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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
1940
Elsie is a newly-qualified nurse. She and her friend, Nelly, share a house and work at the South London District Hospital (SLDH). The Hospital becomes a causality clearing station when the Blitz settles on London. With so manny young men sharing their last thoughts with her, Elsie decides to circulate a journal so they can record their thoughts, feelings, and memories in words or drawings. For those who can’t write, she writes it for them, and if they don’t make it, she sends those messages to wives, sisters, sweethearts or parents. Helping out in a ward of wounded servicemen, Elsie meets a young pilot from Ireland and they fall in love. Much of their communication was through notes written in the back of the book. When the hospital is hit by a bombing run, she loses the book in the rubble and then both Elsie and the book disappear.
Present:
When the SLDH is renovated, a scrapbook full of notes, letters, and drawings from patients, staff and family members. It makes it’s way to a historian (Fin) and through him to Stevie, a young woman employed as a carer at Tall Trees, an assisted living facility now in the SLDH building. Stevie is an artist who is in a slump due to depression, anxiety, loss and guilt. In an attempt to change her life, Stevie enters a contest to create a community art project that has a cash prize as a stipend and wins with a proposal to paint a mural at Tall Trees and to create a book with the residents creating a current version of Elsie’s journal. She works on the project with Fin and they search for some trace of what happened to Elsie, while feeling in love with each other.
Based on a true story of nurses writing letters for wounded servicemen, this is a beautiful story of how people may affect someone else with the smallest gesture or effort. It is a story of love, loss, grief and reclamation. The characters are well developed and the story moves smoothly between the two timelines. The ending is very satisfying. I recommend to any readers interested in WWII romances.
4.5 - Whether you are a nurse, a fan of historical fiction, in the military, or have a family member who is/was a part of the military, world war two theme lover, or someone who enjoys a duel timeline, The Book of Last Letters will touch the hearts of many. Add that it's based on a true story into the mix, and you'll be ready to grab your tissues. Set in both London 1940s and London Present-day, we follow the story of two remarkable women who value the importance of final words.
Elsie, a nurse during World War 2, starts sending letters home to injured soldiers to let their loved ones know they are accounted for and safe. Eventually, it turned into the Book of Last Letters (a scrapbook) of these letters written. It's was a precious way for terminal patients to say goodbye to their loved ones. Elsie's timeline follows her making the book and having a patient ask something of her that puts her in a moral dilemma. Will she risk herself to honor someone else's wish?
Stephanie works with seniors at an older person's home, which happened to be the same hospital that Elsie worked at back in the 1940s. Through a local historian, Stephanie is introduced to the 'Book of Last Letters,' and she wants to design a new project around it; however, the deeper Stephanie gets into the book, the more message of a mystery to be solved is uncovered. Putting Stephanie in some suspicious positions and learning the importance of final words.
This was one of those that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you want to read more fabulous stories about extraordinary women who went above and beyond.
A full review with spoilers is on my blog.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advance readers' copy of The Book of Last Letters in exchange for my honest review.
Elsie, a nurse during World War 2, starts sending letters home to injured soldiers to let their loved ones know they are accounted for and safe. Eventually, it turned into the Book of Last Letters (a scrapbook) of these letters written. It's was a precious way for terminal patients to say goodbye to their loved ones. Elsie's timeline follows her making the book and having a patient ask something of her that puts her in a moral dilemma. Will she risk herself to honor someone else's wish?
Stephanie works with seniors at an older person's home, which happened to be the same hospital that Elsie worked at back in the 1940s. Through a local historian, Stephanie is introduced to the 'Book of Last Letters,' and she wants to design a new project around it; however, the deeper Stephanie gets into the book, the more message of a mystery to be solved is uncovered. Putting Stephanie in some suspicious positions and learning the importance of final words.
This was one of those that pulls at your heartstrings and makes you want to read more fabulous stories about extraordinary women who went above and beyond.
A full review with spoilers is on my blog.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advance readers' copy of The Book of Last Letters in exchange for my honest review.
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kerry Barrett takes you on a roller coaster of emotions with this book. It was the perfect balance of dark and light. The heaviness that comes from life and death in a war torn society, sprinkled with friendship, romance, and the importance of last words. It really brings home the necessity of saying what you want to say to loved ones before it’s too late. That said, it’s really a heartwarming story and I loved it.
It is a bit of a slow paced read, but it kept my interest throughout.
The book alternates between Elsie’s POV in 1940/1941 and Stevie’s in present day; the transitions between these POVs were excellent and flowed so well.
A great read and I’m very interested in checking out more of Barrett’s work.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read this eARC.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
Have you ever been in a situation where you wished you’d had one more opportunity to say something to someone? To make your peace? The Book of Last Letters is a sweet and touching story that explores this human need to offer closure both with ourselves and our loved ones.
Elsie is a nurse working and living in London during the Second World War. Her brother, Billy, died at Dunkirk and her friend Nelly ignores letters from home – Elsie can’t help but think about what is left unsaid and unread by those we love. When she offers to send a letter to the family of a patient, an idea unfolds: she begins a book of last letters, messages to be sent to loved ones of wounded soldiers in the case the worst should happen.
Stephanie is a struggling artist living in present-day London. Like Elsie, last words and unsaid sentiments are haunting Stephanie’s past as well. With an estranged brother and her nan who has dementia, Stephanie is looking for a way to cope. When she discovers Elsie’s book of wartime letters, Stephanie uncovers the intricate and intimate lives laid bare in these letters, and realizes the importance of our final words.
I loved this book right from the get-go. The author writes in a way that is accessible and easy to breeze through, but keeps the reader enthralled with the loveable characters and sensory description of the scene that makes the reader feel as if they are actually there.
The pace of the book was incredibly done; not once was I itching for “The Next Big Thing” to happen. Instead, I found myself nearing the end and not wanting the story to finish. While personally I would’ve read ample more on Elsie and Stephanie, if it were provided, I think the length of this book is perfect.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I think it’s a great gateway if you’re trying historical romantic fiction for the first time. Or, if you’re well-versed already, it’s a loving story to add to your repertoire. I will definitely be looking to read more by this author in the future.
CW: death, mention of rape
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Elsie is a nurse working and living in London during the Second World War. Her brother, Billy, died at Dunkirk and her friend Nelly ignores letters from home – Elsie can’t help but think about what is left unsaid and unread by those we love. When she offers to send a letter to the family of a patient, an idea unfolds: she begins a book of last letters, messages to be sent to loved ones of wounded soldiers in the case the worst should happen.
Stephanie is a struggling artist living in present-day London. Like Elsie, last words and unsaid sentiments are haunting Stephanie’s past as well. With an estranged brother and her nan who has dementia, Stephanie is looking for a way to cope. When she discovers Elsie’s book of wartime letters, Stephanie uncovers the intricate and intimate lives laid bare in these letters, and realizes the importance of our final words.
I loved this book right from the get-go. The author writes in a way that is accessible and easy to breeze through, but keeps the reader enthralled with the loveable characters and sensory description of the scene that makes the reader feel as if they are actually there.
The pace of the book was incredibly done; not once was I itching for “The Next Big Thing” to happen. Instead, I found myself nearing the end and not wanting the story to finish. While personally I would’ve read ample more on Elsie and Stephanie, if it were provided, I think the length of this book is perfect.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and I think it’s a great gateway if you’re trying historical romantic fiction for the first time. Or, if you’re well-versed already, it’s a loving story to add to your repertoire. I will definitely be looking to read more by this author in the future.
CW: death, mention of rape
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was such a beautiful story, two point of views during two separate times.
Elsie is a nurse at a hospital in London at the beginning of WWII, during the Blitz. She works there, together with her best friend Nelly.
After the bombing of a nearby airfield, several airmen get shipped there for care. And Elsie gets this amazing idea to let all the patients write stories, letters or memories in a book; a diary of sorts or book of last letters.
Some patients even write “goodbye” messages to their loved ones, that Elsie will pass on for them if they perish during the war.
Stephanie works at a house for the elderly, present day. The place she works, used to be the hospital Elsie worked at and she ends up with the book of last letters. The book that Elsie kept for the patients.
She starts digging into the past, together with a historian (Finn) to find out more about Elsie and the patients that wrote in the book, especially a certain airman (Harry).
But in doing so, she starts to uncover a dark secret…
Truly a lovely story with some mystery, lovable characters (also a very unlikeable one!) and some romance. Highly recommend!
I do suggest you might check for TW before reading this book.