A cache of unsent love letters from the 1950s is found in a suitcase on a remote island in this mysterious love story in the tradition of the novels by Kate Morton and Elizabeth Gilbert.1951. Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed to an isolated mental asylum by her husband. Run by a pioneering psychiatrist, the hospital is at first Esther’s prison but soon surprisingly becomes her refuge. … psychiatrist, the hospital is at first Esther’s prison but soon surprisingly becomes her refuge.
2018. Free-spirited marine scientist Rachel Parker embarks on a research posting in the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast. When a violent storm forces her to take shelter on a far-flung island, she discovers a collection of hidden love letters. Captivated by their passion and tenderness, Rachel determines to track down the intended recipient. But she has no idea of the far-reaching consequences her decision will bring.
Meanwhile, in London, Eve is helping her grandmother, a renowned mountaineer, write her memoirs. When she is contacted by Rachel, it sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal secrets kept buried for more than sixty years.
With an arresting dual narrative that immediately captivates the reader, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant is an inspirational story of the sacrifices made for love.
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This beautifully written historical novel has characters that will endear themselves to you as soon as you meet them. It’s told in two distinctive time periods, in three locations with 4 main characters. It isn’t difficult to keep the characters and time periods separate and by doing it this way, the reader is able to not only see a life event but also to see the repercussions of that event years later.
In 1951, Esther Durrant’s husband told her that they were going on vacation. They traveled from London to a remote island in SW England. When she wakes up the second day, she finds out that her husband has left and that she is in an insane asylum. She knew that she had not been herself since a catastrophic event in her family but was livid that her husband would commit her. What starts out as a prison, becomes her solace where she begins to understand herself.
In 2018, Rachel takes a job as a marine scientist on an island in SW England. She is a free spirit and never keeps a job more than 2 years before she moves on to another job. When she is stranded on a remote island in a bad storm, the lone inhabitant takes her in and helps her recover. While there, she finds several love letters written in 1951 that were never mailed. Rachel decides to find the person that the letters were addressed to and give her the letters that were never mailed.
This beautifully written historical fiction is a bit of a mystery and a bit of a love story and definitely a fantastic read.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
A brilliantly written dual timeline, set in The Scilly Islands, Cornwall and London.
Once I started, I found this book hard to put down; it tells of mental illness, healing, discovering love and learning to trust.
Very highly recommended.
The Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast, are the setting for this dual timeline story. 2018- Rachel Parker is a research scientist who happens upon a secret stash of letters, written but never sent decades ago. Rachel is intrigued and is determined to find out more about the letters and their intended recipient. 1951- Esther Durrant is committed by her husband to a mental asylum on the remote island. Run by a progressive psychiatrist, will it be Esther’s downfall or her salvation? A timeless love story.
This book surprised me.
I began this book, but it didn’t hold my interest. A depressing start and I didn’t care for the characters.
I was surprised to get involved with the disparate characters, but it kept my interest to the end.
Loved this book!
I absolutely loved this book and all of its characters!
This was one of those books that you can’t put down AND one that stays with you for a while after you read it. In 1951, Esther was admitted to a mental institution on an isolated island by her husband. As she found her way there, she knew she had to get better and get out of that place so that she could be reunited with her young son.
Flash forward to 2018 and a young woman finds a suitcase filled with unsent letters and is determined to find the person they were written by. She finds the woman’s granddaughter, Eve, and as Eve reads through the letters she discovers all sorts of fascinating (and unsettling) things about her grandmother’s life.
This is a great book and I highly recommend it.
Favorite Quotes:
Beneath a pewter sky and afloat on an even darker sea, she was reminded of Charon, the ferryman of Hades, transporting newly dead souls across the Acheron and the Styx.
“You have the blood of a lizard.” He released her and placed his palm below her collarbone. “There is a stone where a heart should be.”
I suppose I am drawn to broken things. As a boy I loved to fix, to repair and restore. The same goes for me now, except it is people not toys.
It might not have been the right decision, but it was the only one I knew how to make.
My Review:
This expertly crafted and slowly unfolding tale was a heart-squeeze and a half, and I didn’t mind that one bit. Spanning two timelines over sixty years apart, this engaging book was a hybrid of genres being equal parts women’s fiction, mystery, and historical fiction. The plot was intriguing, multi-layered, well nuanced, and deftly paced. I was captivated by these complex characters as well as Ms. Nunn’s smoothly rendered writing style, which was poignant, insightful, and hit all the feels. My attention and curiosity were well and truly captured but while my brain cells stayed abuzz, my poor coronary muscle took some abuse. But I’d gladly do it all over again and hopefully will soon as I see Ms. Nunn has a respectable listing I need to acquaint myself with.
This is the first book I’ve read by Kayte Nunn, but it definitely will not be the last. It is such a beautifully written book that captivated me from start to finish.
This story is told in dual timelines and woven together through letters that are found in the present and used as a way to bridge together the past and present. I love the way the author did this. While we don’t really get to see the letters, I found that the idea of them was such an effective way to connect the two timelines. I liked that this brought to the book a hint of mystery as Rachel worked to track down the owner of the letters and then helps uncover a cache of secrets within the letters.
What I also loved about this book is that all three women we meet in this book – Rachel, Esther, and Eve – all had this remarkable strength of character that carries them through some trying times. This is shown time and again and really is at the heart of this story.
Sometimes the relationships we hold dear are those that are forced upon us rather than the ones that we seek out. This book is one that inspires hope and is completely relatable in so many ways. It speaks to you and really grabs you. I absolutely will be reading more from this talented author and cannot recommend this book enough!
The Forgotten Letters Of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn is an excellent dual timeline historical fiction novel that interweaves between Esther in 1951 and her surprise commitment to an isolated island by her husband for mental and psychological recovery and 2018 with Rachel , a wayward, independent woman who happens to stumble upon the same island that Esther recovered at near Cornwall while she is employed for research, and Eve and her Grandmother in current day 2018 as well.
The author does a fabulous job interweaving two time periods and 3 separate characters into a beautiful story. Sometime these types of books can be segmented and not mesh well, creating a disjointed novel, but Ms Nunn does a great job in creating just the opposite.
I love Esther, and I loved hearing her story. This book is about so much more then just HF. I found as a read the stories, and learned about the lives of these women, I saw a story of hope, of dreams, of finding oneself despite the odds, finding friends and love amongst the trials of life. I found I was able to relate as well. That, to me, makes a great book.
5/5 stars
The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durant is one of those books that draws you in. It starts out in 1951 when Esther is committed by her husband to a mental asylum, located on an island, after the death of her infant child. In today’s world we would say she was suffering from depression. It takes a while before she comes to gripes with her situation and finds herself caring deeply for one of the residents. After several months she is released and goes home with a secret. Then the story shifts to 2018 when a marine scientist, out on her boat, is caught in a storm and ends up on an isolated island where the only person there is a recluse who takes her in. When she discovers a suitcase of old fashioned clothes and a pile of unsent love letters she makes it her mission to find the mysterious Esther Durant and return the belongings. This is a wonderfully written book about loss, love, faith, determination, and keeping secrets. I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it!
From the minute I read the plot summary of this novel, I couldn’t wait to read it: “A cache of unsent love letters from the 1950’s is found in a suitcase [in 2018] on a remote island in this mysterious love story in the tradition of the novels of Kate Morton and Elizabeth Gilbert.” The title sounds corny but the story was captivating. I was sorry when the book ended, as I really cared about the characters and didn’t want to leave them or their lives. The dual timeline was well-crafted as the plot gradually came together to reveal the connections between the past and the present, and slowly uncovered secrets that had been hidden for more than sixty years. This is a book I will be telling all my friends to read.
Thanks to the Goodreads Giveaway program and publisher William Morrow for a copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.