A dual timeline taking place in England during WW2 and 2015 England. An interesting story does drag a bit. The relationships in the “present” time for me, I didn’t feel there was any chemistry between the characters. I’m not sure on the title The Florance Letter, not enough takes place in Florance and the letter is sent to Florance is right at the end. The WW2 timeline caught my interest a little more, I did feel some connection. A story of secrets, loyalty, promises and discovery. 2 ½ stars.

I would like to thank Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#TheFlorenceLetter #NetGalley

A dual time that merges the lives of all those involved into the present time.
It is 2015 and Claire begins a new job at Gatley Hall, which is owned by the Association of Treasured Properties, after a breakup with her fiancé and the death of her father. She needs a new start and this seems to be the right move for her.
Margaret lives in London during the Blitz in WWII but needs to find a new job as the shop she was working in is bombed. She moves in with her Aunt in the village of Gatley and secures a job as ladies maid with Lady Violet of Gatley Hall.
Claire discovers a letter Margaret has written to the staff at Gatley Hall seeking help finding a person from her time working with Lady Violet. She had made a promise to her Lady and wanted to fulfil it before she died. Claire meets with Margaret, now in her 90s, and decides it is important for Gatley’s history to find this person. The journey see Claire travel to Florence. .
There is love, friendships, secret liaisons and a bit of intrigue to make this book a good pick for a light weekend read

Such a wonderful read. Escape to Italy in this gorgeous story of past and present colliding. Another compulsive read from an author who seems to do no wrong. I absolutely devoured this one… You will want to clear your afternoon to read this one straight through.

I liked how it started. A little intrigue to the story trying to figure how the two storylines would intersect. However, by about halfway through I started feeling like the story was dragging, the conversations didn’t flow. And I didn’t appreciate that there was a lot of sleeping around and back and forth emotions that really didn’t even help the story.

I was captivated by The Florence Letter from the very first page. A beautifully-written novel with the dual timeline woven together in a rich pattern, it tells the story of Margaret "Mags" during the Second World War and Claire in the present, whose lives entwine when Claire helps Mags to fulfil a promise she made long ago. I'm not normally a fan of the Second World War era in historical fiction but in Anita's hands it proved to be a fascinating insight into the effects of the War on the "ordinary" lives of working people and their feelings and attitudes were portrayed sympathetically and realistically. There is real depth and substance to the story and to the characters, and it drew me into the book and kept me riveted to the page. I loved the descriptions of both Gatley Hall and of Florence, which were in their different ways so vivid and compelling, Anita has a real talent for creating wonderfully atmospheric dual timeline stories that are both romantic and intriguing!

“What on earth was a half-naked man doing in my house?”

Anita Chapman shows us the road bumps we encounter and the resilience that develops when we deal with loss and are forced to take a new and unfamiliar road in life.

It’s rare that I’m more absorbed in a contemporary timeline than a historical one, but such is the case with this book. Claire-with-an-i moves into a new home to start afresh after grieving the loss of a loved one. Settling into a new job is the least of her worries; she’s got a half-naked man who wanders into her house and takes a shower! I was caught up in her Gately Hall exhibition and the discovery of a letter that led her to Margaret ‘Mags’ Anderson. The author crafted a compelling story of self-discovery with Claire.

The story opens in 2013 with 91-year-old Margaret Anderson and her memories and then alternates Claire’s contemporary story with Mags’ WW2 historical one. Like Claire, Margaret also deals with loss and experiences growth in her ‘moving on’ journey. It takes a while before the title makes sense, but when it does I wanted to know if/when Tabitha was found and how it all linked back to Rose Cottage. As always, I’m drawn in by the secrets and feel compelled to find out what really happened. Chapman kept my interest with the secrets that united Mags and Claire.

Congratulations on a spectacular cover!

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

In the 1940's, Margaret finds herself working at Gately Hall as a Lady's maid to Lady Violet after the department store where she worked was bombed during the war. 2015 and Claire accepts a job organising a "below stairs" exhibition at Gately Hall. She finds a letter from Margaret begging for help to find Tabitha. In turn this sends her to Florence to discover what happened to Tabitha.
On the whole I really liked this dual timeline novel, I preferred the historical side of the story with Margarets life, I found Claires side more of a will they won't they scenario. However once she visited Florence the modern side became more captivating.

The Florence Letter is a dual timeline novel with the first timeline taking place in the 1940s with London shopgirl Margaret relocating to the country and getting a job as a lady's maid for Lady Violet at Gatley Hall after her workplace in London is destroyed during a bombing. The second timeline also takes place at Gatley Hall but in 2015 and we meet Claire, who has been hired by the ATP (Assocciation of Treasured Properties) to create a Below Stairs museum exhibit about the house and the servants who were employed there in times past. She is shown a drawer full of old letters and information about Gatley Hall and finds an old letter from Margaret, asking about someone named Tabitha who used to live in Rose Cottage many years ago. This story has it all - a storyline that pulled me right in, likeable characters, a mystery, and even a scandal. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Up until the last couple of chapters of this book, I agreed with the average three stars. But because of a couple of sentences in Chapter 46 (according to my Kindle) about a woman never fulfilling her dreams partly because she had a husband who was closed off to her having anything of her own. Those sentences helped push my rating to 4 stars. It is a cross-generational book. I thought it was pretty good. The story was interesting, the characters well written and I did keep reading to find out how it was going to end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Found this cozy love story to be boring and not well written. Did enjoy the dual points of view. And certainly not enough taking place in Florence to match my expectations from the title.

Title: A Captivating Journey Through Time and Heartbreak: A Review of "The Florence Letter" by Anita Chapman

As an ARC reader of "The Florence Letter" by Anita Chapman, I was swept away by the mesmerizing blend of past and present, love and heartbreak, set against the enchanting backdrop of Florence.

The story begins with Claire, nursing a broken heart and embarking on a new job as a researcher at a grand English country house. It's there that she stumbles upon a long-forgotten letter that unveils a wartime secret involving Lady Violet, a passionate affair, and a tragic end. Determined to fulfill the dying wish of the letter's author, Claire sets off on a journey to reunite Violet's daughter, Tabitha, with a piece of her mother's jewelry.

Chapman's vivid descriptions whisked me away to the sun-drenched streets of Florence, where the scent of freshly baked bread and the promise of hidden secrets lingered in the air. As Claire delves deeper into Violet's past, guided by the clues left behind, I found myself eagerly turning the pages, desperate to uncover the truth alongside her.

The romance woven throughout the narrative adds another layer of depth to the story. Claire's growing connection with her charming neighbor, Jim, provides moments of warmth and tenderness against the backdrop of a heartbreaking family secret.

One of the strengths of "The Florence Letter" is Chapman's ability to seamlessly intertwine past and present, weaving a tale that feels both timeless and poignant. The revelations that unfold are both heart-wrenching and thought-provoking, challenging the characters to confront the complexities of forgiveness and the weight of secrets held for generations.

While the story has its share of twists and turns, it ultimately delivers a satisfying conclusion that left me both fulfilled and contemplative. Chapman skillfully captures the essence of Italy, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring power of love and redemption.

In conclusion, "The Florence Letter" is a captivating and beautifully crafted novel that will appeal to fans of Lucinda Riley and Fiona Valpy. It's a story that lingers long after the final page is turned, inviting readers to ponder the timeless themes of love, loss, and the enduring bonds that connect us all.

This story brought two ladies Claire and Margaret together as they tried to keep a promise that was made to Lady Violet after the birth of her daughter and her own death not long after. Written in dual time lines that were blended together very well.
The story kept me captivated and engaged once it started to move better as both narratives were interesting. A mystery to be uncovered to find out what happened to Tabitha.
A heartfelt, fascinating and sweet story.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

A story with years apart that brings Claire and Margaret together to honor a promise that was made to Lady Violet after the birth of her daughter, and her death shortly afterwards.

A very moving story from the past that's reunites a family torn apart by secrets after Claire finds a letter from Margaret, now in her nineties, asking for help to trace the daughter of Lady Violet. Tabitha, that once lived in the beautiful England Estate that Claire has commenced working at.

This letter finds Claire travelling to Florence to try and unravel the mystery of what happened to Tabitha and to help Margaret for fill her promise to Lady Violet.

A wonderful story that we capture your attention from cover to cover!

“The Florence Letter” by Anita Chapman is a dual-timeline historical fiction book. This book takes place both during WWII in the UK and in 2015, again in the UK. In the WWII timeline we follow Margaret as she moves from London (where she worked as a shop girl) to a small town to work as a lady’s maid. Skipping about a bit, in order to not give away too much of the plot, Margaret agrees to do something for her lady - but after nearly 50 years she is still stymied in fulfilling her promise. Enter Claire, who has taken a job in the small town and at the former estate, now owned by the government. While planning an exhibit, Claire stumbles across a letter Margaret has written, asking for help. Eventually Margaret and Claire meet - and eventually Margaret’s promise is fulfilled. This book took a while to get going for me - and, in fact, I keep wondering why it was given this title as everything was taking place in the UK. In fact, the Italian scenes are so late in the book, I think the cover image feels misleading. I think this book had a good plot, but it moved a bit too slowly for me. There’s also a romance that seemed so back and forth that I really wanted to shake two of the characters - or lock them in a room together so that they’d actually TALK to each other, opposed to making assumptions.

"The Florence Letter" is about two ladies whose lives are intertwined by the new lives they have to settle into and the hardships they endure along the way.
 
From the beginning, we're drawn into Margaret's perspective, where she copes with the aftermath of losing her dream job and finds solace in the countryside amidst the chaos of war. Through her journey, we witness her evolution from heartbreak to healing and eventually find peace.

Claire, our other protagonist, embarks on her journey of renewal following the loss of a loved one and a shattered relationship. As she navigates her new job and surroundings, a chance discovery of a letter from Margaret sets her on a path of self-discovery and growth.
 
We witness the protagonists' inspirational journeys where they learn from their past experiences, heal from their sufferings, and grow to become better versions of themselves. We also witness a bittersweet moment when Margaret fulfils her promise to Lady Violet after years of dedication.
 
Reading the different perspectives, I was captivated and excited to continue reading without wanting to put the book down and to witness how the story unfolds and how the two timelines connect and eventually come full circle.
 
My favourite part was Margaret's time with Lady Violet when they grew closer and Margaret's lifelong love for reading began, which I found quite relatable.

At its core, "The Florence Letter" serves as a reminder of life's imperfections, and the resilience required to navigate its twists and turns. It's a testament to the power of love and hope. Through its narrative, I learnt to be more grateful for the opportunities I receive.
 
It's an enjoyable story, perfect for a relaxing day.
Both narratives were engaging and interesting to follow, and they left me feeling warm on the inside.
 
I recommend this to anyone who would love a cosy, touching, and heartfelt read. 🌹💕
 
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for review purposes. Many thanks to @NetGalley, @bookouture, and @neetschapman for the opportunity 🙏❤️
- Kiki