Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! Told epistolary style, it is the story of two world wars and how they affect two Scots women.
At the beginning of WWII, Margaret Dunn discovers a letter from "David" to a woman named "Sue" written during WWI. Margaret's mother, Elspeth, disappears after the emergence of this letter.
We learn the tale of these two women, Elspeth and Margaret, through their letters to the men they love during times of great and tragic events being played out across the European nations.
At the beginning of WWII, Margaret Dunn discovers a letter from "David" to a woman named "Sue" written during WWI. Margaret's mother, Elspeth, disappears after the emergence of this letter.
We learn the tale of these two women, Elspeth and Margaret, through their letters to the men they love during times of great and tragic events being played out across the European nations.
Helpful Score: 2
Are letters a lost art today with all the new ways we have to send messages ? I will let the readers of this wonderful novel answer that. I thought this book just a great insight and delightful story of a terrible time in the history of war and its effect on all who tried to live through it.
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely adored this book. From the first sentence I was pulled into the world of David and Elspeth, and keep on the edge of my seat for the next 280 pages of so. This is one of the rare books that you just surrender to and allow them to carry you along. An author to watch, as this is her 1st book!
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Two sets of pen pals and a whole heck of a lot of letters are the heart of this story. A mother and daughter both find themselves sending letters to men that they dearly love both at times of war when correspondence wasn't always reliable. With the current times of email and text messaging and quick replies, it was interesting to be taken back in time where it could take a month to get a response to a letter. These two ladies would wait days to hear news whether good or bad back from their loved ones. I couldn't even imagine that today!
Two sets of pen pals and a whole heck of a lot of letters are the heart of this story. A mother and daughter both find themselves sending letters to men that they dearly love both at times of war when correspondence wasn't always reliable. With the current times of email and text messaging and quick replies, it was interesting to be taken back in time where it could take a month to get a response to a letter. These two ladies would wait days to hear news whether good or bad back from their loved ones. I couldn't even imagine that today!
I will not provide a synopsis in this review, if you are looking for that, please look elsewhere. Also, the reader should be advised that I read the Advanced Readers Edition, so, I cannot pass it on, but be advised, the copy I read may differ from the final copy.
I just finished Letters from Skye: A Novel by Jessica Brockmole. It was a great read. In the recent past, Ive reread The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows as well as Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris and I enjoyed both of these immensely, as they are also written in the epistolary form. While the first is almost entirely in the format and the latter, is a combination of epistolary and text documenting the interaction between the characters.
For those of you that do not already know, this is another book written in epistolary, or letter form. I will always have a special place in my heart for such books, mainly because a huge portion of the courtship between my husband and me was mainly carried out in this way. Even though we still have all of our correspondence, dont be waiting for them to appear in print (book or blog), as my husband has adamantly refused. Today's generation is majorly disadvantaged in this as they communicate not only in shortened messages, but also shortened words.
Something that was somewhat puzzling to me was the title. While I presume the title was chosen because its somewhat catchy, all of the letters are not from Skye. The characters are writing to and from the US, Scotland, England and France, not all the locations are in Skye. Therefore, Ill give you my two cents, even though you didnt ask for them, I think the title should simply be Here I am.
Read it to find out what happens, I highly recommend it, but, dont go looking for it yet, its not due out until 7/30/2013!
I just finished Letters from Skye: A Novel by Jessica Brockmole. It was a great read. In the recent past, Ive reread The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows as well as Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris and I enjoyed both of these immensely, as they are also written in the epistolary form. While the first is almost entirely in the format and the latter, is a combination of epistolary and text documenting the interaction between the characters.
For those of you that do not already know, this is another book written in epistolary, or letter form. I will always have a special place in my heart for such books, mainly because a huge portion of the courtship between my husband and me was mainly carried out in this way. Even though we still have all of our correspondence, dont be waiting for them to appear in print (book or blog), as my husband has adamantly refused. Today's generation is majorly disadvantaged in this as they communicate not only in shortened messages, but also shortened words.
Something that was somewhat puzzling to me was the title. While I presume the title was chosen because its somewhat catchy, all of the letters are not from Skye. The characters are writing to and from the US, Scotland, England and France, not all the locations are in Skye. Therefore, Ill give you my two cents, even though you didnt ask for them, I think the title should simply be Here I am.
Read it to find out what happens, I highly recommend it, but, dont go looking for it yet, its not due out until 7/30/2013!
Book Description
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.
My Review
This book was a very quick read as it is written in letter-form with correspondence from one character to another. The plot centered around an emotional tale of love and loss in which we can feel the horrible effects of war on relationships. It is a gripping love story that will definitely tug at your heart. The book is well written and jumps between the two different World Wars from 1912 through 1940. I enjoyed reading and learning about the Island of Skye and the people who lived there. I look forward to reading more from this author and highly recommend this book to those who like love stories during the eras of WWI and WWII.
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.
My Review
This book was a very quick read as it is written in letter-form with correspondence from one character to another. The plot centered around an emotional tale of love and loss in which we can feel the horrible effects of war on relationships. It is a gripping love story that will definitely tug at your heart. The book is well written and jumps between the two different World Wars from 1912 through 1940. I enjoyed reading and learning about the Island of Skye and the people who lived there. I look forward to reading more from this author and highly recommend this book to those who like love stories during the eras of WWI and WWII.
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.
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.
