.
Heartwarming and overall, a lovely read.

Oh my what a wonderful book, the way the words were used to describe the way that Dot was feeling and making you feel completely contained within the story was glorious. I was lucky to get a copy of this book from Netgalley and was completely absorbed in the story from the outset, sometimes you can tell the way a book will go, but Helen Paris keeps you guessing and making you take different turns all the time, she can write in such a beautiful way it was a joy to read and I was sad when I finished it ( even though I wanted to know how Dot's life would pan out!). Dot deals with a lot on her journey through the book, she has to look deep into her past and face things she has buried for a long time, but her focus is reuniting a lost precious bag with its owner and this leads her on her journey to happiness. I thoroughly recommend this book.

As other reviewers have mentioned, I found the book rather slow for the first few chapters. I hate to give up on a book though and kept going, I’m so glad I did. Dot works in the lost property department at TFL in Baker Street and seems to love her job. Dot moved in with her mum to look after her but had to place her in a care home as her dementia was too advanced for Dot to look after her at home.
Dot has a difficult relationship with her older sister and over the course of the book we find out the families secrets that have led to this. We also discover that Dot collects travel books that have been uncollected in her office. When she was younger she lived and studied in Paris but had to come home when her Dad died.

It is quite a dark book that covers suicides as well as family relationships but has a satisfactory conclusion for its readers






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Wonderful, just wonderful. This super life story, takes you on a journey to another time ans place. I love the main characters and loved the way the story unfolds. Life can be so cruel, it’s so nice when you can find someone to make each day a little bit better. This book captures real life so well.

What a story!! Very unique!! I thoroughly enjoyed it!! Dot may have worked in 'Lost Property' but everything about Dot, is 'Lost'!! Very cleverly written!! If you want something different, this is it, I totally recommend it!!

Thank you Helen Paris. I am so pleased to have found Dot and her Lost Property world. I often read that a novel shouldn't have a prologue and the first sentence should grab the reader's attention, So a statement about the seasonality of loss seemed underwhelming and demure but ultimately also a perfect way to begin the tremulous layering of Dot's world. I felt like I had been given a privileged private invitation, one that I earned by trust, by being her understanding friend, staying with her, so that she dared to reveal a bit more each chapter building an exquisite subdued tension as she slowly found herself and her family and love.

This is such a great and very clever book, an interesting premise and beautifully well written,. Highly recommended

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Really enjoyed this book, liked the storyline, liked the characters, basically liked everything. Worth a read.

It took me a while to get into this, and I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but about a third of the way in I started to really enjoy it.

At first the main character Dot was annoying but as the story unfolded I came to like her and want to know more about her.

Secondary characters were also interesting, and I really loved the setting of the lost and found shop. Quite moving by the end! Very enjoyable

I loved this story based around the central character,Dot. She comes across quite eccentric but as her story starts to unfold, I found myself really warming to her and her quirks.
It's a well written book which shows us how what has happened in our lives can affect how we live but also that it's never too late to make changes.
A real heartwarming read which was thoroughly engaging. I loved the book.