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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
3.5⭐️
While the overall main story was cute and wholesome, I found some of the pacing and historical inserts to be less finely crafted than I’d hoped.
**Spoilers Below… I guess***
The inclusion of the Hindenburg felt a bit like a bait, especially with the very quick inclusion of the crash (and very little of the trauma seeming to impact these sisters). I have become very critical of stories that don’t adequately reflect post traumatic experiences. If you’re not prepared to deal with the fallout and consequences of a traumatic event in your story, don’t include it.
While the overall main story was cute and wholesome, I found some of the pacing and historical inserts to be less finely crafted than I’d hoped.
**Spoilers Below… I guess***
The inclusion of the Hindenburg felt a bit like a bait, especially with the very quick inclusion of the crash (and very little of the trauma seeming to impact these sisters). I have become very critical of stories that don’t adequately reflect post traumatic experiences. If you’re not prepared to deal with the fallout and consequences of a traumatic event in your story, don’t include it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In 1937, two sisters set out on a voyage to Paris, Vienna, and Austria, to fulfill a wish for their dying grandmother. In doing so, they find out more about themselves than they could have imagined
I love this writing duo. Their characters have richness, and the plots are fascinating. However, I now find myself wanting espresso, patisseries, and rich chocolate. This is an amazing story.
In 1937, two sisters set out on a voyage to Paris, Vienna, and Austria, to fulfill a wish for their dying grandmother. In doing so, they find out more about themselves than they could have imagined
I love this writing duo. Their characters have richness, and the plots are fascinating. However, I now find myself wanting espresso, patisseries, and rich chocolate. This is an amazing story.
Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb have done it again with another captivating story. The narrative is told mainly through the two sisters' points of view: Maddie and Clara. The two sisters are sent on an adventure by their grandmother to France, Italy and Austria. Throughout their trip, they have moments of uncovering family history along with their own self-discovery. I love how these two authors share beautiful descriptions of the countries and the political climate. I also love how they incorporate history into their stories and through the reader's connections with the main characters. Thank you NetGalley, Heather Webb and HarperCollins for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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:
Complicated
I enjoyed the book immensely until one of the sisters mentions visiting the Musee d’Orsay in 1937, a museum that did not open until 1986. I wish historical fiction writers would do their research better.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
These two authors have written a beautiful novel that will take you on a very emotional trip. It makes you laugh, cry and even do a few eye rolls at the antics of the two sisters in the story. Told with such realism that you will feel you are with them every step of the way.
Quote from book:
They can talk of the companionship of men, the
splendor of the sun, the softness of moonlight, the
beauty of music, but give me a willow chair on a quiet
deck, the world with its worries and noise and
prejudices lost in distance, the glare of the sun, the cold
light of the moon blotted out by the dense blackness of
night. Let me rest rocked gently by the rolling sea, in a
nest of velvety darkness, my only light the soft
twinkling of the myriads of stars in the quiet sky above;
my music, the round of the kissing waters, cooling the
brain and easing the pulse: my companionship,
dreaming my own dreams. Give me that and I have
happiness in its perfection. (I think this is beautiful)
This is the story of two sisters who seem to dislike each other very much. A grandmother who wants them to be close again. A trip of a lifetime to do a favor for their grandmother who is dying. Two sisters who are as different as the stars in the night skies. But they are so alike also. In ways neither of them want to admit. Clara and Maddie are the granddaughters of Violet. Violet has lead a very good life but is at its end and wants to have some closure before she dies. She sends Clara and Maddie on a voyage to deliver three letter for her. Each has a meaning. Each tells a story. Each will make you cry.
As you travel with Clara and Maddie you will learn a lot about each. From the things they love to do to the fears they each have. Clara, who is an aspiring artist, is engaged to be married but is it meant to be? Does she really love him and is he worthy of her love? Charles Hancock is a very wealthy man but he is somewhat of a jerk in my opinion. I didn't like him. Then we have Daniel who I liked and didn't like at the same time. At first I was very suspicious of him and then I got to know him. I kind of like him after all. So does Maddie who is a writer and wants to be a journalist and write for the newspapers. Being a woman at that time in history made it so hard..
The trip these two young ladies take will change their lives forever. The people they meet tell them a story about their grandmother that they had no idea about. This book takes you from the US through Europe, Italy and Austria. Then on the Hindenburg to come back home. When tragedy strikes you will find yourself again holding your breath as you await the outcome of these two sisters.
This book made me do some pretty hard crying but it also made me laugh in several places. Hearing the crazy things these two sisters went through was both amusing in part and sad. Meeting family they never knew about and some they did know about was a very emotional experience. The sights they saw and enjoyed. Getting caught in the pouring rain. Being so stubborn. Loving each other made it all worth it.
This is a wonderful book. A story that will touch your heart. It's beautifully written and full of so much emotion. It's just one of those that you are happy you read when you turn that last page. It's that good!
Thank you #NetGalley, #HazelGaynorHeatherWebb, #WilliamMorrowPaperbacks for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.
5/5 HUGE stars and a very high recommendation. Grab this one.
Quote from book:
They can talk of the companionship of men, the
splendor of the sun, the softness of moonlight, the
beauty of music, but give me a willow chair on a quiet
deck, the world with its worries and noise and
prejudices lost in distance, the glare of the sun, the cold
light of the moon blotted out by the dense blackness of
night. Let me rest rocked gently by the rolling sea, in a
nest of velvety darkness, my only light the soft
twinkling of the myriads of stars in the quiet sky above;
my music, the round of the kissing waters, cooling the
brain and easing the pulse: my companionship,
dreaming my own dreams. Give me that and I have
happiness in its perfection. (I think this is beautiful)
This is the story of two sisters who seem to dislike each other very much. A grandmother who wants them to be close again. A trip of a lifetime to do a favor for their grandmother who is dying. Two sisters who are as different as the stars in the night skies. But they are so alike also. In ways neither of them want to admit. Clara and Maddie are the granddaughters of Violet. Violet has lead a very good life but is at its end and wants to have some closure before she dies. She sends Clara and Maddie on a voyage to deliver three letter for her. Each has a meaning. Each tells a story. Each will make you cry.
As you travel with Clara and Maddie you will learn a lot about each. From the things they love to do to the fears they each have. Clara, who is an aspiring artist, is engaged to be married but is it meant to be? Does she really love him and is he worthy of her love? Charles Hancock is a very wealthy man but he is somewhat of a jerk in my opinion. I didn't like him. Then we have Daniel who I liked and didn't like at the same time. At first I was very suspicious of him and then I got to know him. I kind of like him after all. So does Maddie who is a writer and wants to be a journalist and write for the newspapers. Being a woman at that time in history made it so hard..
The trip these two young ladies take will change their lives forever. The people they meet tell them a story about their grandmother that they had no idea about. This book takes you from the US through Europe, Italy and Austria. Then on the Hindenburg to come back home. When tragedy strikes you will find yourself again holding your breath as you await the outcome of these two sisters.
This book made me do some pretty hard crying but it also made me laugh in several places. Hearing the crazy things these two sisters went through was both amusing in part and sad. Meeting family they never knew about and some they did know about was a very emotional experience. The sights they saw and enjoyed. Getting caught in the pouring rain. Being so stubborn. Loving each other made it all worth it.
This is a wonderful book. A story that will touch your heart. It's beautifully written and full of so much emotion. It's just one of those that you are happy you read when you turn that last page. It's that good!
Thank you #NetGalley, #HazelGaynorHeatherWebb, #WilliamMorrowPaperbacks for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.
5/5 HUGE stars and a very high recommendation. Grab this one.
emotional
hopeful
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sisters Clara and Madeleine Sommers couldn’t be more different in personality. They are also estranged. Clara is the more restrained of the two, aware not only of her family background but also of her position as the fiancee of a wealthy businessman whilst aspiring journalist Maddie has a more impulsive and casual approach to life and is a risk taker, being inspired by family friend and famous reporter Nellie Bly. Their grandmother, in the last few months of her life, dearly wants the two young women to be reunited and wants them to undertake a task journeying across Europe to deliver 3 letters – her last words to people from her past when she herself took a similar journey with her sister 40 years earlier.
It was always going to be difficult, expecting two very different personalties to get along, especially on a trip that would last a few months. As expected, they clashed repeatedly however they were both united in trying to fulfil their grandmother’s last wishes and this led to some very poignant and also dangerous moments, as parts of Europe at that time were under threat by the Nazi’s.
Told in alternate chapters by Maddie and Clara with the occasional interruption from Violet, Three Words for Goodbye explores how families can be torn apart, there are also secrets, all combined some with luxury travel on the Queen Mary cruise ship as it sails from the US to France and then on the Orient Express to Venice and finally across country to Austria before returning home on the ill-fated Hindenburg. Along the way the two sisters learn some unexpected truths both about their family but also about themselves and what they really want from their lives. Clara, a talented artist captures memories of their journey with pictures whilst Maddie uses words by keeping a journal.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and it ticked so many boxes for me – a superbly written story with engaging characters, travel and a plot that has light and shade. Even though the sisters had a sad task to carry out for Violet, they had time for sightseeing and there was a little armchair travelling as they took in the sights of Paris and Venice. I have always wanted to travel on the Orient Express and I loved reading about their journey on this iconic train. The uncertainty with the political background gave the story some bite and there were some shocking events witnessed. When it was time for them to return home, it was clear they each had grown in character and confidence but despite their differences, their sisterly bond would never be broken. Definitely recommended for fans of historical fiction.
It was always going to be difficult, expecting two very different personalties to get along, especially on a trip that would last a few months. As expected, they clashed repeatedly however they were both united in trying to fulfil their grandmother’s last wishes and this led to some very poignant and also dangerous moments, as parts of Europe at that time were under threat by the Nazi’s.
Told in alternate chapters by Maddie and Clara with the occasional interruption from Violet, Three Words for Goodbye explores how families can be torn apart, there are also secrets, all combined some with luxury travel on the Queen Mary cruise ship as it sails from the US to France and then on the Orient Express to Venice and finally across country to Austria before returning home on the ill-fated Hindenburg. Along the way the two sisters learn some unexpected truths both about their family but also about themselves and what they really want from their lives. Clara, a talented artist captures memories of their journey with pictures whilst Maddie uses words by keeping a journal.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and it ticked so many boxes for me – a superbly written story with engaging characters, travel and a plot that has light and shade. Even though the sisters had a sad task to carry out for Violet, they had time for sightseeing and there was a little armchair travelling as they took in the sights of Paris and Venice. I have always wanted to travel on the Orient Express and I loved reading about their journey on this iconic train. The uncertainty with the political background gave the story some bite and there were some shocking events witnessed. When it was time for them to return home, it was clear they each had grown in character and confidence but despite their differences, their sisterly bond would never be broken. Definitely recommended for fans of historical fiction.
slow-paced