It’s not often I come across a book that I cannot put down. Ended up staying up way past my bedtime to finish this wonderful book.

Caring for her quickly declining father, Cara discovers a few of her fathers hidden secrets in the attic. The author takes the reader on a journey as Cara searches for answers.

A lovely read.

To be honest, I don’t know where to start. Maybe by admitting it took me a few chapters to get invested in this story. But after I got into it, the curiosity got the best of me and I joined the journey as a very connected reader.
The story gets triggered with Cara finding some postcards. They were an indication that her mother, which she thought dead since she was two years old, was possibly alive. From that point onwards, her life starts to change slowly as she decides if/what she wants to know while at the same time she keeps going with her life as a friend, a wedding dresses maker, a sister and a daughter living with a father that has Alzheimer.
Postcards from a Stranger felt like a slow-paced story, dragged by normality. I found it engaging and beautiful in its own way.

**A free ARC copy of this book was provided in exchange for honest feedback.

I didn't love this one. The premise-- a woman finds postcards in the attic that makes her question what she knows about her own family and the person who has the answers has Alzheimer’s and cannot help-- was intriguing but I couldn't really connect with the characters and found them all a bit frustrating.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a little mystery, romance and family drama, and you kept wondering were Cara’s mother was. This book kept my attention till the end. I am excited to read other books by this author.

Brilliant read. This is a beautifully written emotional story. When Cara finds postcards in the attic she realises that she has been lied to by her dad. Her dad has Alzheimer's which means he can't answer any of her questions. This is a story about family secrets and lies. It is emotional and heartbreaking in places. I would recommend this book and I am looking forward to reading more books by Imogen Clark.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I was glued to this from the beginning and hated leaving it down to go to work. There are three different women all affected by a controlling relationship and the difference in how they cope with is cleverly shown by the author. Cara's search for the truth is often painful and frustrating but at the end not exactly what she thought it was. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have an advance copy to read.

Postcards from a Stranger by Imogene Clark. Cara is a caregiver for her father. One day she goes searching in the attic and discovers postcards that seem like they came from her mother who died when she was 2. She goes searching on the internet to find truth. A story of love and heart ache for Cara and her brother.

A really enjoyable read despite the daily struggles that Cara faces in dealing with her elderly father and her distant brother.

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Cara and Mrs P, her father’s nurse. I don’t want to give too much away but I also loved Cara’s persistence and determination to find out more and track down people overseas.

Unlike many books, the last few chapters were a crescendo and brought the story to a satisfying conclusion rather than a rushed/abrupt ending.

My first book from this author, I’ll look out for more.

4*

The postcards Cara discovers in the attic open a door to her personal history she was not aware was there. She's always thought her mom was dead. At least that's what her dad told her. Cara's family has a long history of problems and this novel, which tells the tale in dual timeline and from different points of view, doesn't shy away from the impact of abusive relationships. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. There's a twist in here that rescues this from being predictable. It's well written and a good read.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Postcards from a Stranger by Imogen Clark’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

Cara stumbles across some old postcards in her attic-the find and reading them makes her question everything that she knows and knew about her life.
It is a book that gets you hooked. Your introduced to various characters. Cara questions her past , there are many twists and turns. It will certainly play with your emotions.

A sweet book that I really enjoyed. I think the alzheimers part was portrayed perfectly and hit my emotions hard on a personal level. Absolutely perfect!

Very moving story which is beautifully written. There are three sides to every story, his, hers and the truth. This book will bring the reader on a journey of truths, half truths and lies but will the truth come out at the end? Read and learn

With thanks to Netgalley and Amazon for ARC in return for an honest review

Loved the book from the moment I started reading it. I was first drawn to the cover and ended up loving the story. There's a bit of a mystery about what happened to Cara's mom.

Since Cara was two, she has always believed that her mom was dead. She grew up with an older brother, Michael, and a father who was rather strict. Cara and Michael weren't allowed to make noise while playing and the attic was forbidden. Michael left the house as soon as he entered college and never looked back. Cara became a wedding dress designer and lives at home. Cara finds a box in the attic full of postcards from her mom. A mom that is supposed to be dead. Cara can't ask her dad about them because he is suffering from Alzheimer's. Cara knows her mom must be alive and goes on a search to find her or at least the truth about why she abandoned her children. Cara travels to San Francisco to meet an aunt she never knew existed.

My favorite parts were reading about Cara and her quest to find her mom. I wanted to feel bad for Annie, but she made so many bad choices. To get away from her dad she goes straight into the arms of someone exactly like him. Tilly was one of the worst choices she made. Where was Annie when Cara turned eighteen? Cara and Michael acted the opposite of what I thought they would at the end of the funeral. Michael discouraged Cara from looking for their mom. Throughout the whole book I was hoping Mrs. P would turn out to be Cara's long lost mom. All signs pointed that Beth made a terrible mistake by getting married. He seemed so controlling. My favorite part is when she bought the dog and refused to sell her cottage. I loved the story, characters and writing style.

I definitely recommend the book. I look forward to reading more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and the author, Imogen Clark, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

Imogen Clark writes with such fluidity, that this debut novel was an absolute delight to read. The alternating points of view showcased an elaborate web that Ms. Clark wove together beautifully. Cara is such a complex individual, and is yet somehow relatable on so many levels. I found myself cheering her on throughout the story, hoping that she could solve this most complex puzzle in her life.

The author also deals well with the stark reality of caring for an aging and/or terminally ill parent. The reader is privy to Cara's most honest feelings about her situation, and the true difficulties she faces on a daily basis in having to care for her father.

Several twists and turns had me guessing throughout the novel, and the "big reveal" was certainly unexpected! I look forward to reading more of Ms. Clark's upcoming work, as I can sense that her literary career will surely blossom.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sad but very uplifting book. Beautifully written, wonderful characters. Show how childhood really does shape your future

Postcards from a Stranger is an excellent story, wrapped around a disjointed, broken family, their decisions and choices and the repercussions of those choices for years and generations to follow. It is a story to warm your heart. I will watch for more from Imogen Clark. I really like her style. And I love her definition of 'mother'.

I received a free electronic copy of this modern British novel from Netgalley, Imogen Clark, and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

When I first read the synopsis for this story I was extremely intrigued. A girl, Cara, takes care of her father who is ailing from Alzheimer’s and finds out the mother she thought was dead could possibly be alive when she finds a box of mysterious postcards in the attic. Intriguing, right?

To be honest, I struggled to attach the the characters in this one, which led me to believe in the plot and in turn, the novel. I really wanted to. I love how the chapters rotate between past and present. I love how we catch a glimpse of the relationship Cara’s parents had when they first met, and I appreciate the parallels between Cara and the mother she doesn’t remember. I just couldn’t fall in love with this book though. Maybe, someday, I will pick it up and reread it and try again.

I found this a well written book which deals with family issues such as loyalty, abuse and redemption. The ways that 3 different women deal with controlling/abusive partners is perceptive. Secrets are eventually unfolded and the truth of historic situations revealed. A good read.

Omogen Clark entices the reader into "Postcards From A Stranger" by the second chapter. It is the story of Cara and Michael, siblings , whose father's memory is riddened by Alzheimer's disease causing family secrets to be locked away. Until Cara begins going through her father's neatly stored papers in the attic; which was always off limits to her and Michael while growing up. She comes across a box of postcards. And, here the journey of of a lifetime of secrets begin to unfold. The reader is taken from London to San Francisco; a sojourn of discovery. I recommend "Postcards From A Stranger" because just when the reader believes that all the secrets have been told, there is one more.

Cara has been caring for her father who suffers from Alzheimer's. Her father was a strict and controlling influence in her life, but is now a sad shell of the man he had been. Cara finally hires help in caring for him, and Mrs. P becomes an important addition to the household.

On discovering a box of postcards in the attic, Cara realizes that her mother did not die when she was two years old as she has always been told. Stunned, Cara can no longer get any information from her father, but is determined to find out the truth. Her brother is reluctant to get involved, and Cara realizes that he knows more about the situation than he is willing to reveal.

Determined to discover what led to her mother's absence, Cara pursues the few clues she has. In the process, she learns some things about herself as well as family secrets.

Well-written and interesting, Postcards from a Stranger covers several absorbing dynamics: family relationships, caring for a dementia patient, friendships new and old, loneliness and longing.

Read in June. Review scheduled for July 24.

NetGalley/Lake Union Publishing

Contemporary Fiction. August 7, 2018. Print length: 398 pages.