Letters to the Lost

Letters to the Lost is an enthralling novel—I was hooked from the first page. The narrative transitions back and forth from the story of Jess and Will in current times to Stella and Dan during WWII. Jess, taking shelter from her abusive boyfriend in abandoned house, comes across a letter written to Stella by 90 year old Dan. Jess, eventually with the help of Will, tries to piece together the relationship of Stella and Dan, and solve the mystery of what tore them apart. This is a beautiful novel filled with romance, history, and mystery. I highly recommend Letters to the Lost!

This is a beautifully written book about lost love and new beginnings. I was completely torn between not wanting to put it down and not wanting it to end! Jess is a young woman running from an unhappy life. She happens upon an abandoned cottage, where she takes shelter. While there, she finds a cache of old letters, through which unfolds the story of Stella and Dan. Both stories are well developed and cause the reader to care about each character. Highly recommend this book.

Blending past and present beautifully, you are instantly pulled in and you don't let go. Mixing historical moments, romance, heartbreak, hope, and a bit of suspense- this book is perfectly balanced with everything to make it an award winner. Highly recommend this!

Enjoyed this story of WWII. Liked the characters, and the plot twists.

This is one of those rare books, where saying goodbye to the characters is so difficult. A true love story, bound up with four people; Will and Jess in present day England, and Stella and Dan in the midst of WWII. Jess happens upon some letters while hiding away in a deserted house, and the story begins. Lovely and moving, a must read.

great book

Wonderful book! Strong voice!

Wow, this is one great novel. I was hooked from the first few pages. Great story lines from both the past, the love between Dan and Stella and present, the developing relationship between Jess and Will. Each is unique yet with distinct parallels. In each the women are running from abusive relationships and the men are grappling with their own demons. Will with his mental illness and obviously Charles with his homosexuality.

I really couldn't put this book down. It was also great historical fiction with wonderful details of just how strict rationing was and the lack of food in London. The soldiers who flew the bombing raids over Germany and the struggles they had between patriotism and knowing the loss of life that they created.

I highly recommend this book.

Two love stories, one during WW2 and one in the present time, evolve around a house in London. I loved this book. Stella and Dan's story took place in a different time which impacted everything that happened. Great read!

I really really liked this book and I am not really a fan of historical fiction and love stories so that says a lot. While it is definitely a love story; it does not romantise WWII. The hardships, the loss of life, the strict social conventions of the 1940's are not glossed over and yet there is hope and love that spans decades. Love even connects a new generation as they seek to unravel the mystery of love letters lost. Completely compelling and a very addictive read.

The Curtis Brown book group now offers two choices per month. So when they tweeted a picture of their choices for March, I had my fingers crossed I would receive Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey as I had heard such great things about it. When I opened the envelope and discovered this quite simply brilliant book inside to say I was excited would be a huge understatement. It is a long book at over 500 pages but I loved every minute of it and just wanted it to go on and on. I literally could not put it down and I read it in a day. It’s been a while since a book kept me up reading late into the night but this book had me in the palm of it's hand and wouldn't relinquish that hold until I reached the last page. Literally everything was put aside and I had to keep reading until I discovered the fate Stella, Dan and co. I don't think I could have spent a night not knowing the outcome for this brave, courageous couple. For a debut novel Letters to the Lost is an astonishing achievement that deserves huge success and to be honest no matter what I write no words will do this magnificent book justice.

With a beautiful cover that instantly draws you in and a prologue that had me hooked instantly I knew I was in good hands. Within the very first paragraph there was a quote I wanted to write down and savour and this continued throughout with such beautiful, thought provoking writing. Overall the writing is just exquisite, I wanted to reread sentences again and again to absorb, enjoy and ponder each word. This is not like me at all as I read quite fast but this book made me stop and just relish such phenomenal writing that only enhanced what is a spellbinding story. All the ingredients I love in a good read are here – historical, time slip, romance, mystery etc but it's how the author uses these ingredients and brings them all together is what makes for such a remarkable read that I really can't say enough good things about. In fact I think it would make a great tv series as I had everything pictured so vividly in my head. Sitting down on a Sunday night to watch the latest episode of Letters to the Lost sounds pretty good to me.

Slipping in time between 2011 and the early 1940's we meet two very different women born years apart but both struggling with various issues in their lives. They both want happiness and to feel completed but things conspire against them and they must use all the strength and courage they possess to weather the storm and achieve what they so badly want. In 2011, Jess is escaping from a tyrant, someone who promised her the moon and stars but failed to deliver. She is running away from him with the smallest amount of money in her pocket and only the clothes she has on her back. Late at night she stumbles across Greenfields Lane and an abandoned house. She breaks in and takes shelter in a house that time seems to have forgotten. While she rests and recuperates after her trauma she discovers a recently delivered letter from a Dan Rosinski to a Stella Thorne. He is looking to reunite with her, he is now 90 and still carries a deep rooted flame for a woman who stole his heart so many years ago. Jess is a woman who is down in herself and her increasingly desperate situation,having nothing and forced to raid cupboards which contain food left there for many years.Enter Will Holt a probate officer who has many troubles of his own, he is trying find any relatives of the owner of the cottage -a Nancy Prize. But if Nancy Prize owns the cottage then who is Stella Thorne? Together Will and Jess do their best to reunite war time lovers as they read through a stash of discovered letters of a love that was real, deep and meaningful, a love that should have transcended any obstacles in its path.

Step back to the early 1940's and Stella has just married Rev. Charles Thorne but is she settling for second best in life? As Charles' former housekeeper has she mistaken love for comfort and ease? It soon becomes apparent neither Stella nor Charles are happy and the reasons for this become clear as we read on. Stella's friend Nancy urges her to go out for a night and break free of the demands of a parish and a husband who is not all he is cracked up to be. When out dancing she meets Dan Rosinski an officer in the air force. An instant and deep attraction sparks between the pair. Yes an attraction that is forbidden and goes against everything Stella has believed in but when love comes calling and your heart is telling you go for it, what can you do? Stella is a woman who wants to always do the right thing especially as she is married to a vicar. But she is also a real woman who needs love and comfort and that is not what Charles is giving her. Dan provides a release for Stella to explore her inner woman and break free from the confines of a bitter, loveless marriage. Their love for each other radiates off the pages, yes initially you feel Stella's uncertainty and reluctance but you also cheer as she gives into her feelings and experiences love the way every woman should have in their life at one time or another. Sometimes we condemn people who have affairs or look on them in an unfavourable way but in this case Stella married very young, is not happy and settled for second best. So I can see why she was turned by Dan and I wanted the best for the pair of them.

The story effortlessly slips between the past and present and I felt every bit of the passion, need, desire and love that the characters are going through. All the background characters each bring their own unique element to the story. Some of the ladies of the parish provided many humorous moments but they were also there to support Stella when she goes through plenty of rough patches. So much happens in this story, there is a lot to take in but it is all necessary and only adds to the multi faceted layers and as the reader peels back these layers both in the past and the present we come to a deeper understanding of how love can transcend all obstacles that life can place in its path.Just when I thought I had everything worked out the author threw in another twist or two that had me gripped and that's what made this so enjoyable. To hold my attention over 500 pages and for it to never waver and to read this book so quick is a testament to what a fantastic,emotive, heartbreaking enduring novel that Iona has written.

I've read a lot of time slip historical fiction novels featuring romance during World War Two. But Letters to the Lost is different. It doesn't just scratch the surface but delves deeper exploring the real problems and anguish Stella is experiencing. This is a book of real substance and don't let anyone tell you it is chick lit.It is women's historical fiction of the highest calibre. Evidently the author put plenty of hours into her research as you feel you are really there during the time of the early 1940's. The hardship women endured as their loved ones fought far away, the daily struggles to try and provide decent meals whilst on rationing and just the general day to day of making do for the greater good of others. I liked how we weren't overloaded with detail into the ins and outs of the war. Dan describes missions he undertakes flying across the channel and you feel you are there with him and his men as they attack the enemy. In a book I had read recently there was way too much technical detail into the air force which put me off the book. Not so in this case, this book is focused more on the love and passion aspect due to a chance encounter and the romance was developed extremely well the more the book progressed. I was rooting for Stella and Dan to get the happiness they deserved in spite of so many obstacles thrown in their path.

You read a book and think oh this is good it could be my contender for book of the year even though it's only April but in all sincerity Letters to the Lost will take some beating for this title for me. I have read several books since this one some of which have had rave reviews. But they haven't lived up to my expectation and I think this is because Stella, Dan, Jess and Will and their fascinating story still linger with me and the characters don't want to let go. Iona Grey I hope you are hard at work on book number two because this reader is buzzing from a superb début and I want more, more, more.

I really enjoyed this beautifully written love story. It had everything that I look for in a good book and I was sorry to see it end! But what en ending! I would highly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction and/or just a nice story!

ARC via net galley. This was a great historical romance. I read it on vacation recently and it was the perfect summer beach read. Great for an easy weekend read.

This was a haunting book, I loved it!

The Story Guys, I was browsing on NetGalley--which I NEVER do--and found this under St. Martin's page and I knew I wanted to request it. Seriously, if y'all know me you know I am pretty stingy when it comes to requesting and I have to really want to read it to request it so I was a little nervous going in just in case I didn't like it. No worries there! It was a little slow to start, and the pacing overall is pretty slow, but I loved it. I fell in love with this book like you fall asleep...slowly and then all at once--Thanks, John Green. But for real, that's how it was. It took a few chapters for me to feel the beat and then I was all in. The 2011 story and the flashbacks to the 1943 story sucked me in like mad. We are first introduced to Jess who is running away, from what we do not know, and she finds an abandoned house to hide out in. The next day a letter arrives from an American man telling an old love that he has spend his life loving her and wishes he would have fought harder for her...and so it begins...

We get Jess' present day story of trying to survive, get her life right, as well as find out who the woman of the letter is. We also get a journey to the past--see what I did there?--to discover what the actual story is that inspired this letter. The present day story is pretty light in the first 50% and then it really digs in whereas the first part of the book focuses a bit more time on 1944. How these two stories come together and the story that unfolds in 1944 is perfect in pacing. I felt like London 1944 enfolded me in its blanket of words and as awful of a time this was, I feel oddly comforted while reading. It was like coming home after a long time away and I realized my own love affair with this city during this time period. I will not reveal spoilers but this story is beautiful in its innocence yet passionate nature. The impossibility of the situation, the unknown of tomorrow or even the next hour, and the longing that is felt for loved ones in harm's way. It is all just so...tragically beautiful, and I loved every second.

The 2011 story is a slow burn. We have two very complex characters who are so different yet so similar. Again, no spoilers, but the circumstances that bring these two together at several different times is just fantastic. You can't fight fate or destiny but you also sometimes have to fight to get there. I found myself rooting for Jess and Will in so many ways and they were so endearing to my heart. I just wanted them to be okay. The focus overall might have been moreso on 1944 but I didn't love Will and Jess any less.

The Letters I am a sucker for letters in books. Especially love letters. There is something so innocent and sexy and romantic and deep about love letters. I love when they are in books and so much emotion can be felt in a short letter compared to 10 pages of writing, in my opinion. So much is conveyed in so little and it just clutches at my heart. I love, love, loved reading Dan's letters to Stella and I just cannot tell you how much this added to the story and made the entire story possible.

The Writing As I said above, the writing felt like it was wrapping me in a blanket. I was enthralled by the story and absolutely never wanted to put it down. The pacing is slow but in a deliciously slow revealing way. I loved how this story was written. I felt like we really got a feel for the setting, the emotions, the characters, their motivations, the longing, all of it. It was fantastic and if you're a fan of historical fiction, you will fall in love with this story.

The Love While I, myself, completely fell in love with the characters and their story, I could objectively see that there is small lack in the build-up of the feelings. I don't want to go so far as to say insta-love because it is SO not that but I could have done with a little more interaction with each other before feelings were discussed. On the same note, when you know you know and in their situations it is completely understandable so I'mma let it slide and it didn't bother me but I could see where a few people might have small issues with it.

My Rating: Backstage Pass If you love historical fiction, love letters, and wartime love stories...this book is for you.

This is a wonderfully evocative dual romance: a touching love story in 1942 London woven with the lives of a 2011 London couple. My Rating 4.5.

Jess escapes from her abusive boyfriend by running into the night. She eventually stumbles down a dark street and finds a deserted house where she hides until she hears his feet fade away. Having no where to go she sneaks into the house for shelter. The next morning she is pondering what to do when a letter is passed through the mail slot. It is clear that no one has lived in the house for quite a while and she is curious about the mail. Amidst all of the junk mail to 'Nancy' or Occupant comes the new letter addressed to 'Stella' and marked personal and confidential. Jess decides to check it out since it looks so important. She is surprised to find that the letter seeks a long lost loved one. As Jess continues to hide she finds a box of letters hidden in the bedroom. Reading them she finds herself mesmerized by the one sided tale of a love story between British Stella and American pilot, Dan.

Will works for an ancestry trace office and is looking for Nancy. He spots Stella one day but she claims no knowledge. Will perseveres and becomes friends with an elderly neighbor who tells him about Nancy and produces a key to the vacant house. When Will goes to inspect the place he discovers Jess almost dead. He gets her to the hospital and stays to see that she is alright. He is drawn to the frail girl and disappointed when she calls him “Dan” in a moment of delirium. When she awakens she explains about the letters. Together they begin a search for Stella in hoes that they can put her in touch with Dan before illness ends their chance to see each other one more time.

The story shifts scenes from 1942 to 2011 with glimpses of both sets of characters and their growing feelings. I like this technique of weaving two separate relationships. It is like a mystery unfolding or putting pieces of a puzzle together until the full picture is revealed.

Although there are some haunting similarities between Jess and Stella there are also major changes in the societies they have to cope in. Dan and Will are different in temperaments, one eager to enjoy life and the other moody. But when it comes to protecting a woman they have chosen they are quite similar. There is joy with anticipation and hope and shattering heartbreak with fear and despair. The characters are beautifully developed and the settings for the most part accurately portrayed. The writing is beautifully evocative and gave me a sense of being there.

I don’t always like ‘drama’ in my reading but in this book I was completely engaged by both the historic love story and the modern one. This is a debut novel and I certainly would be interested in more by Ms. Grey. I recommend this to readers who love a tender romance because here you get two, one with lovely history!

This debut novel, Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey, is sure to please fans of historical fiction and romance. The story alternates between modern day and 1940's London. An aspiring singer, Jess Moran, escapes an abusive situation and hides out in an abandoned house. There, she discovers love letters from a relationship during WWII between an American airman, Dan Rosinski, and Stella, wife of a rural vicar, Charles Thorne.

I very much liked this novel and work of women's fiction, but I did feel that it was a little too long in places. Perhaps I just wanted to learn more about Jess, Stella and Dan? What is really amazing is to discover the way in which the author parallels some of the events and eases the reader between the two time periods. This can be as simple as each set of characters sharing a cup of tea or coffee on adjacent pages, though decades apart in time. Or when tension rises simultaneously for each story line with a traumatic experience for each of the heroines – one ends up in an intensive care unit; the other, a virtual prisoner since she is too embarrassed to go out in public.

These women made plenty of mistakes and I wish that Stella in particular had been stronger and more of a self-advocate despite society's constraints. There is mystery and romance throughout the book; each woman has the love of a good man even though she may be slow to recognize it. This title is receiving rave reviews on Goodreads and elsewhere and has book club potential: check-out Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey.

Some possible read-alikes: Rosamunde Pilcher, Santa Montefiore, plus Susannah Kearsley and Lucinda Riley, both of whom are mentioned in Grey's acknowledgments.

In addition to review on blog (link below), also posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1294006344