Reviews

Flickan i brevet by Emily Gunnis

nferre's review against another edition

3.0

Three stars is a bit generous. I liked the topic of unmarried girls and their fortunes (or misfortunes) as late as the 1970s in England. But -- there were too many characters, too many names, too many sub-themes going through this book and it made it difficult to keep track of everyone.

Having said that, any time a book makes me go looking for additional information it's not all that bad at all.

rstocrat's review against another edition

4.0

Good book. Interesting plot.

*Contains spoilers.*


I loved this book. I felt an even flow in the start versus the end. The story plot was well thought out, and there were times that I even had to break due to the circumstances. This book made me excited to read, but sad to finish.
~Here's where the spoilers start~

All that being said, it was confusing at times to keep the characters straight with the twins. Is it Elvira, or Kitty? I had to back up a few times to keep it straight. I also was confused occasionally about the role of Helena Cannon. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to take on the responsibility of her husband's mistress. But, I just really wanted to know if she signed her perceived child's paperwork. Overall, well thought out and intriguing.

kristenslotman's review against another edition

4.0

This book made me want to keep reading to figure out who was who as the author switched between 1957 and 2017. It is not a feel good story but if you’re looking for secrets, revenge, and historic evils, this is the book for you!

seilere's review against another edition

3.0

The ending felt so clearly written on the walls too early on, they kind of told you the big twist with 70 pages to go which was odd. Good story, had trouble getting into it but that’s because I tried reading on the subway too much in the beginning of the book, but once I finally had a clear window to read I read 200+ pages in an afternoon. Fred deserved closure; Sam kind of sucked. I want more details of people like Patricia, too. Grateful for modern medicine and for women’s rights.

alexandra_vasilie's review against another edition

4.0

3.5

jazzydays's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nimrah1's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

kjrollins's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

I’m really loving this author. She writes beautiful historical fiction and she brings a fun light to some seriously dark stuff. This book had so many fun twists and turns but I got a little confused with the whole twin thing. It cleared itself up in the end but I had to go back and reread and make sure I had all the information. Still a super fun read!

jove64's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this and ... I'm not sure. It's complex. There might be too many characters and too many time slips and ... well that made it a bit disjointed. Despite that the story is good. The premise is basically that a long closed mother-and-baby home is about to be demolished and a young journalist finds some letters from a former resident suggesting the extent of how awful what happened there was. She investigates hoping to have a story to boost her career. And it gets more complicated. There is a revenge plot tied up with the kind of trauma experienced in that sort of context. I had no doubt as I read that everything described probably had really happened somewhere. And yet, there was this sense that there were too many threads. Compelling. Worth a read.

paukit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75