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hattiereadssomanybooks_x's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely concept, but moved away from the part that most interested me.
William Woolf (excellent writer name) is a stalled author, working in a 'dead letter' office, a department of the Post Office that deals with letters it cannot deliver without further investigation. Missing addresses, illegible names, God... William's job is to find the recipients if at all possible. All the while while struggling to continue to connect with the wife who considers his early potential wasted.
I loved the sections where William looked into letters, addresses, found the senders' receiver. There were some moving stories, it was rather satisfying. But I wasn't keen on William and Claire, especially as their marriage suffers. The relationship didn't really interest me. And neither, really, did the letter William finds, from an unknown Irish woman with whom Mr Woolf begins to develop feelings.
I got to the end but would have liked the focus to remain more on Woolf's work, especially as I had to rewind the last few minutes a couple of times to try to work out what had happened - it isn't obvious.
Letters always work well on audiobook, and the third person (mostly focused on William) was pretty easy to follow. Penry-Jones was a good choice for William, quiet and calm and quite quintessentially English, well-spoken and academic.
Disappointed that I wasn't able to like this more.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
William Woolf (excellent writer name) is a stalled author, working in a 'dead letter' office, a department of the Post Office that deals with letters it cannot deliver without further investigation. Missing addresses, illegible names, God... William's job is to find the recipients if at all possible. All the while while struggling to continue to connect with the wife who considers his early potential wasted.
I loved the sections where William looked into letters, addresses, found the senders' receiver. There were some moving stories, it was rather satisfying. But I wasn't keen on William and Claire, especially as their marriage suffers. The relationship didn't really interest me. And neither, really, did the letter William finds, from an unknown Irish woman with whom Mr Woolf begins to develop feelings.
I got to the end but would have liked the focus to remain more on Woolf's work, especially as I had to rewind the last few minutes a couple of times to try to work out what had happened - it isn't obvious.
Letters always work well on audiobook, and the third person (mostly focused on William) was pretty easy to follow. Penry-Jones was a good choice for William, quiet and calm and quite quintessentially English, well-spoken and academic.
Disappointed that I wasn't able to like this more.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
5.0
William works as a lost letter detective. When letters and packages are lost on their way to their destinations, they come to his department. He must try and find the person they were intended for, or else they perish into the flames of the incinerator.
While his work life can be dull, it seems to be slipping into his personal life as well. The smooth marriage he once had is now falling apart. Claire seems withdrawn and holding resentment for everything that he does. He is not perfect enough, looking for sufficient achievement, and she is tired of being the primary breadwinner of the family. William is working on a book, but that too seems to have fallen by the wayside. He holds onto hopes of writing a book about the lost letters, but his boss does not full seem on board with the idea. He feels they are too personal to share with the entire world. William feels otherwise, he thinks they should be shared with the greater public. You never know who might be reading! What a way to find someone!
When he receives letters from "Winter" in his pile, he is drawn to a woman he has never met, and wonders what it would be like to meet her, and if they are destined for each other. Even though he knows its stupid, and he is married, he cannot help himself from going to look for her, and to solve the mystery of the many letters that she has been sending.
~Closing Thoughts~
This book was fantastic! I loved it! The many twists and turns of the book, leave you wondering what will happen next! Hard to put down and definitely one that should be on the top of everyone's list of must reads! Y'all, I think this is going to be one of those books that will fly off the shelves. The stories and the hopes - it makes you wonder what happens in mailrooms today! Do they really look this hard to find the owners of these letters, or are they merely thrown into a fire to be destroyed once and for all? I would love to think that somewhere, there is a William Woolf who is trying to bring letters and packages back to their rightful owners.
Release Date: 4 June 2019
Author: Helen Cullen
Rating: 5/5 stars
While his work life can be dull, it seems to be slipping into his personal life as well. The smooth marriage he once had is now falling apart. Claire seems withdrawn and holding resentment for everything that he does. He is not perfect enough, looking for sufficient achievement, and she is tired of being the primary breadwinner of the family. William is working on a book, but that too seems to have fallen by the wayside. He holds onto hopes of writing a book about the lost letters, but his boss does not full seem on board with the idea. He feels they are too personal to share with the entire world. William feels otherwise, he thinks they should be shared with the greater public. You never know who might be reading! What a way to find someone!
When he receives letters from "Winter" in his pile, he is drawn to a woman he has never met, and wonders what it would be like to meet her, and if they are destined for each other. Even though he knows its stupid, and he is married, he cannot help himself from going to look for her, and to solve the mystery of the many letters that she has been sending.
~Closing Thoughts~
This book was fantastic! I loved it! The many twists and turns of the book, leave you wondering what will happen next! Hard to put down and definitely one that should be on the top of everyone's list of must reads! Y'all, I think this is going to be one of those books that will fly off the shelves. The stories and the hopes - it makes you wonder what happens in mailrooms today! Do they really look this hard to find the owners of these letters, or are they merely thrown into a fire to be destroyed once and for all? I would love to think that somewhere, there is a William Woolf who is trying to bring letters and packages back to their rightful owners.
Release Date: 4 June 2019
Author: Helen Cullen
Rating: 5/5 stars
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
3.0
Is this a real job, being a lost letter detective at London's Dead Letters Depot? It sounds so cool and quirky English that it should be real, even if it isn't. The idea that people's correspondence is so important that it must arrive is wonderful, and that's what I would have loved to know more about. William Woolf is one of thirty such detectives, sort of mooching through life, not expressive enough to communicate his way out of problems with his marriage. He finds letters addressed to "my first love" and begins to believe that these were actually written to him. He puts all his skills as a letter detective to work to find the writer of these letters.
The deal is that the letter-detecting is much more interesting than William's quest. Finding the real destination for packages and letters with names of streets that no longer exist or with addresses so smeared that only a few letters or numbers. The postal detectives actually deliver these in person! As you might expect, there are a lot of characters in this office, which is fun.
The story rushes to a conclusion with too many coincidences to satisfy the reader. But this is a gentle, charming novel that will delight anyone who is in the mood for just that.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
The deal is that the letter-detecting is much more interesting than William's quest. Finding the real destination for packages and letters with names of streets that no longer exist or with addresses so smeared that only a few letters or numbers. The postal detectives actually deliver these in person! As you might expect, there are a lot of characters in this office, which is fun.
The story rushes to a conclusion with too many coincidences to satisfy the reader. But this is a gentle, charming novel that will delight anyone who is in the mood for just that.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
hannahbezz's review against another edition
3.0
Nice story, easy reading but it didn't grip me. The ending was a little ambiguous for my taste, and it also left me wondering what the real point of the characters journey had been.
rkiladitis's review against another edition
4.0
William Woolf, and his wife Clare, are at that point in their marriage where things are going a bit stale. They were quirky free spirits when they met in college, but over 10 years later, Clare is a high-powered attorney whose frustration with William - a clerk in a dead-letter office - is reaching a breaking point. He hasn't pursued his life's ambition to write a novel; he just goes from day to day, playing with his letters, while Clare outearns him; she's frustrated with his satisfaction with the status quo. William, meanwhile, discovers a series of letters addressed to a "great love" from a woman who calls herself "Winter"; they're letters sent into the ether, written by a woman who knows that her great love is out there, waiting for her. William begins believing it's fate that he meets Winter, but what about his marriage to Clare?
The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a sweet love story - an unexpected love story, of sorts - about a couple who find their way back to one another after time wears the sheen off their marriage. It's also a story of possibilities; of stories, of that "what if?" moment. It's as much Winter's story as it is William's and Clare's, but there are other stories here, too - a story of a man getting in touch with the boy he saved from rubble during the WWII Blitz; a little girl who makes a scientific discovery that makes the news - and makes you wonder what happens to those letters that never seem to arrive at their destination. With well-thought out, empathetic characters and a manic pixie dream girl subplot, this one is a solid add to fiction collections.
The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a sweet love story - an unexpected love story, of sorts - about a couple who find their way back to one another after time wears the sheen off their marriage. It's also a story of possibilities; of stories, of that "what if?" moment. It's as much Winter's story as it is William's and Clare's, but there are other stories here, too - a story of a man getting in touch with the boy he saved from rubble during the WWII Blitz; a little girl who makes a scientific discovery that makes the news - and makes you wonder what happens to those letters that never seem to arrive at their destination. With well-thought out, empathetic characters and a manic pixie dream girl subplot, this one is a solid add to fiction collections.
dawnkarry's review against another edition
4.0
Ok I'm not one to normally read romances, but once I started this one I couldn't put it down. It's not your typical romance, so maybe that's why I enjoyed it.
It was a sweet story of love and forgiveness and a little bit of intrigue. I would love William's job as a lost letter detective, because I enjoy trying to solve puzzles, especially those that would help people. The little stories inside the main storyline were quite emotional and inspiring. I really enjoyed this book.
It was a sweet story of love and forgiveness and a little bit of intrigue. I would love William's job as a lost letter detective, because I enjoy trying to solve puzzles, especially those that would help people. The little stories inside the main storyline were quite emotional and inspiring. I really enjoyed this book.
suebarsby's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the premise of this book but thought it was let down a little by wandering off this and into the lives of the main characters who were a little too passive to hold full interest. I also failed to work out who the mystery letter writer was - partly because she didn't interest me either, being far too whimsical and drippy. Having said all that, the locations were brought to life well and the dilemma of seeing what happens to a marriage when the people in it have changed is a universal one, deftly handled. It's an accomplished piece of writing in many ways and I'd be interested in seeing what she does next.