Description (from the author’s website)
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 Review – 3 Stars
, author Jojo Moyes tackles the subject of extramarital affairs. This story is mainly about two different affairs. One is set in the sixties and one is set in modern day (2003). The contrasts and similarities between them were interesting. Attitudes about divorce and women’s independence were different in the sixties. Means of communication were also different. However, we see that in both time frames, the affair takes its toll on the parties involved.This is the third novel I’ve read by Jojo Moyes, and as always, her stories are a pleasure to read. I enjoyed both the Historical and the Romance aspects of this novel.Has the written love letter gone by the way of the typewriter?
About Jojo Moyes (from the authors website)
Jojo Moyes was born in 1969 and grew up in London. After a varied career including stints as a minicab controller, typer of braille statements for blind people for NatWest, and brochure writer for Club 18-30, she did a degree at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London University. In 1992, she won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to attend the postgraduate newspaper journalism course at City University.
Jojo worked as a journalist for ten years, including a year at South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and nine at The Independent where she worked variously as News Reporter, Assistant News Editor and Arts and Media Correspondent.
Jojo has been a full time novelist since 2002, when her first book, Sheltering Rain was published. Since then she has written a further eleven novels, all of which have been widely critically acclaimed.
Jojo has won the Romantic Novelist’s Award twice, and Me Before You has been nominated for Book of the Year at the UK Galaxy Book Awards. Me Before You has since gone on to sell over 3 million copies worldwide.
For more information about all of Jojo’s novels, please visit the books page here.
Jojo lives (and writes!) on a farm in Essex, England with her husband, journalist Charles Arthur, and their three children.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher, Penguin Group (USA) Inc as a contest winner @ poofbooks. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I didn’t realize this book was from 2010 thought it was a new release. I’ll give it a try this summer.
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The publishers recently released a new cover along with a round of promotion, so I that’s probably why you’ve been seeing it around so much lately.
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I recently reviewed this book as well – and felt so-so about it (whereas I loved Me Before You). I didn’t really get into it until after the halfway point, which is too far along in my opinion.
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I haven’t read any books from this author. I feel so guilty! Book bloggers have been recommending Me Before You endlessly and while it’s in my list I haven’t had the chance to read it yet.
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Yep, I think the love letters of today are love texts. 🙂 This book sounds like something I’d enjoy, though infidelity is a sad subject. I’m curious about the real ‘last letters’ included. Nice review!
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This sounds like a very interesting read. I would think the cultural differences between now and the 60’s would be a very intriguing part of the story. Have you read Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole? It’s an historical fiction/ love story told all in letters, and I thought it was quite good. Your question about letters going the way of the typewriter reminded me of that book…
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I haven’t read Letters from Skye, but have been curious about it and it is on my Goodreads – To Read List. From your description, it sounds like one I would enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.
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