I am sad that I let this set in my TBR for so long. This novel takes an interesting look at one's life through the filter of the heroine. She was able to accept challenges as her life unfolded in various directions. The story tells how even the best laid plans rarely turn out as one expects. I was pleasantly surprised by this book

Really did not enjoy this book. Had trouble with the characters and trouble understanding their relationship. Also the way the copy downloaded made it difficult to preview. Couldn't get into it and actually gave up which is unusual for me.

Judith fell in love with Elliot when they were in fifth class and this story is her version of her life long love for him. Judith and Elliot become close in adolescence and their fledgling love is severed as each goes off to university in different cities but they manage to maintain a close friendship. Inevitably as their lives progress, each of them embark on various romances and marriages but Elliot never forgets to send Judith a thoughtful gift on her birthday while Judith fantasises about when they might finally be together. Through the vicissitudes of life, they continue to be good friends with long telephone calls and the occasional get togethers when able.

The story tells of Judith's deep love for Elliot throughout a lifetime. It is well written and deeply moving. The last section is particularly poignant. I loved this book. The narrative engrossed me and despite being a love story, it did not ever become sloppy and sentimental. Indeed, it's very sharply observed while maintaining a delicate touch. Just perfect!

This was such a great read. As a character-driven book, it is easy to feel invested in the characters. I am going to look for more from this author in the future, as this was such an enjoyable read!

This story is written between 2nd and 3rd person POV. At first, I wasn't sure if it was flowing as well as it should be. But I was wrong. This was very uniquely written and I never felt bored or like the story lagged. It was a heavy hearted story and at times I felt my heart even breaking with Judith (I also was very frustrated with her)! I found the characters so realistic and complicated. I loved how they were developed as we moved through the story. A really well written story all around.

You would think perhaps that the phrase "pining" was coined by Judith's enduring love and deep loyalty to Elliot Pine. Sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into Judith and tell her, "he doesn't love you as much as you love him!!" The sad thing is, I think Judith always knew that.

The premise of the book, a letter to Elliot, was well done and tied in nicely to the fact that Judith and Elliot have been writing each other letters their whole life. Elayne Klasson did a great job at having Judith tell her story to the reader through her writing to Elliot. We really got to know the characters and got to feel Judith's enduring love for Elliot.

The story left me feeling a little sad for Judith, it felt like she always just had to settle for what she could emotionally get from Elliot. Their relationship at the end of the story was bittersweet. However her selfless love was lovely.