NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PUBLISHERS WEEKLYA sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart. March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond … has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.
Sparkling with charm and full of captivating period detail, Letters from Skye is a testament to the power of love to overcome great adversity, and marks Jessica Brockmole as a stunning new literary voice.
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Praise for Letters from Skye
“Letters from Skye is a captivating love story that celebrates the power of hope to triumph over time and circumstance.”—Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers
“[A] remarkable story of two women, their loves, their secrets, and two world wars . . . [in which] the beauty of Scotland, the tragedy of war, the longings of the heart, and the struggles of a family torn apart by disloyalty are brilliantly drawn, leaving just enough blanks to be filled by the reader’s imagination.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Tantalizing . . . sure to please readers who enjoyed other epistolary novels like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.”—Stratford Gazette
“An absorbing and rewarding saga of loss and discovery.”—Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker
“A sweeping and sweet (but not saccharine) love story.”—USA Today
“[A] dazzling little jewel.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch
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Isle of Skye, 1912: Poet Elspeth Dunn receives her first ever fan letter from a young man named David Graham in America. With it begins a correspondence that slowly turns from friendship to love as years go by. The first time they come face to face might also be the last, however, as what brings David to Europe is volunteering as an ambulance driver at the front in WWI.
Edinburgh, 1940: Elspeth’s daughter Margaret has fallen in love with a Royal Air Force pilot, depite her mother’s ambiguous warnings against seeking romance in such uncertain times. After a bomb strike uncovers a pile of old letters hidden in Elspeth’s house, she disappears. All Margaret has to help track her down is one single letter, which she hopes might lead her to her mother while it shines a light on family secrets long hidden that Margaret might otherwise never have found out.
A beautiful, touching novel that slowly unravels its plot through multiple timelines.
Mesmerizing and immersive. I cried at the ending. Loved it. If you want a literary read with characters who evolve slowly, becoming closer and closer through their letters to each other, you’ll love this one.
I enjoyed this book. It ties the past with current events. Worth thinking about in terms of family history. Interesting to see how the characters change with time and how our view of others changes depending on circumstances.
Great for fans is expository novels.
Really enjoyed this book. The characters were really wonderful and with so much depth. Somewhat tragic times and circumstances that they went through were heartbreaking. The book was a very read. Will read more of this author.
I am a history buff and enjoyed the crossover between generations in this book.
Letters From Skye was such a delightful read. The dialogue in the letters brought the characters vividly to life, in two different time periods. By the end I found myself unexpectedly emotional about the lives of these people and what happened to them. It was quite a lovely and engaging story!
I rarel give a book 5 Stars and this one deserved 6!
Intriguing.
Was interested in the layout of the book. All letters seemed like a hard format to keep up and pull off. But it was done so beautifully. Never become a problem. The story is one I’ll remember for a long time and probably reread.
This so reminded me of 84 Charing Cross Rd, which I really enjoyed.
This is a love story, but so much more. It is a story about two time periods, WWI and WWII, the stories of the people are linked by these time periods. Very satisfying.
This book is very well written. The characters are fully developed and you come to love them. I really couldn’t put it down and was amazed at how caught up I was in the story just from reading letters. Lots of twists and turns.
I did not realize what a romantic I am – especially that “men” are not supposed to be so. I hated to stop reading, but bed time does call.
Very well written and a joy to read.
Historic ….world war 2
Loved the way the story developed from letters written back and forth. Unique style but told the tale wonderfully. Could not be done today with all the texts and Facebook post going around.
I loved it because it was written in the form of letters between the two main characters. I was able to imagine what they were like, instead of the author telling me all about them.
Great premise.
Very good. I didn’t put it down until I finished it. This was the second book I read from this author. I have to say…..I liked the other one much better (At the edge of summer). But this one was also worth reading.
A love story that uses WW1 and WW2 as props to set in motion chaos that brings Elspeth and Davey together, drives them apart, and back together. Told through exchanges of letters in “epistolary narrative” that went out of style two centuries ago, emotion seems to ooze from their written words. Fan mail from Davey to poet Elspeth becomes clever banter, then an emotional connection as Elspeth’s husband leaves for WW1. She feels the void of a woman left at home, and comes to understand how Davey touches her soul in ways her husband cannot. Yet topsy turvy circumstances of Davey’s service as a WW1 ambulance driver keep Elspeth and Davey apart. Over two decades later, Elspeth’s daughter seeks to unlock the mysteries of their relationship through an exchange of letters with Elspeth’s estranged brother, and to give them a second chance if Elspeth can survive the Blitz of London in 1940.
Was this review helpful? I am an avid world war based fiction reader and author. You can read more of my takes at https://brodiecurtis.com/curtis-takes/.