From Goodreads
When journalist Ellie looks through her newspaper’s archives for a story, she doesn’t think she’ll find anything of interest. Instead she discovers a letter from 1960, written by a man asking his lover to leave her husband – and Ellie is caught up in the intrigue of a past love affair. Despite, or perhaps because of her own romantic entanglements with a married man.
In 1960, Jennifer wakes up in hospital after a car accident. She can’t remember anything – her husband, her friends, who she used to be. And then, when she returns home, she uncovers a hidden letter, and begins to remember the lover she was willing to risk everything for.
Ellie and Jennifer’s stories of passion, adultery and loss are wound together in this richly emotive novel – interspersed with real ‘last letters’.
My thoughts
I gave this a 3.5 stars or 7/10. I would have loved to give this a higher rating as on paper it's a genre that I enjoy reading. However, I struggled with the Jennifer part. I did find that if I read it in larger chunks it was a much more enjoyable read.
I was infuriated with Jennifer's husband, he was a loveless sort of man and it's no wonder at all that Jennifer found herself looking elsewhere for love and affection. I felt myself wanting to slap her and make her wake up to his negative side. He was of the era where men seemed to expect women to be seen and not heard, feeling that they could impose on us their will and not allow women to have a mind of their own.
I really enjoyed seeing Jennifer beginning to fight back and making a life for herself that didn't include any negativity. She did have a backbone in the end and for that I am grateful.
Ellie finds herself floundering in her job and has deadlines that she struggles to meet. She is tasked with writing an article, but her mind and investigative side take her on a journey in a different way. She reads the letters and wants to know more about the people that wrote them. She sets about trying to find out the identity of the letter writers.
To read personal correspondence like this, must instil in most of us an inquisitiveness to find out what we can about the people involved. It's a type of voyeurism in many ways, as you're getting an insight into what they felt about one another and sometimes what they did with one another.
To be able to help the people involved to meet up with one another, if they are both still alive must be even better. Sometimes, however this can also turn out to be a poisoned chalice as not everyone would be happy to meet. A very thought provoking read in some ways, that would make an interesting reading group read.
How far will Ellie be able go with her investigation into who the letter writers are, are they still alive? If so, how will they feel about the letters having been uncovered after all this time? With lots of secrets that could be uncovered this dual time frame read will keep you involved in the relationships of the characters. A very thought provoking read in some ways, that would make an interesting reading group read.
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