Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey Series: standalone
Published by Thomas Dunne Books on May 26th 2015
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
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I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
1943, in the ruins of Blitzed London…Stella Thorne and Dan Rosinski meet by chance and fall in love by accident. Theirs is a reluctant, unstoppable affair in which all the odds are stacked against them: she is newly married, and he is an American bomber pilot whose chance of survival is just one in five.
… He promised to love her foreverSeventy years later Dan makes one final attempt to find the girl he has never forgotten, and sends a letter to the house where they shared a brief yet perfect happiness. But Stella has gone, and the letter is opened by Jess, a young girl hiding from problems of her own. And as Jess reads Dan's words, she is captivated by the story of a love affair that burned so bright and dimmed too soon. Can she help Dan find Stella before it is too late?
Now forever is finally running out.
Step back into 1943, into a world during World War 2. Set against the backdrop of London, Letter’s to the Lost is a love story that transcends time, that is both beautiful and heartbreaking.
He was an American bomber pilot, whose chance of survival was only one in five. She was newly married. They met by chance, and didn’t mean to fall in love, especially with everything stacked against them.
This story was lovely, so beautiful, emotional and quiet a bit heart breaking.
We follow two time lines. In our main time line, we follow Stella, who is a young woman during World War 2 that comes from the poor school so all she really wants is a family and a roof over her head. She marries Charles the preacher and her marriage is off to a rough start right from the beginning. Stella does not seem to understand why Charles treats her more like a housekeeper instead of a wife, with no physical relationship between them, including during the wedding night.
When her husband volunteers to be a Chaplin during the war, Stella is further confused why her new husband found volunteering and leaving her behind so easily. Plus his friend Peter seems to be a very big influence in Charles’ life.
She meets Dan, an American bomber pilot during his brief break while searching for her bracelet, that she happened to lose during an unfortunate encounter. The attraction is instant, but it takes a bit for them together. It started with a bracelet, which led to letters, to a sort of friendship that morphed into a beautiful but heartbreaking relationship.
I was glued to the pages wanting to know what happened between them and the fate that awaited them in the end.
I do love how the author explored the relationships during this time period, as well as some stereotypes. Stella is pretty shy, quiet, kind of meek. She just wants a family and a home life as oppose to other women during this time that took on much larger roles and filled the shoes of men when they went off to war. So in that respect, that take on her character growth and how she progressed on events that surrounded her was really interesting.
The second couple we follow is Jess and Will. Jess escapes from an abusive relationship and stumbles into an old abandoned house running away from her boyfriend with nothing but 50 pounds in her pocket. While squatting in the old house that seems to be trapped in time, she finds a letter delivered by the postman entitled, Urgant, please forward if possible. Unable to help herself, Jess opens the letter and finds herself invested in its author and finding what happened between Stella and Dan. Through her, we get to see Dan’s side of the letters, as she reads them. With the help of Will, a man who she meets while he is trying to find the owner of the house - together the two investigate Dan and Stella’s story while slowly growing attracted to one another.
I have to say, I adored this book so much. The writing was so wonderful, Stella and Dan were both wonderful. I don’t usually like books with affairs, but once you get the whole picture between Charles and Stella and everything that happens, the pieces fall together and it makes Stella’s and Dan’s story all that much more heartbreaking - especially during this time when Stella felt she had very little rights.
I found Jess’ and Will’s story good enough. They weren’t the main focus of the book and I felt if it wasn’t for the way the book was structured, I would have been fine with Stella’s and Dan’s story alone, seeing as how that was the main focus and my favorite part. The characters were much more fleshed out and I found myself emotionally attached to the two of them. Also, I found parts with Jess and Will a bit slow moving.
I don’t know if I can say that this story has a completely happy ending, but I did like the way things wrapped up, despite a few tears shed at the end of the heartbreak and pain the two had suffered and the unfairness in all of it.
I highly recommend this book to all Historical Fiction readers who love a good story set in two different times and enjoy a timeless romance.
This sounds like a really well done, emotional read. And I don’t always need “happily ever after” as long as the end makes sense.
-Lauren
I think this would be such a good story for me
I’ve had my eye on this one. Fantastic to know it was a good one. I find lots of war-time stories really are bittersweet, but good to know not to expect to find it all tied up in a pretty bow.
This reminds me of Letters from Skye a bit, although there are significant differences, but that one has a similar premise- a love affair spanning the years and a dual timeline, during the war and the present. But this one sounds like it’s own thing too, and like a good read! And the idea of the lost love and trying reconnect, all the years later- plus here it sounds like Jess is unrelated to Stella, whereas in Skye the young protag is the older woman’s daughter, if I remember right. Anyway- nice review, and this does sound like a great, emotional read!
This sounds utterly beautiful Lily. I’m not usually a fan of unfaithful partners even in fiction but oh be still my heart! Dan and Stella’s story sounds the more captivating of the two though. I love stories set within periods of wartime. not that I would have wanted to live within the period but it’s a time where everything seemed so much simpler. Even with a war raging on. I think there’s a romance to that in itself. Really excited to pick up a copy, it’s been so long since I’ve read a beautiful romance like this one. Brilliant review Lily, absolutely loved it! <3
A timeless romance? Yes, please! I don’t necessarily need a happy ending, sometimes those without one are what put us on an even bigger emotional level, and I really don’t mind that. It depends on the story, of course, but from what I gather this one wraps things up well and I’m curious now.
Ooh, I love the sound of this one! WWII and dual timeline stories are some of my favorite elements!
Great review! This books sounds fabulous! I love historical fiction:-)
I love the sound of this one! I enjoy historical fiction, particularly WW II-era historical fiction, and this sounds like such an immersive, emotional story. Wonderful review! This one is going straight on my TBR.