Love can last a lifetime and beyond…
On the eve of the First World War aspiring poet and Lord of the Manor’s heir, Kit Rivers accepts that his duty is to his family and his country. Yet when he falls passionately in love, Kit discovers hard choices must be made when conflict threatens everything he holds dear and shatters his world beyond all recognition.One century later, newly widowed Chloe … recognition.
One century later, newly widowed Chloe Pencarrow exchanges London life for an isolated Cornish house. Haunted by memories, Chloe’s interest in a local war memorial proves a welcome distraction from grief and leads to a fascination with a collection of forgotten poetry. As Chloe’s own story becomes entwined with Kit’s, she finds herself caught in a tangled web of love, loss, and the darkest of secrets…
Shortlisted for the prestigious Winston Graham Historical Fiction Prize 2018, The Letter is a beautiful novel set in England between the First World War and the present day. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, it is a story of family, forbidden love, and long kept secrets.
***** “One of my books of the year,” Being Anne.
***** “Will break your heart and touch your soul.” Amazon Vine reviewer.
This suspenseful novel is set in Cornwall and reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier and Rosamunde Pilcher. Romantic and moving, it is a tale of loss and love, the devastation of war and a homage to the lives shattered in the trenches and at home.
A #1 bestseller on Amazon UK, The Letter is a vivid novel of heart-break and passion, with characters – and an ending – the reader won’t forget.
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Interesting
In addition to being well written, the setting in Cornwall, the blend of past and present, and the likable main characters make this a very satisfying read.
I especially like how the author used a character from the last century to guide a character from this century through a difficult time and encouraged her to let herself love again after devastating loss. A tragic event need not make your entire life tragic.
Interesting about other geography
Chloe comes to Cornwall and rents the old rectory, hoping that the location will help her heal from the grief of her husband Neil’s death two and a half years ago. One of the first people she meets is Sue Perry, the local minister; the second is Matt, a historian trying to restore Rosecraddick. He is an expert on the literature of poets during WW I. Both these characters have important roles in Chloe’s story. Much of the book, however, focuses on the first world war from 1914-1916. Daisy Hills arrives in Cornwall to regain her health after recovering from polio. She meets and falls in love with Christopher “Kit” Rivers of Rosecraddick manor, but their love must be secret because they are of different classes and his parents disapprove. In many ways, this book is a detective novel because Chloe and Matt are trying to discover what happened to the two lovers. Chloe discovered Daisy’s diary under a loose floorboard in the attic, and that provides the first clues. What happened to Chloe when she lost Neil to leukemia is tragic; what happened to Daisy after Kit was reported missing in action is tragic. This novel shows how different Chloe’s and Daisy’s lives in the aftermath of tragedy. A wonderful book, you will be moved to tears as well as be inspired.
This story reached the very core of my heart. I like history and mysteries, and the realism of the setting transported me in time and place.
It’s actually 2 stories in one; the past and the present with tragedy and love in both settings.
Too be honest, I bumped this review an extra star due to the “Notes from the Author” section at the end of the novel. That truly added context, relevance and poignancy to the novel, as least for this reviewer.
The dual stories of Chloe & Matt, and Daisy and Kit are well and fine in and of themselves but it was the Author’s Notes that really made the story come alive for me. Judge how you will what that says about Ruth Saberton’s proficiency as a novelist, but I urge all readers not to skip the Author’s Notes.
When I started reading this book, I thought, “Oh, just another girl-meet-boy-fall-in-love-live-happily-ever-after book, but I found that I just kept reading, and kept reading. I couldn’t explain why, except I wanted to see how it would end. Then, at the end, I found out that it was based on the author’s own aunt’s life. That made it even more compelling. I do wish the couple of implied acts of fornication had been left out, but overall, I found the book to be entertaining.
Have you ever wanted to counsel characters with wisdom born of historical insight? This book haunts me.
Good, but a little too wordy.
I loved, loved, loved this book!
A well written Historical fiction set in a period of time that has always interested me. I found it a very enjoyable novel.
Liked the 2 interwoven stories.
Newly widowed Chloe exchanges London life for an isolated Cornish house. Haunted by memories, Chloe’s interest in a local memorial proves a welcome distraction from grief and leads to a fascination with a collection of forgotten poetry. Chloe’s own story becomes entwined with that of Kit Rivers who a century ago accepted his duty to his family and country. He fell passionately in love and had to make hard choices when conflict threatened everything he held dear and shattered his world beyond recognition. Chloe finds herself caught in a tangled web of love loss and the darkest of secrets. – Ruth Saberton did a wonderful job sharing Chloe’s grief and feelings after her husband’s death. The author also perfectly told the love story between Kit and Daisy. They had an unconditional and everlasting love that one rarely finds. Their story brought Chloe and Matt together, and that brought happiness to both of them. This is a remarkable story.
This is a story of two women…second chances and love the first time and again.
This is a well written book set in the Welsh countryside as Chloe comes to term with her past, learns to get on with her present and finds hope in the future. This is a great book to curl up with. You won’t want to see the characters fade away when the book closes. This is a jewel, an absolute jewel.
If you are a fan of Downtown Abby, you will love this book. Lots of secrets & suspense.
This book was way too long. I almost quit reading it several times in the beginning, but I kept reading, and I’m glad I did. It is a love story, but so much more.
Well written , made me read more of her books, very enjoyable.great story.
Beautiful story, although very tragic end. Believable.
Well written.