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    Letters from Skye: A Novel
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    Letters from Skye: A Novel
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    Letters from Skye: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Letters from Skye: A Novel

    Written by Jessica Brockmole

    Narrated by Adam Alexi-Malle, Katy Townsend, Guy Burnet and

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole's atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.

    March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland's remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence-sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets-their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he'll survive.

    June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth's daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn't understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth's house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth's whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.

    Sparkling with charm and full of captivating period detail, Letters from Skye is a testament to the power of love to overcome great adversity, and marks Jessica Brockmole as a stunning new literary voice.

    List of Narrators:

    • Elspeth, read by Elle Newlands
    • Margaret, read by Katy Townsend
    • David, read by Lincoln Hoppe
    • Finlay, read by Adam Alexi-Malle
    • Paul, read by Guy Burnet
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 9, 2013
    ISBN9780385367639
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Letters from Skye

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    • 5/5
      Letters from Skye. Jessica Brockmole. 2013. This was a suggestion from Betty Cork, and I loved the book! It is a lovely love story told in letters. Elspeth Dunn, a published poet who has never left the island of Skye, receives a fan letter from David Graham, a college student in the U. S. and so begins a love story in letters. Time moves from WWI to WWII and is told through the letters of Elspeth and David as well as Elspeth’s daughter and her fiancé. The letters from David while he is an ambulance driver during WWI presents a vivid picture of the horrors of war. It is beautifully written.
    • 4/5
      Letters From Skye was so much better than I was expecting. Told completely as a series of letters, it is an historical fiction novel that begins in 1912 and finishes up during WWII.The story starts with young David Graham, a college student in Chicago, writing a fan letter to Elspeth Dunn, the author of a book of poetry who lives in Scotland, on the remote Island of Skye. Their frequent letter writing continues as their relationship deepens into love. It is a relationship, of course, that is complicated by geography, family, and war. In alternating chapters, the story moves forward from 1912 to 1940. Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, falls in love with a pilot and doesn’t understand why her mother is so against the relationship. When her mother disappears after a bombing, she is determined to find the answer.Yes, it sounds like a romance novel and it is a love story, but the writing is wonderfully poignant and the book very atmospheric. I love epistolary novels for how they allow the story to unfold slowly with a little bit of mystery. I hardly wanted to put this one down.An entertaining summer read and recommended especially for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Received as an arc free of charge from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
    • 4/5
      When poet Elspeth Dunn receives her first fan letter in the spring of 1912 little does she know that this is the beginning of relationship that will change her life. American college student David Graham has written to express his admiration for her craft, but as their correspondence continues admiration becomes friendship and friendship eventually evolves into love. Unfortunately Elspeth is already married to a Skye island fisherman, and World War One is looming on the horizon.Written in an epistolary style, Letters From Skye follows two timelines, that of the romance between Elspeth and David and then jumping forward to 1940 as Elspeth’s daughter, also separated from her loved one by war, discovers a letter from the past and starts to put the pieces together.Although a little overly sentimental, Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole is a romance that oozes wistful longing and lyrical charm. This debut novel encourages the reader to believe in a love that can withstand years of separation and misunderstanding and made a lovely escape from the everyday world.
    • 5/5
      I've always been a fan of books that have more than one timeline if they're well-written, and Letters from Skye certainly is. These timelines involving the world wars compliment each other perfectly, and Brockmole's research adds period detail that brings the stories to life. The stories unfold in a series of letters. Watching the love between Elspeth and David blossom is a wonderful thing, and what makes this book even stronger is that readers may think they know what's going to happen, but the author doesn't always oblige. Those little surprises woven into the plot make the book even stronger and more involving.I have to be honest and admit that I have a personal reason for enjoying this book so much. When I was even younger than Elspeth, I began corresponding with a young man in England. We became friends, and that friendship turned to love. I was so in tune with Allen and the mail services that I always sensed when a letter would arrive, and heaven help anyone who got between me and the mailbox on those days. My story didn't have a happy ending, but Letters from Skye brought back the best of my memories and touched my heart profoundly. As Elspeth said to Margaret: I should've "taught you that a letter isn't always just a letter. Words on the page can drench the soul. If only you knew."I do know, and I loved this story.
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable, a love story told in letters. WW1 & then revisited at the start of WW2.
    • 5/5
      Amazing!! I couldn't put it down and spent five hours glued to the pages. This book spans two different generations who are connected in more ways than what appears. Lost love is found and amidst two different wars, family is brought together, mysteries are solved and secrets revealed. I love that this whole book was in letter form and the farewell letter had me in tears.
    • 4/5
      A sweet read that would suit lovers of romance and historical fiction. The plot was a bit predictable but the quality of the writing well and truely makes up for it. Jessica captures the feel of both the times and the places she writes about and the fact she has spent some time in scotland definitely shows. A quality read that should satisfy a wide audience.
    • 4/5
      An epistolary novel featuring letters between a young poet and one of her fans (who quickly becomes a friend) just before and during WWI and those between the poet's daughter and her boyfriend at the start of WWII. Ostensibly the story is about the daughter figuring out what happened in her mother's early life, but there's really very little mystery to that (and what events we don't fully understand immediately are very easy to predict). The novel has a certain charm though, and I found it quite enjoyable. Brockmole uses the epistolary form to very good effect, and the characters are fun to hang out with. Recommended for light reading when you want something delightful.
    • 3/5
      I was really looking forward to reading this book but was a bit disappointed. It was an easy light read but the entire book is written as letters and was set in two time periods and sometimes I found myself confused when it switched between the time periods. I found this style of writing was not the most enjoyable although the story was good and the characters were interesting.
    • 4/5
      As a geologist, I was sold a few pages in when I was pleased to read there was nothing wrong with women being geologists, in fact the world can do with more women geologists! :) OK, so that's not at all relevant to the story, but it made my day!I really enjoyed this book.. Very easy to read. Slighly predictable, but good nonetheless.
    • 4/5
      ARC from LibraryThing.3.5 stars. Similar to, but not quite as good as The Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society in that it's written entirely in the form of letters, primarily between lovers, and mothers and daughters. Well-written, there are some lovely phrases, humor, and also real heartbreak in the letters between David and "Sue". Hard not to be empathetic for them, even if they were breaking the conventions of the time. I will look for another book by this author.
    • 3/5
      A sweet, romantic epistolary novel. Only trouble I had was the anachronistic style of writing in the earlier letters, they sounded like modern twenty-somethings. Could have used more "sense of place" details about Edinburgh too, that would have enhanced the reading experience. Around about 1912, a married female Scottish poet receives a fan letter from an American college student. They begin to exchange letters. The story alternates between their letters and those between the poet's daughter and her boyfriend, who is serving in WWII, as she tries to discover the story behind her mom's letter she discovered. The story of the relationships gradually unfold. For fans of epistolary historical novels.
    • 4/5
      Thanks to bookreporter.com for the ARC of Letters from Skye! I read the book in two days, if that's any indication of how much I enjoyed it. I didn't want to put it down - I think it helps that it's written epistolary style. Even though I feel like I have read stories somewhat similar before (84, Charing Cross Road and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society come to mind), I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially WWII fiction, so this was right up my alley. And the best part was that there was NO SAD ENDING. This book was a perfect escape for a few days, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes light historical fiction romance books that aren't dummied down. I enjoyed the author's descriptions of Scotland and at one point thought, "I really should visit someday." I was moved by a few passages in which Elspeth discusses the plight of women - true back then, true now. I would have liked more background on her relationship with Iain and her unhappiness with him as it would have made her interest in Davey that much more believable. I kind of expected Finlay and Iain to be in a romantic relationship, honestly! I also didn't buy that the whole break-up of her family was precipitated by her affair, but it didn't ruin the book for me at all. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the author's future efforts.
    • 4/5
      Letters from Skye might be considered historical fiction but it was a beautiful love story set during both World War I and World War II as told exclusively through letters. It was magnificent. In this current day of text, tweets, abbreviations and a general misuse of the English language, this was such a reminder of what we are missing out on by abandoning the age old communication method of handwritten letters.

      My grandparents died 10 days apart in 1989 after 52 years of marriage. I was 21 at the time. Some years later, (thankfully when I was old enough to appreciate it), I found a box of their letters to each other written when they were dating and living in two different states. I ordered them chronologically and spent an entire Saturday afternoon reading them. It is a very special memory to me. Reading Letters from Skye reminded me of that afternoon. I was unsure at first if I would like the format of only letters but the letters were so descriptive and engaging that I quickly forgot that they were the only medium being used to tell this story. Jessica Brockmole is quite talented with the English language and is herself a poet.

      There are so many emotions that we fail to show in our verbal communication but for whatever reason we are able to show in written form. Letters from Skye reminds me of this and I hope to let it cause me to leave that legacy to my own children.
    • 4/5
      Letters From Skye was so much better than I was expecting. Told completely as a series of letters, it is an historical fiction novel that begins in 1912 and finishes up during WWII.The story starts with young David Graham, a college student in Chicago, writing a fan letter to Elspeth Dunn, the author of a book of poetry who lives in Scotland, on the remote Island of Skye. Their frequent letter writing continues as their relationship deepens into love. It is a relationship, of course, that is complicated by geography, family, and war. In alternating chapters, the story moves forward from 1912 to 1940. Elspeth?s daughter, Margaret, falls in love with a pilot and doesn?t understand why her mother is so against the relationship. When her mother disappears after a bombing, she is determined to find the answer.Yes, it sounds like a romance novel and it is a love story, but the writing is wonderfully poignant and the book very atmospheric. I love epistolary novels for how they allow the story to unfold slowly with a little bit of mystery. I hardly wanted to put this one down.An entertaining summer read and recommended especially for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Received as an arc free of charge from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
    • 4/5
      Such a great love story! loved the letter format of the novel. Loved this book!
    • 5/5
      Another of my Early Review wins that I never received. I decided to borrow this title from the library in the CD format. The narration was superb. Since I listened while driving, I took no notations about the book. This is the love story of Ilspeth Dunne and David Graham. Their relationship began when David, a young man in college, wrote a "fan letter" to Ilspeth, a married poet living on the Isle of Skye off the Scottish coast. The epistolary story telling method fits beautifully with the love story. The book is divided into chapters focused on two time periods. Ilspeth/David correspond during the 1910's and Ilspeth's daughter, Margaret corresponds during the 1940's with her fiance, Paul, her uncle, Finley, and her grandmother on Skye Isle.War, while prevalent in both time periods, does not weigh as heavily as the beautifully choreographed relationship between Ilspeth and David. Seen through their own eyes and words, their relationship is honest and open. But for Margaret, she has no knowledge of her mother's "first volume" of life. The Second World War brings memories to the forefront for Ilspeth and she disappears on Margaret. Determined to both find her mother and unravel the mystery of the one letter to "Sue" that she found, Margaret launches her own investigation into her mother's early life.All in all, a very satisfying romance told in beautiful words. Even though I saw some of the plot points coming before they were revealed, I was not turned off because the words kept me captivated. A wonderful debut novel.
    • 5/5
      First, I am thankful my library had this available through the Blio app. After finishing it up at 3 am this morning, I went out today, granted...bleary eyed, and bought the hard copy for my keeper shelf.I couldn't put this down.The book opens with a letter dated March 1912. The chapters continue with back and forth letters between key characters. The correspondence spanning the eras of WWI and WWII. I like the author's way of unfolding this dual storyline over letters. At first, I had to pay attention closely, as I get confused or distracted easily with dual timelines. (OOOH, LOOK! Something SHINY!). Once I paid better attention to the dates, the switching back and forth was not confusing.We meet David "Davy" Graham, a dashing, American college student living in Illinois. Davy braved writing a fan letter to a young poet, author, and Isle of Skye resident, Mrs. Elspeth Dunn. The returned correspondence continued to build on a budding friendship between Davy and his poet, Elspeth. Over the months, they slowly build each others trust, share their fears, and their dreams. They each have aspirations, opinions, expectations of family of spouses or soon-to-be's, and pressures of society molding them into seemingly dullish norms. Davy speaks candidly of pressures of family and collegiate life. Elspeth's letters tell of her independent unconventional mindset for a woman living in the 1910s.The 1940's letters add another layer to the story. Elspeth's daughter, Margaret, is living in Scotland during wartime. She writes to her mother, her fiance', and more family that she uncovers as she goes, attempting to solve the mystery of her father. Of why her mother will not speak of him.The author, one letter at a time, unfolds a story of heartache and anxieties of being left behind while loved ones go to fight in the war efforts. There are arguments between siblings, loyalties spouses. These are tested. The war changes things, people, expectations. To carve a way for yourself in spite of what people expect of you. The careful craft of family secrets, heartache, love, and forgiveness.I don't think I can say much more without giving away spoilers or gushing about the layers upon layers in the book will make your grey matter move. The writing was incredibly smart and engaging. I also cried my eyes out. And remember that I loved this book so much I bought it. I'm also a HEA gal.There is an element that was a surprise to me. There was cheating. For many, many readers this is a deal breaker. I respect that. I personally *despise* cheating in books and won't read them on principle. But first, let me reiterate...I can't emphasize enough: There is, in no way, a time that cheating is okay. This said, as a reader, I had to wrap my brain around several things. To take in the complexity of the story and see how the relationships were presented in the story. I understood why the cheating happened, not that I agreed with those choices. More importantly, that cheating was presented without justification but more as factual events...as a wrong thing to do. I don't agree with the sentiment "We can't help who we love." I still think that is a convenient way to avoid responsibility because love is a choice. Attraction however, is not. We are responsible for what we do with our attraction, to whomever that may be.Elspeth's character was one that I related to because she went with what was expected of her. She grew up with several brothers. Her brother's best friend, Iain, we see as her husband from the first chapter. She grew up with Iain, it was easy. And regardless of her dislike for what society says she should be as a housewife, mother, accomplished woman, she does not relish the thought of what has seemingly been plotted out for her. Her protests in letters to Davy are quite forward-thinking and almost humorous. "No innate quality makes us wives or mothers or homemakers.....Do you think the Great Almighty had the foresight to know what would be required of the housewife of the twentieth century and reserve a special part of the brain for pie-making?"and she continues... "You say that women, especially mothers, must be selfless. They aren't born with this, yet it is still expected of them..."It felt like Iain and Elspeth's relationship was a convenience brought about by propinquity. Not that they couldn't be happy together but that the expectations were crippling for at least one or both. The story of Iain and Elspeth's engagement was particularly exemplary in this regard. When Iain asked her to marry him, she looked to her brother first before she gave her answer. Was it to push her along? Fortify her decision? Was it because she knew she would find an expectation there? Approval? She said yes, but I also wondered how it would have gone if Iain was simply a man she met at University or on holiday and not her brother's ever-present best friend.The revelations toward the end of the book were heart-stopping, heart-wrenching, and full on triple coronary bypass. Keep tissues handy. Or maybe just some nitroglycerin and baby aspirin. But definitely tissue.I've seen this story equated to The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society. I have not read that one so I couldn't confer. I did think this felt a bit like Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.
    • 5/5
      It's been a long time since I read something that made me audibly catch my breath. Several times.One of my favorite books ever is The Guernsey literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and this caught my eye because the format is similar: a story told through letters. In fact, the two stories begin almost identically: bachelor writes a witty letter of admiration to a female writer and a wartime-era correspondence begins. [Letters from Skye] veers a slightly different direction, however; it tracks two separate correspondences: that of Elspeth Dunn, circa World War I, and that of Margaret, Elspeth's daughter, circa World War II. Margaret's determination to follow the trail of her mother's epistolary relationship leads to those breath-catching discoveries I mentioned earlier.If engagingly written period pieces intrigue you, be certain your family has been properly fed and you don't need to arise to an alarm clock the morning after you start this. It's quite possible you won't want to close your eyes until you turn the last page.
    • 5/5
      American college student David Graham likes a volume of poetry so much that he writes to its author, Elspeth Dunn. Elspeth, who lives on the Scottish island of Skye, responds to David's fan letter. David and Elspeth continue to correspond, and they eventually fall in love. Their relationship is complicated, first by the fact that Elspeth is a married woman, and then by the First World War. The letters between David and Elspeth alternate with letters between Elspeth's daughter, Margaret, and Margaret's fiance, Paul, in the early years of the Second World War. Readers learn from Margaret and Paul's correspondence that Margaret was raised in Edinburgh by her single mother. What happened to Elspeth's husband and to the American, David Graham? Why did Elspeth leave Skye? Why doesn't Margaret know anything of Elspeth's life before Edinburgh?This love story in letters will appeal to readers who have enjoyed books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This good story becomes something special in the ensemble narration of the audio recording.
    • 3/5
      Letters from Skye, a love story told in letters, is a quick read. In 1912, college student David Graham writes a fan letter to Scottish poet Elsbeth Dunn. Soon the letters are flying from Urbana, Illinois to the Isle of Skye with astonishing speed. The two young people initially have a bantering relationship which develops into deeper feelings and, eventually into love, even though they have yet to meet. The miles separating them and Elspeth's husband are no barrier. In 1915 Davey volunteers to drive an ambulance on the Western Front and he and "Sue', his pet name for Elsbeth, finally meet in London to discover that they are truly soul-mates. The parallel story is about the World War ll love affair between Elspeth's daughter and an RAF pilot.The novel really didn't work for me for a few reasons. I found the letters too modern with voices too similar. Sometimes it was hard to tell if David, Elsbeth, Margaret or Peter was writing until the signature revealed the writer. I could see no basis for the grand passion. Elsbeth's actions seemed unconvincing. She is an islander who is so afraid of water that she does not set foot off Skye for her entire life and yet she hurries to France when Davey is wounded without a second thought. Elspeth's husband is brought in as a plot device but never emerges as a real person.It's a nice enough romance with a predictable ending. I was hoping for more.
    • 2/5
      I was very disappointed, as I know many Library Thing readers were, to never receive my advance copy of this novel from Ballantine Books. It seems a shame that Ballantine cannot honor its commitments to the Early Reviewer Program. I was able to obtain this book electronically from my public library and so thought I would write my review after all.Letters from Skye is a light, charming first novel. I have been to the Isle of Skye and to Edinburgh and enjoyed Jessica Brockmole's evocation of the island. I also enjoy reading about the period between the wars in England. Maybe I am just not a fan of the epistolary style. The letters did not seem to really allow for any character development. The writers all wore their big emotions on their sleeves but seemed, for all that, very stagnant. The novel on the whole was a little too light and airy, for my taste. I also am not sure that we needed a double epistolary narrative. Not only do we have the initial correspondence between Elspeth and Davey during the First World War, we have letters from Elspeth's daughter Margaret during the Second. My absolutely biggest complaint, though, is that all the writers of these many letters just sounded too much alike. They shared the same style, the same humor, the same cheerful resiliency. I enjoy a historically based romance when it is well done -- for example, I really liked A Hundred Summers which I also won from Early Reviers. Unfortunately, I wanted to like this novel a lot more than I did.
    • 4/5
      I received this book at the June 2013 Historical Novel Society Conference and dipped into the first few pages just to see what it was about. Next thing I knew I was off and running. The epistolary format makes for an intriguing read, since one can easily imagine receiving letters like this and then mulling over how to respond. (Oh, for those days when we savored letters.) The mystery unfolds steadily and picks up weight as the book careens toward closure. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      An excellent book. Full of romance and sorrow all conveyed through letters. A great trip back in time. The two main characters each have their own fun personalities and they shine through in all of the letters.
    • 3/5
      *I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*A romance of letters between a Scottish poet and an American soldier and the two wars that divide them. The relationship between Elspeth and David is echoed twenty years later by the relationship between Elspeth's daughter Margaret and Paul. Margaret's letters truly drive the narrative, as she is the one with a mystery to solve and it is her who attempts to find a resolution to her mother's pain. A nice escapist read with an ending containing just enough suspense to keep one guessing. Very enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      I won a copy of Letters from Skye through the Goodreads Giveaway program. I'm don't typically read many romance novels but this book had other elements that piqued my interest. First it is an epistolary novel which is one of my favorite literary formats. Secondly, it takes place during WWI and WWII which are two of the time periods I find particularly fascinating. This love story begins when David Graham writes to author, Elspeth Dunn to tell her how much he enjoyed her book of poetry entitled, From An Eagle's Aerie. The two begin to correspond regularly and their relationship starts to become less platonic and more romantic. This was such a sweet and engaging love story. The chemistry between David and Elspeth was so real it just pulled you in and kept you cheering them on hoping for their love to last. Although some of the plot twists were somewhat predictable it didn't make me love this story any less. Sometimes a little predictability is good and comforting. By the stories end I felt that Elspeth, David and I had become fast friends and was sad to see the book come to a close. Can't wait to see what this author whips up next. 5 well deserved stars!!!!!
    • 4/5
      Two generations of Dunn women. Two world wars. A secret. A family torn apart. June, 1940. When Margaret's mother Elspeth disappears without warning from their Edinburgh apartment following an air raid that rocked their neighbourhood and revealed a cache of letters Elspeth had hidden in the wall, Margaret's only clue to Elspeth's possible whereabouts is a single letter from that cache of hidden letters. A letter dated October 31, 1915 from an American named Davey to a girl named "Sue". Margaret has no idea who "Sue" is or where her mother has gone to but she is determined to learn what she can of this secret her mother has kept from her for all these years. Focusing on the letters between Elspeth, a young married poet living in a crofters cottage on the Isle of Skye, and David Graham, a young American who first writes to Elspeth a fan letter after reading a slim volume of her published poems, this story was a treat to read. If you are like me and love to be swept along by a war-time love story, Brockmole's debut novel is one of captivating beauty and poignancy. For me, it's as though Brockmole channeled the sparkling epistolary style of Helene Hanff (think 84, Charing Cross Road) and the poignant lyrical story-telling of Helen Humphreys (think Coventry or The Lost Garden) and in the process has produced her own page turning war-time love story. Some may compare this to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - a story I read when it came out back in 2008 - but I think Letters from Skye is the stronger story of the two and, for me anyways, it will stay with me far longer than Guernsey did.This is a tough one to write a review for without giving away any of the story that is to unfold so I won't bother to say anything more than that the characters are well drawn with realistic hopes, dreams and fears and that Brockmole has done a great job in capturing the emotional strength a letter can convey from sender to recipient.Well worth reading and a perfect summer read, IMO!
    • 4/5
      This is a romantic tales told in letters spanning two different eras of two different wars some thirty years apart. I am not much of a romance reader but if you are I think you will really like this book. It is told from the point of view of a lady poet and a man who starts to write to her because he really likes her poetry. (This could be a stretch for a lot of men.) It is well written and engaging. It is also told from the point of her daughter thirty odd years latter who is researching her past.The only thing I had a bit of a problem with that is actually a benefit to the readers is than none of the letters lasts longer than a page and a half. I found that breathtakingly short (unrealistic) in a relationship that becomes as intense as theirs did, That said, if you enjoy a good romance I think you will like the book.
    • 3/5
      Review based on ARCI've started this review, scratched it, thought about it, re-started...It's a difficult review for me because I felt so strongly about the mediocrity of the book. It's definitely not bad. It's not badly written, it's not badly plotted, it's not badly character driven... but it's not good either. I was very disappointed only because what I had read going in led me to believe this would be something special. I was very excited to be picked for this book, but unfortunately the excitement ended then.What's good: the book is a very quick read, and there are characters or moments where you really care. The mystery-aspect of the book is intriguing and I definitely needed to know "what next." It was easy to read the prose, and I flew through the pages quickly.What's not: the book is altogether unconvincing. It is unconvincing as a history novel, it is unconvincing as a love story, and it is unconvincing as a tale about the bonds of family. The book is written in letters primarily between "Sue" and Davey and between Margaret and Mother. The "voices" of each of the characters, however, were not distinct from each other (or, not enough to matter). The only way you got a sense of things was in the narrators' description of someone else -- i.e., I didn't learn as much about _____'s personality from their OWN letter as I did from a letter by someone else writing about _____. It was only by descriptions of others, and not through the letters that personalities emerged.Also, the letters employed overly-obvious and unrealistic conversation -- i.e., if my sister were to call me and I said "oh! hello big sister who lives in Chicago! It's so nice to hear from you again after just a week!" No one talks like that. There were several moments like that in the book, where there was over-explanation and no subtlety.Additionally, the complete lack of self-awareness of ALL of the writers, combined with the complete obliviousness of each of the characters was infuriating and not particularly believable. Perhaps a character or two in a situation would have that complete lack of self-awareness or awareness of others... but every single character? Oh, of course with the exception of the all-wise grandmother/mother or the good-for-nuthin' brother, who play disappointingly minor roles.What I disliked the most, however, is something that probably won't bother as many people as it did me. [SPOILER] The infidelity with no apologies, excusing the behavior with self-righteous, childish "I want it" mentality. It felt like the author was living out an internal fantasy. [END SPOILER]All in all... it was disappointing, but it had a bit of intrigue. As I said, there were aspects of the book that I cared about; it was a quick read; there were minor portions of the familial relationships that were interesting; and it was not a flop.So, three of five stars. Recommended for people who particularly enjoy long-distance romances and historical romances.
    • 5/5
      LETTERS FROM SKYE by Jessica BrachmoleA lovely story told in the lost art of letter writingThis was a lovely story with interesting people telling of their hopes and dreams in letters. A bit of a mystery is thrown into the mix in the last quarter. Just as in actual letters sent to strangers the characters become known bit by bit as they write about themselves, their lives, their ideas and opinions. In the same way, you will want to know more than is revealed. Book groups will find the ongoing discussion of education, choosing a career and choosing a life path a worthy topic for discussion. Other good discussion topics might be courage in attempting or reacting to new things, revealing your past to a child, choosing to serve in the military or not, reactions to loss and family secrets and, finally, how a person's attitudes and dreams change as time passes. A question to consider might be "how long would YOU wait at St. Mary's Cathedral?"These letters are generally short and deal with only one topic at a time so the comparison to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is not really valid.