Canada, present day
When Martha’s beloved father dies, he leaves her two things: a mysterious stash of letters to an English woman called ‘Catkins’ and directions to a beach hut in the English seaside town of Wells-Next-The-Sea. Martha is at a painful crossroads in her own life, and seizes this chance for a trip to England – to discover more about her family’s past, and the identity of her father’s secret correspondent.
Norfolk, 1940
Sylvia’s husband Howard has gone off to war, and she is struggling to raise her two children alone. Her only solace is her beach hut in Wells, and her friendship with Connie, a woman she meets on the beach. The two women form a bond that will last a lifetime, and Sylvia tells Connie something that no-one else knows: about a secret lover… and a child.
But the tragedy of war brings heartbreaking choices. And a promise made between the two women will echo down the years, and could change everything for Martha…
Kindle Edition, 322 pages
Expected publication:
August 2nd 2018
by Bookouture
Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction
Kristine's Thoughts:
** I received an advanced readers copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**
The Lost Letters was a story that weaved back and forth between past and present to uncover the mystery surrounding Martha's father. After passing away, Martha and her sister discovered that he had rented a beach hut in the English seaside town of Wells for a month to finish his book. They didn't know the significance or reason for wanting to go there. They also discovered a picture of a woman and a protected folder on his computer with the name Catkins. Martha decided to make the trip from Canada to use his reservation and to try and uncover the mysteries and answer the questions they had.
The story weaved back to Norfolk in 1940 during WW11 and began to tell the story that would eventually answer all of the questions from present time. This was where I started to get lost in the pages. As with most stories that weave back and forth I always seem to be drawn more to the historical aspect than the present day story. That was absolutely the case with The Lost Letters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sylvia's story and was anxious to find out what became of her. I also wanted to know how it connected with Martha and her family. The past story was by far my favourite part of the book.
Initially I found myself not overly interested in Martha and the present day story. It just wasn't as interesting as the historical aspect. It wasn't until the two stories started to collide if you will that my interest was piqued. I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Martha. Even though the book was written in English it was almost as though there was a language barrier that I had to overcome to enjoy her. She was from Canada, as am I, but the way she spoke and acted was unlike anyone I know and it made her come across as years older than she was intended to be. I had to keep reminding myself that she was not an old woman. However, as the story progressed and things started unfolding I noticed it much less and was able to enjoy her and the story a lot more.
In the end I can say that I enjoyed The Lost Letters and its story about family, love and sacrifice during a tragic and difficult time in history.
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