March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.
Today I am incredibly excited to be part of the blog tour for Jessica Brockmole's novel 'Letters from Skye.' The book was first published in 2013, but was re-released on the 17th of July by Windmill. Thanks goes to the lovely people at Random House for contacting me about this novel and providing me with a review copy. I love epistolary novels (books written in the form of letters) and I love wartime romance stories, so I had a good feeling I would really enjoy this one!
Elspeth Dunn is a published poet who lives on the Scottish Isle of Skye in 1912. One day, she unexpectedly receives a fan letter from an American college student named David Graham. David loves Elspeth's poetry and what starts with a simple fan letter quickly turns into a dedicated correspondence from both sides. Elspeth and David only have their letters, but in it they share everything with one another, from their darkest secrets to their dreams and goals. When World War 1 takes over their lives, and David becomes an ambulance driver at the front, everything could change in a second. In 1940, at the start of another war, Margaret Dunn finds an old letter from a man called David, and she is determined to find out what happened to her mother all those years ago.
I love books that are completely written in the form of letters, especially when it's as amazingly done as this one. Wow, what a touching and simply lovely read! The author really managed to create a convincing and engaging tale of wartime romance, one that will stay with me for quite some time. Even though the book only consists of letters, there is enough background information to get to know the characters. I really liked both Elspeth and David, and I loved seeing their letters to another develop with time; it really shows how much a letter can say or mean to someone.
While I loved Elspeth and David's story, I think it's great that another aspect is added to the novel in the form of Margaret's letters in the 1940s, during World War 2. She accidentally finds one of David's letters and is curious to find out who this David is. Her search really added something to the story and so did she, as Elspeth's daughter. I just loved everything about this book; it's perfect for hopeless romantics like me! Overall, 'Letters from Skye' is an incredibly romantic, touching and beautifully well-written novel, and undoubtedly one of my favourite wartime romances of all-time.
10/10
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