Julianne Westcott was living the kind of life that other Protestant girls in prewar Liverpool could only dream about: old money, silk ball gowns, and prominent young men lining up to escort her. But when she learns of a blind-and-deaf brother, institutionalized since birth, the illusion of her perfect life and family shatters around her.While visiting her brother in secret, Julianne meets and … meets and befriends Kyle McCarthy, an Irish Catholic groundskeeper studying to become a priest. Caught between her family’s expectations, Kyle’s devotion to the Church, and the intense new feelings that the forbidden courtship has awakened in her, Julianne must make a choice: uphold the life she’s always known or follow the difficult path toward love.
But as war ripples through the world and the Blitz decimates England, a tragic accident forces Julianne to leave everything behind and forge a new life built on lies she’s told to protect the ones she loves. Now, after twenty years of hiding from her past, the truth finds her—will she be brave enough to face it?
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The first book I have read by Camille Di Maio and I will definitely be watching for others by her. What a fine writer! Highly recommend!
I love history. I love being picked up and set back down in someone else’s experience. Hearing about big important events you learned of in school is interesting, but even more fascinating is learning about what ordinary people did in their every day lives.
Julianne Wescott has seemed to have the perfect life in 1930’s Great Britain. Her parents have provided for her every need and she is poised to someday make a match just as prosperous as theirs. When she discovers that she has a twin brother secretly institutionalized due to his disabilities, she realizes that her world is not as it seems.
This discovery is echoed through the rise of World War Two, which threatens to shake Julianne’s world just as harshly. What does she really know about her parents, about the young priest, Kyle McCarthy, serving her brother in the asylum, or about what the future holds for them all?
Through high points and devastating calamities, this is the story of how a young woman finds herself. The threads of Julianne’s faith and hope flash in and out of view as she makes decisions that will change her life and the lives of everyone she holds dear.
The Memory of Us is a lovely narrative that draws you in. Even in tragedy, there is a sweetness in it that lingers and gives the reader satisfaction instead of melancholy. The characters are complex and engaging, holding your attention to the very end. Fans of historical fiction will definitely want to read this book.
Five big beautiful stars for Camille Di Maio’s debut novel! The author has created a tale that is not only moving but beautifully and seamlessly written. The Memory of Us is a skillfully woven tale about a love that is tested by time, distance, and circumstance, by scars both physical and achingly emotional. There is a wonderful sense of time and place to the novel, and characters who literally live and breath on the page. I just can’t say enough about this story of loss, strength, sacrifice, and redemption, except that if you haven’t read it you need to.
This is a story of a love found and lost due to the war. Julianne grew up feeling inadequate and unable to measure up to her mother’s expectations. This greatly played into the decisions she later made. Easy for me to understand how her trials brought her to the point of wanting to end it all. This was my first book by Camille do Maio. I was not disappointed and look forward to reading her other books.
It took place during WW2. I love that era! It is a love story with some twists to it. I could not put it down and I am not a reader!
I wasn’t expecting to cry…. but there were tears.
A wonderful forbidden romance between a handsome boy studying to become a priest and the daughter of a wealthy family. I couldn’t put this down.
The romance is clean but is full of sweet attraction. I’ll definitely be reading more books by Camille Di Maio in the future.
A beautifully interwoven novel of past and present with flesh-and-blood characters you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended.
This was a wonderful love story with twists and turns that made me shed some tears!
LOVED, LOVED THIS BOOK!! One of the best books, I have read in a long time! I am a mystery reader, but do like some historical romance too. This had both and was a wonderful love story! Loved it so much that I pre-order Ms Di Miao book coming out in May and will read her other one too! Don t want to spoil it by saying more, except that I stay up late to finish and was so sad when it ended!
I couldn’t read this fast of enough. It was engaging and an easy read. It was unpredictable but you wanted it to be predictable
The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio is a story of choices and their consequences. In 1937, Julianne Westcott was an 18-year old Protestant girl living the dream life in Liverpool. The illusion of her perfect life and family is shattered when she discovers she has a twin brother, a brother who is blind and deaf, and that her parents sent to an institution While secretly visiting her brother, Julianne meets and befriends Kyle McCarthy, an Irish Catholic groundskeeper studying to become a priest. They soon find themselves caught between her family’s expectations, Kyle’s devotion to the Church and the intense feelings they seem to have for each other. Julianne and Kyle must make a choice: do they follow the life and expectations they have before them or do they choose the difficult path of love? As war rages through Europe and the Blitz devastates England, a tragic accident leaves Julianne to forge a new life built on lies. Lies she tells herself protect those she loves. Will the truth find her? Will she be brave enough to face the choices she made?
The Memory of Us came highly recommended and I looked forward to reading it. However, it was not the story I expected. It was an easy, fast paced story. I finished it in a few hours. The first two-thirds of the book were good. I loved the romance between Julianne and Kyle. The last third of the book is where the story fell for me. It was difficult to understand the motivation behind Julianne’s decision to forge her new life. It seemed to come out of the blue and without any indication that it was a decision she needed to make. Julianne was a hard character to understand. At times she is strong and willing to stand up to anyone, then she bows down to the demands of others and back again. The ending was supposed to be heartwarming and sweet but it felt forced and too tidy. Other reviewers mentioned the references to The Beatles’ 1966 song “Eleanor Rigby.” I am not overly familiar with the song to pick up any references. Those who are familiar with the song may enjoy the references. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I do recommend it.
The Memory of Us is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.
This book is on my “short list” of favorite books of all time. When asked if I’ve read any good books lately this is one of the first that comes to mind. I love the title, I love the story line which is quite original, I love that there’s depth to the lives of the main characters and that they are good people in so many ways. What really is amazing is that this is di Maio’s first book. Honestly, I bought the book because I loved the title, and knowing it was her first, I wasn’t expecting the quality and maturity of her writing, nor the unexpected twists that made the book so heartbreakingly endearing. I was so taken with this book I waited with great expectation for her next book to come out! I whole heartedly recommend this book. I promise you won’t regret it.
I really enjoyed this book. I was captured from the beginning. Some books take a bit to get going, but the author drew me in from page one. Romance, war (not too much), sacrifice, faith, family and friends. I would highly recommend.
I finished The Memory of Us last night but was unable to write a review because I was so emotionally impacted by this beautifully written book. Everything about this book is amazing. The characters, the love story, the emotions of WWII….. I could just go on and on. The main characters, Julianne and Kyle, have a love that transcends everything imaginable. My favorite part of the book were the “asides”, written in italics, that tell of Julienne’s future. They were so well done that when, at the end of the book it is that future time, the story just meshes beautifully. The reader already knows what is going to happen, but suddenly, there it is! Camille Di Maio is a masterful storyteller. If you don’t read another book this year, please read this one! I loved it and highly recommend it!
This is a powerful story with realistic characters. It takes place when England was about to enter World War 11. The story line is about a wealthy girl an a young gardener who is preparing to study for the priesthood and they become fast friends The story moves through their lives This is a fast paced story dealing with family, faith, romance, forgiveness, prejudice and acceptance. A good read and highly recommend.
I truly loved this book! It shocked me and moved me and I was so frustrated with some of the characters at times. The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio takes you through the life of Julianne Wescott during WWII and after. A forbidden love, secrets, war, self-sacrifice and forgiveness can all be found here. The story starts in the future and looks back to the past and Julianne’s memories and concludes going into the future even further to resolve the story. This book was a wonderful work of fiction.
Great everything by this author is top notch Wonderful stories
This book will take you on a journey. You are in no hurry. She makes this time come alive. Pre WWII Liverpool. There is bigotry and fear. Bigotry towards the Irish especially if they are Catholic. Fear that Germany is on the move. Young love that is so intense that the fire never burns out. War is hell. It rips families apart. Men never coming home and families are not surviving the bombing. The memories of that love sees you through everything. Have some tissues ready.