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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
There was no plot, no character development, and no reason to keep reading.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
At first, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go. The structure isn’t linear—it kind of moves like conversations happening around the town. One chapter might focus on Anna and her husband, the next on someone completely different. You get these little glimpses of life from many perspectives. In that sense, the story isn’t just about Anna, but about the extended family and the entire town itself. It’s about grief, loss, unrequited love, family secrets, societal expectations, and the role of women—especially during a time when education for women wasn’t typical.
I started with the audiobook and had a hard time getting into it—I fell asleep a few times and had to re-listen to several parts. Eventually, I hit chapter 24 and ran out of hours. But by then, I was invested, so I grabbed the physical copy—and I connected with it so differently. Reading the final chapters myself completely changed the experience. I fell in love with the characters. That emotional payoff? It hit me hard. There’s one moment near the end—tied to Anna and her letters—that had me crying.
One of my favorite aspects of the book was the quiet love story that unfolds through classical literature. As a book girl and a classics girl, I absolutely loved that. It’s subtle, it’s moving, and it’s beautifully brought together by the end.
Another thing I appreciated was how Anna’s job as the letter carrier let her become this unexpected bridge between the town’s people. She reads letters to those who can’t read, delivers news from far away, and in doing so, we learn about each person’s world. It’s little things like that that make this story feel so real.
If you’re looking for a historical fiction that’s rich in setting and character but light on the war itself, this might be for you. The history is more of a backdrop—there are mentions and impacts of the war, but the heart of this book lies in the emotional lives of its characters and in the slow, sweeping portrait of a town in transition.
The story actually begins with the ending—a scene you don’t fully understand until much later. Now that I’ve finished the book, I definitely want to go back and reread that first chapter. Knowing who the characters are now, I think it will hit completely differently the second time around.
This was my first time reading Francesca Giannone, and I really enjoyed her writing. The vignette-style storytelling works once you give yourself time to settle into it. It’s quiet but deeply emotional. I’m glad I stuck with it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated