Surprisingly good! A beautiful love story told through a series of letters. Recommended for fans of Downton Abbey. 4.5 stars ( )

Tom rereads the letters written by Evie and him during WWI while he was away fighting. These letters tell the story of their lives during the war.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that Evie saved her letters as did the people she wrote to during the war. Tom also saved his. I liked the insight given by Tom into the war and his breakdown. I do think the letters would have been more censored especially about the war front. I would like to know what happened between Tom and his cousin John that colored Tom's feelings towards John. I would also like to know why John was not on the battle front instead of at a desk job during the war.

I was thinking of how WWI changed so much for society with the breakdown of norms. I am sure they talked of before the war and after the war as we do the pandemic. Watching how their feelings toward the war changes during the 5 years of the war was interesting. At first, it's a lark then reality sets in that it will not be a quick war and people have changed because of what they saw and did. Plus, there were some that never came home. I was glad Evie defied her mother over her brother's letters. It helped at the end to know that Tom was not alone in Paris for his last Christmas.

While I was fine during most of the book, the ending killed me. I cried hard over those last few pages so you might want to keep kleenex at hand. I am crying now as I write this, remembering the ending. This is a book worth reading. If I had not borrowed it from the library, I would be putting it on my keeper shelf. ( )

I really enjoy books made up with letters and this one was a really good one. I liked reading about WWI for a change. It was brutal and part of Evie's goal was to not sugarcoat it in her columns. ( )

A WWI novel written in letters between childhood friends. A young woman stuck at home in England, writes letters to her best friend, and her brother and his best friend who are at the front. A sweet story and a great road trip read since it’s so easy to stop between letters if needed. Technically a Christmas read, but much more somber than most. I felt like the depiction of a soldier’s time in the trenches was realistic.

"One must always have adventure in life, or the promise of it, at least." ( )

A novel in letters between a brother and sister, the sister and the brother's best friend, the sister and her best friend, among others. It tells the story of how their lives and relationships changed during the first world war.

I *love* epistolary novels, and this one doesn't disappoint. The romance is nicely balanced and interwoven with the background of the war and also the happenings at home in and around London. I can also say that the audio version is wonderfully done. ( )