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The Postmistress
CDs, 9 CDs, 11 hours
What would happen if someone did the unthinkable-and didn't deliver a letter? Filled with stunning parallels to today, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.
What would happen if someone did the unthinkable-and didn't deliver a letter? Filled with stunning parallels to today, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.
11 pages, Audio CD
First published December 24, 2009
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About the author
Sarah Blake
61 books1,027 followersSarah is the author of the novels, Grange House, the bestselling The Postmistress, and The Guest Book forthcoming; a chapbook of poems, Full Turn, and the artist book Runaway Girls in collaboration with the artist Robin Kahn. She lives in Washington DC with her husband, the poet Joshua Weiner, their two sons, and a little white dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,860 reviews
December 5, 2013
There are tons of great stories set during WWII. This is not one of them. It's not even much of a story, it just sort of meanders and then peters out. The main characters aren't much more than plot devices or symbols; in fact, the only people worth caring about are the mostly nameless refugees fleeing the Nazis, and the Londoners living through the Blitz. The sections of the book focusing on them are actually great. But if you want a book about a fascinating female character during the war, read Charlotte Grey. If you want a book about a small town affected by the war, read the Guernsey Literary Potato whatever book. If you want a book that focuses on the tragedy of the Holocaust, read Sarah's Key. If you want a book about nothing, read this one.
July 8, 2011
This books leaves way too much to be desired. Blake's book is purportedly a gripping glimpse into the lives of three women whose experiences during the second world war become interconnected. Unfortunately the only thing gripping about this book was the overwhelming sense of confusion that envelopes the reader in his or her attempt to understand why this woman's book was actually published. The attempted interconnectedness between the three main characters is contrived, forced, and unconvincing. Blake seems to spend so much time trying to to tie these disparate stories together that she fails to create characters that deserve attention or encourage the reader become the least bit invested in where the character ends up. My lasting impressions of the book were: 1. Why is it called The Postmistress when the postmaster is never referred to thusly? 2., Why must all the men die?, and 3. Why does this book claim to be centered around the postmaster and her act of withholding mail when she does that but once and 3/4 of the way through the book? Overall, I felt quite angry that I wasted my time on this book.
April 17, 2018
This was such a moving story. I just wanted to close the book, lie back and just think about it. And even now, I still do not want to clutter up this story with my own words. So I will begin by adding the opening of the book as the beginning of what kept me reading through the night, long into the beautiful day outside, with in between a quick return to reality to answer the phone and do some work. I was impatient to get back to it. Honestly.
Absolutely RECOMMENDED!
THERE WERE YEARS after it happened, after I’d returned from the town and come back here to the busy blank of the city, when some comment would be tossed off about the Second World War and how it had gone—some idiotic remark about clarity and purpose—and I’d resist the urge to stub out my cigarette and bring the dinner party to a satisfying halt. But these days so many wars are being carried on in full view of all of us, and there is so much talk of pattern and intent (as if a war can be conducted like music), well, last night I couldn’t help myself. “What would you think of a postmistress who chose not to deliver the mail?” I asked.In the very last paragraph of the author's notes in the book, she explains the inspiration for the book and the message we can take away. For me it is a perfect blurb as well.
Here is the war story I never filed. I began it at the end of the forties, when I could see quite clearly, and charged myself with getting it right, getting it sharper, all this while. What I knew at the time is pieced together here with the parts I couldn’t have known, but imagine to be true. And the girl I was—Frankie Bard, radio gal—lives on these pages as someone I knew, once...I loved the integrity of the prose, the balanced portrayal of all the characters, and the deeply touching story it was all centered around.
...How Iris and Frankie come to betray everything they stand for—that mail must be delivered, that truth must be reported—is the war story I hoped to tell. It is the story that lies around the edges of the photographs, or at the end of the newspaper account. It’s about the lies we tell others to protect them, and about the lies we tell ourselves in order not to acknowledge what we can’t bear: that we are alive, for instance, and eating lunch, while bombs are falling, and refugees are crammed into camps, and the news comes toward us every hour of the day. And what, in the end, do we do?
Absolutely RECOMMENDED!
March 23, 2019
The year is 1941. Bombs are falling on London shattering buildings, followed by a silence that is almost deafening. Folks huddle in underground shelters waiting for the next explosion, reeking of fear, despair hanging heavy in the air. All of them waiting for the "All Clear" siren to sound so they can venture outside to discover who and what has been destroyed with this latest blitz.
Meanwhile, life goes on as usual in a small town in Massachusetts. Most who live here hold firm in the belief that the war will not touch them. But it will. It does.
The absurdities of life, the change in perspective as losses are sustained, leaving other lives in pieces. The sense of orderliness that is so at home in the post office, juxtaposed against the madness of war across the ocean.
Meanwhile, life goes on as usual in a small town in Massachusetts. Most who live here hold firm in the belief that the war will not touch them. But it will. It does.
The absurdities of life, the change in perspective as losses are sustained, leaving other lives in pieces. The sense of orderliness that is so at home in the post office, juxtaposed against the madness of war across the ocean.
February 15, 2019
I listened to this book on audio. This book really delivered. Takes place during WWII but is incredibly unique. Iris James in Franklin, Cape Cod, watches the comings and goings of her town. The people here think that the war won't touch them. They are quite ignorant of what is going on in Europe.
In London, Frankie Bard is working with Edward Murow commenting on the Blitz. She takes the train and gets as far and Germany, then is turned back. All along the way she meets Jews who tell her a story she is horrified by. she makes tapes of her interviews.
When she comes back she takes a long time off and isn't sure what to do with the discs of interviews that she has recorded. I liked listening because I could hear the accents of all of the people, their emotions and their terror.
Her life coincides with Iris whose husband volunteered in London. Very interesting characters and good story line.
Highly recommend this historical fiction.
In London, Frankie Bard is working with Edward Murow commenting on the Blitz. She takes the train and gets as far and Germany, then is turned back. All along the way she meets Jews who tell her a story she is horrified by. she makes tapes of her interviews.
When she comes back she takes a long time off and isn't sure what to do with the discs of interviews that she has recorded. I liked listening because I could hear the accents of all of the people, their emotions and their terror.
Her life coincides with Iris whose husband volunteered in London. Very interesting characters and good story line.
Highly recommend this historical fiction.
August 23, 2010
Snooze fest. I had a difficult time finishing this book. And, in the end, I never really "got it." I wanted more of an emotional punch. Three storylines wove together in the small Cape Cod town of Franklin in the months leading up to the U.S.'s involvement in WWII. So, there were 3 opportunities for catharsis. I had zero. Blake managed to draw things out for one of the two love stories so that by the time the character comes to terms with her loss, the reader thinks "weeep womp. Long time coming. Boring." Then, the other love story has such a cop-out ending, equivalent to St. Elsewhere's kid with a snow globe without the provocation. That leaves us with the big story line, about a war reporter, Frankie, stationed in London during the blitz. She records voices of refugees, Jews. Can you imagine a detail of the plot that could lead to more emotional explosions? Some of these scenes were emotional and powerful, but Blake was trying to show Frankie had carried the emotions home with her, and it was leading her to make some realization about life. I just didn't ever get a clear sense of what that was. There were some well written, beautiful scenes. Actually, all of the language was rich, and in small doses, I really enjoyed it. But, as I came closer to the end, I wanted closure. I wanted to feel like all the time I had invested in the novel was leading towards something provocative. Something that touched me. Something I could relate to. I never got that. I never connected with Frankie. The ending wasn't worthy of the build-up.
November 9, 2009
“The Postmistress” is set in the years 1940-41, both on Cape Cod and in Europe. The reader follows the paths of three women – Emma, Iris, and Frankie – as Europe experiences Hitler’s fury and Americans wonder if they will enter the war. Emma has just married Will, a doctor on Cape Cod. She wants to make a good impression on the people there, and make a good home for her husband. Iris is the Postmaster of the same town Emma moves to, and watches over the people of the town. Frankie is a reporter in London during the Blitzkrieg, experiencing some of the horrors of war while trying to report on them. As the story moves along, the lives of these three women intersect around letters. It is up to the reader to decide if the decisions the characters make are good and wise.
I had the wonderful privilege of reading this book as part of Barnes & Noble’s First Look Book Club, and really enjoyed it. It grabbed, and kept, my attention. Sarah Blake painted vivid pictures of bombings, train rides, ocean views, etc., putting me in each spot, letting me hear the characters as they spoke. Her research brings this period of history alive. I especially enjoyed “traveling” along with Frankie as she told the story of the war and searched for the truth about the Jewish persecution. All three of the main characters in this book have compelling stories and they are people I will not soon forget. This is a book to read again!
I had the wonderful privilege of reading this book as part of Barnes & Noble’s First Look Book Club, and really enjoyed it. It grabbed, and kept, my attention. Sarah Blake painted vivid pictures of bombings, train rides, ocean views, etc., putting me in each spot, letting me hear the characters as they spoke. Her research brings this period of history alive. I especially enjoyed “traveling” along with Frankie as she told the story of the war and searched for the truth about the Jewish persecution. All three of the main characters in this book have compelling stories and they are people I will not soon forget. This is a book to read again!
May 12, 2018
I found this to be a gripping read, exploring the emotions of several people, mainly radio reporter Frankie Bard, as they see the impact of war and struggle with their own responses to what they see. The sections describing the beginning of radio reporting with Edward R. Murrow, and the confusion and chaos of Jewish refugees trying to escape the Nazis are powerful and riveting.
The title is misleading, as is the premise that this story is mainly about a "postmistress who chooses not to deliver the mail." That does happen, but neither that incident nor the postmistress are the central focus of the story, at least not for me. Frankie Bard, on the other hand, is a character not soon to be forgotten.
The title is misleading, as is the premise that this story is mainly about a "postmistress who chooses not to deliver the mail." That does happen, but neither that incident nor the postmistress are the central focus of the story, at least not for me. Frankie Bard, on the other hand, is a character not soon to be forgotten.
April 14, 2010
This book has the potential to be great, but it's not. I had to force myself to finish it. This book read like a rough draft. With some major editing and workshopping it COULD have been good. Unfortunately, it was almost unreadable for me.
I was interested in all of the main characters, but because the author jumped from different points of view so often, I felt like none of the characters were actually very developed. We only got a glimpse of each one. Also, there were many scenes that felt the same way. Maybe the author tried to rush this book to the press or something, but I think it would have been much better with some rewriting.
Also, the dialogue all sounded fake to me. Not realistic at all. One of the male characters, upon feeling vulnerable says he feels "naked as a girl." What does that even mean? I get that it's the 40s, but you can't just make up phrases.
This book should have been longer. The characters should have been better developed. The dialogue should have been more realistic. Then it could've been great, because the actual story and plot has a lot of potential!
I was interested in all of the main characters, but because the author jumped from different points of view so often, I felt like none of the characters were actually very developed. We only got a glimpse of each one. Also, there were many scenes that felt the same way. Maybe the author tried to rush this book to the press or something, but I think it would have been much better with some rewriting.
Also, the dialogue all sounded fake to me. Not realistic at all. One of the male characters, upon feeling vulnerable says he feels "naked as a girl." What does that even mean? I get that it's the 40s, but you can't just make up phrases.
This book should have been longer. The characters should have been better developed. The dialogue should have been more realistic. Then it could've been great, because the actual story and plot has a lot of potential!
November 23, 2017
Usually I can finish reading a book in several days, maybe a week or more. For this book, it took me almost 2 months to finished maybe because the beginning of the story isn't that engrossing. The mid part till the end is the better part of the book, where the real action begins.
I've read several war related fiction novels or real memoir novels before, but this one is a little mild compared to them. The story of the news correspondence Frankie isn't mind-boggling, rather it is just mediocre. I gave a fair rating to this novel because I appreciated the several lessons related to the war that the author wants to convey.
I've read several war related fiction novels or real memoir novels before, but this one is a little mild compared to them. The story of the news correspondence Frankie isn't mind-boggling, rather it is just mediocre. I gave a fair rating to this novel because I appreciated the several lessons related to the war that the author wants to convey.
July 28, 2019
World War II historical fiction set in 1941 in both a small town near Boston and London during the Blitz. The story focuses on five people, four of whom live in a small town in Massachusetts. Iris is the postmaster, who exhibits an almost obsessive need for order. Will is the local doctor, trying to overcome his father’s tainted reputation. Emma is Will’s bride, an orphan dealing with abandonment issues. Harry is Iris’ love interest, a mechanic who is convinced the Nazis will invade the U.S. via submarine so he is keeping a lookout. Frankie is a female war correspondent, living in London, working with Edward R. Murrow, and broadcasting vignettes of what life is like during the bombing of London. The plot revolves around Frankie’s increasing disillusionment with war, feeling more and more helpless as the story progresses. Will attempts to atone for what he views as a medical mistake, causing trauma for his wife. Iris must confront her desire for control and order as the war starts touching her small sphere of influence. The stories of these people come together through listening to Frankie’s broadcasts and delivering personal news via letters and telegrams. This story follows people on the fringes of the war and does not venture into any of the military battles or concentration camps. According to the author in The Story Behind the Story, “It’s about the lies we tell others to protect them, and about the lies we tell ourselves in order not to acknowledge what we can’t bear.”
This book is a mixed bag. Where it is the most successful is in showing the differences in perspective between the United States on the Home Front before getting involved in the war, and what was going on in Europe: almost daily bombing raids in London, trying to retain some sense of normalcy while dealing with random death, and refugees fleeing the Nazis. The scenes in London seem realistic. It clearly shows how life changes when it is threatened at any moment versus the attitude of watchful waiting in the States prior to Pearl Harbor, when Americans were trying to assimilate the news they were hearing from overseas. One area where it falls down is in its depiction of women in the 1940’s. They exhibit much more contemporary behavior in their language and actions. The sex scenes seem gratuitous (and cringeworthy) and some of the behavior of the war correspondent is pretty far-fetched. It is rather slow in building momentum, the pacing is uneven, and there are many passages that do not add anything to the story. Overall, this book contains an admirable concept that falls short in the execution.
This book is a mixed bag. Where it is the most successful is in showing the differences in perspective between the United States on the Home Front before getting involved in the war, and what was going on in Europe: almost daily bombing raids in London, trying to retain some sense of normalcy while dealing with random death, and refugees fleeing the Nazis. The scenes in London seem realistic. It clearly shows how life changes when it is threatened at any moment versus the attitude of watchful waiting in the States prior to Pearl Harbor, when Americans were trying to assimilate the news they were hearing from overseas. One area where it falls down is in its depiction of women in the 1940’s. They exhibit much more contemporary behavior in their language and actions. The sex scenes seem gratuitous (and cringeworthy) and some of the behavior of the war correspondent is pretty far-fetched. It is rather slow in building momentum, the pacing is uneven, and there are many passages that do not add anything to the story. Overall, this book contains an admirable concept that falls short in the execution.
April 1, 2020
This book was chosen to be discussed at our book club in March. Alas! Our libraries are closed, so we will be meeting at an undetermined time in the future.
Having read the large print edition, THE POSTMISTRESS by Sarah Blake qualifies for "book over 500 pages" in another book club. So it's a twofer, and I love a twofer!
I liked the book, the 1940-1941 settings (the small Cape Cod town of Franklin, USA, and London, England) and the main characters. Iris James, the red haired postmistress, firmly believes that her job is to deliver and keep people's secrets. Emma loves her husband, Dr. Will Fitch and the connection between them (a feeling of home). Frankie Bard is a seemingly fearless radio gal reporting from the Blitz in London, imploring listeners to pay attention to what is going on.
Below are some quotes from this novel:
"It gets you thinking about all the parts in a story we never see" – he cleared his throat – "the parts around the edges. You bring someone like that boy so alive before us and there he is set loose in our world so that we can't stop thinking of him. But then the report is over, the boy disappears. He was just a boy in a story and we never know the ending, we never get to close the book. It makes you wonder what happens to the people in them after the story stops – all the stories you've reported, for instance. Where are they all now?...
You must be pretty tough", he went on beside her. "I couldn't bear it – I guess I just like to know how things turn out." [Will]
Page 257, 258
"What happens to the people after their story is told?"
"I don't know."
"You must be pretty tough to bear not knowing." [Will & Frankie]
page 320
"I don't have to bear it." [Frankie]
Page 406
'Iris turned around and pointed to the black radio..."I listened to you last month on that thing, telling me to pay attention. I stood right here and heard your voice through there and it told us what we ought to do, in the face of it all, was pay attention."'
page 471
"A story like a snapshot is caught, held for a moment, then delivered. But the people in them go on and on. And what happens next? What happens?" page 509
The novel is composed of three main interconnected stories which together tell of lost innocence and how we bear the fact that war is going on at the same time as ordinary lives continue.
3.5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️💫
Having read the large print edition, THE POSTMISTRESS by Sarah Blake qualifies for "book over 500 pages" in another book club. So it's a twofer, and I love a twofer!
I liked the book, the 1940-1941 settings (the small Cape Cod town of Franklin, USA, and London, England) and the main characters. Iris James, the red haired postmistress, firmly believes that her job is to deliver and keep people's secrets. Emma loves her husband, Dr. Will Fitch and the connection between them (a feeling of home). Frankie Bard is a seemingly fearless radio gal reporting from the Blitz in London, imploring listeners to pay attention to what is going on.
Below are some quotes from this novel:
"It gets you thinking about all the parts in a story we never see" – he cleared his throat – "the parts around the edges. You bring someone like that boy so alive before us and there he is set loose in our world so that we can't stop thinking of him. But then the report is over, the boy disappears. He was just a boy in a story and we never know the ending, we never get to close the book. It makes you wonder what happens to the people in them after the story stops – all the stories you've reported, for instance. Where are they all now?...
You must be pretty tough", he went on beside her. "I couldn't bear it – I guess I just like to know how things turn out." [Will]
Page 257, 258
"What happens to the people after their story is told?"
"I don't know."
"You must be pretty tough to bear not knowing." [Will & Frankie]
page 320
"I don't have to bear it." [Frankie]
Page 406
'Iris turned around and pointed to the black radio..."I listened to you last month on that thing, telling me to pay attention. I stood right here and heard your voice through there and it told us what we ought to do, in the face of it all, was pay attention."'
page 471
"A story like a snapshot is caught, held for a moment, then delivered. But the people in them go on and on. And what happens next? What happens?" page 509
The novel is composed of three main interconnected stories which together tell of lost innocence and how we bear the fact that war is going on at the same time as ordinary lives continue.
3.5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️💫
March 1, 2012
Like many others have noted, this book started slowly for me, and was a little confusing at first. But by the end, I loved it, and the stories it told. Set in the years just before the U.S. entry into WWII, this tells of the lives of three American women, each impacted by the looming war in various ways. The heartbreaking stories of Jewish refugees fleeing the advance of Hitler's armies is central to the life of one of the women, while the other two watch and listen, via the nightly radio broadcasts from London, under the Blitz. This book is rich in detail, and made many aspects of this horrible time in history (that was not so long ago) more real.
January 19, 2024
Catching up…
Found this review I posted on Facebook years ago.
A tale of two worlds - of two women whose jobs are to deliver the news during WWII, yet find themselves unable to do so...
So...
How will their decision affect others?
Found this review I posted on Facebook years ago.
A tale of two worlds - of two women whose jobs are to deliver the news during WWII, yet find themselves unable to do so...
So...
How will their decision affect others?
February 14, 2016
I discovered this book after reading a friend's glowing review of it. From her review, this sounded like a book that I would love, the kind that I gravitate toward, and for the most part, it fit the bill perfectly.
This is a story that examines many sides of an issue, namely war and injustice, and how we're all, whether we know it or not, affected by that issue. We can ignore it, we can rail against it, or we can face it head on, but it will affect us just the same.
Sarah Blake tells her story with three different women, and three different storylines. The three women were real and felt honest and true, and they all spoke to me in different ways. I couldn't really identify much with Iris, honestly, as she is set in her ways and unbendable about a lot of things, content when her little environment is in order and content not to know what happens in the world outside her bubble. But I could understand, if I didn't agree, with her feelings on this, because it's easier to not know the terrible things that we can do to each other.
In contrast to Iris is Frankie, a war reporter who wants to show the world what is REALLY going on in Europe, and make it personal, so that people will stand up and be outraged and want to stop it. I identified most with her, because she was brave and honest and willing to try to make a difference. I loved her.
Lastly, we have Emma, who was the outsider of the story. Newly married to the town doctor, she is the kind of link between the two extremes of Iris and Frankie. I liked her character, she was plucky and brave in her own way, but innocent and small in a world that is much bigger than she is, and cruel.
I loved the way that Blake brought the scenes and story to life. Maybe it was the reader, but I don't think so (as I have some complaints about her). I think it was just her ability to portray life in a real way, and make us feel it. I got goosebumps listening to the soldiers when Frankie was with them on the watch-lines. There were also a great many deaths in this book that hurt. I have an overactive empathy gland, I freely admit that, but when an author can bring me to care about a character in a chapter, or a few pages alone, to the point that I feel their loss when they die, I think that's saying something. It's always the personal stories that get to me when I read books like this, and this one delivered so much in that vein that I almost felt overloaded at times. As I'm sure Frankie did.
I do think that sometimes the descriptive language went a little too far into floweriness. Blake would describe all the little things that one notices during times of stress, when time seems to slow or stop, like the ticking of a clock, or the bang of a shutter, but it seemed to be just a little too flowery in the way that it was described. Just a bit less wouldn't have been as distracting to me, and would have allowed me to focus on what was being said, not how it was relayed.
The last quarter of the book lost a little steam for me as well. I wanted it to pull all of the storylines together with a grand finale ending, but instead it was more like a regular firework show that just ends. It's satisfying, because it is beautiful to watch and experience, but it's just missing that little something to tie it all together and let you know it's over. Listening to this on audio, the reader went straight into an afterword, and I had to rewind a bit and listen again before I realized that it wasn't part of the story.
The reader was a little bit disappointing to me. She did a good job, but frequently, her conversation tone was very different from how I'd have "heard" the same dialogue if I was reading it. Every female seemed to sound a little unsure, questioning and apologetic. Every male seemed to sound smug and sure and condescending, especially when it was a male news-guy talking to Frankie - even when you could tell that they had a rapport and seemed almost as equals. Will was the exception to this rule, but he was one of the few main male characters, so maybe he got his own personality to the reader... Even outside of the dialogue, her voice just sounded... off. A descriptive sentence would sound as if she's trying to impart a lot of emotion, while an emotional sentence will sound like she's trying to inject a little levity. I had to try hard to not listen to her tone and to listen to the context, because that told me what I needed to know more than her voice did.
All in all, the story was very good, and the reader was OK. I would suggest reading the book over the audio, but if the audio is all that's available, don't skip it. The book outshines the reader here and is well worth the time. :)
This is a story that examines many sides of an issue, namely war and injustice, and how we're all, whether we know it or not, affected by that issue. We can ignore it, we can rail against it, or we can face it head on, but it will affect us just the same.
Sarah Blake tells her story with three different women, and three different storylines. The three women were real and felt honest and true, and they all spoke to me in different ways. I couldn't really identify much with Iris, honestly, as she is set in her ways and unbendable about a lot of things, content when her little environment is in order and content not to know what happens in the world outside her bubble. But I could understand, if I didn't agree, with her feelings on this, because it's easier to not know the terrible things that we can do to each other.
In contrast to Iris is Frankie, a war reporter who wants to show the world what is REALLY going on in Europe, and make it personal, so that people will stand up and be outraged and want to stop it. I identified most with her, because she was brave and honest and willing to try to make a difference. I loved her.
Lastly, we have Emma, who was the outsider of the story. Newly married to the town doctor, she is the kind of link between the two extremes of Iris and Frankie. I liked her character, she was plucky and brave in her own way, but innocent and small in a world that is much bigger than she is, and cruel.
I loved the way that Blake brought the scenes and story to life. Maybe it was the reader, but I don't think so (as I have some complaints about her). I think it was just her ability to portray life in a real way, and make us feel it. I got goosebumps listening to the soldiers when Frankie was with them on the watch-lines. There were also a great many deaths in this book that hurt. I have an overactive empathy gland, I freely admit that, but when an author can bring me to care about a character in a chapter, or a few pages alone, to the point that I feel their loss when they die, I think that's saying something. It's always the personal stories that get to me when I read books like this, and this one delivered so much in that vein that I almost felt overloaded at times. As I'm sure Frankie did.
I do think that sometimes the descriptive language went a little too far into floweriness. Blake would describe all the little things that one notices during times of stress, when time seems to slow or stop, like the ticking of a clock, or the bang of a shutter, but it seemed to be just a little too flowery in the way that it was described. Just a bit less wouldn't have been as distracting to me, and would have allowed me to focus on what was being said, not how it was relayed.
The last quarter of the book lost a little steam for me as well. I wanted it to pull all of the storylines together with a grand finale ending, but instead it was more like a regular firework show that just ends. It's satisfying, because it is beautiful to watch and experience, but it's just missing that little something to tie it all together and let you know it's over. Listening to this on audio, the reader went straight into an afterword, and I had to rewind a bit and listen again before I realized that it wasn't part of the story.
The reader was a little bit disappointing to me. She did a good job, but frequently, her conversation tone was very different from how I'd have "heard" the same dialogue if I was reading it. Every female seemed to sound a little unsure, questioning and apologetic. Every male seemed to sound smug and sure and condescending, especially when it was a male news-guy talking to Frankie - even when you could tell that they had a rapport and seemed almost as equals. Will was the exception to this rule, but he was one of the few main male characters, so maybe he got his own personality to the reader... Even outside of the dialogue, her voice just sounded... off. A descriptive sentence would sound as if she's trying to impart a lot of emotion, while an emotional sentence will sound like she's trying to inject a little levity. I had to try hard to not listen to her tone and to listen to the context, because that told me what I needed to know more than her voice did.
All in all, the story was very good, and the reader was OK. I would suggest reading the book over the audio, but if the audio is all that's available, don't skip it. The book outshines the reader here and is well worth the time. :)
July 28, 2010
Okay. I didn't hate this book. I love WWII historical fiction about women, and the idea behind this novel is really pretty interesting and compelling.
But - I am SO SICK of these characters in modern novels about WWII that are so "compassionate" and that act like they understand the war and the horrors that came with it so much better than everyone else around them. It just feels so contrived to me. It comes off as preachy and somewhat historically unrealistic - it always makes it seem very clear to me that the book was written about WWII from a modern viewpoint. It makes me dislike the characters that I am supposed to be rooting for (which in this book was Frankie's character, though other examples of this are Trudy from Those Who Save Us and Julia from Sarah's Key). These characters always try to beat me over the head with the message "THIS IS A TRAGEDY! You should care about it and be devastated like I am!" For me, it's much more effective if an author writes about characters that are well-rounded and relateable enough that I naturally feel grief and compassion for them.
I felt like Iris' character was undeveloped - what was the point of the certificate? I don't know - maybe it was just me, but I finished the book thinking that I didn't really know much more about her as a woman than I did at the beginning of the book.
A couple more very petty complaints - the author has like ten scenes where one character lights another character's cigarette and it was always described with some slight variation on the same sentance: "He/She bent into the flame and drew on it, exhaling." I don't know why, but this just really got on my nerves. Also, at the beginning there was some really obvious historical context thrown in - this sentance in particular felt clumsy to me: "There had been so many sensational and fake atrocity stories written about Germany during the First War, much of the press was chary of a story about deliberate, ominous action against the Jews now." It's absolutely true, of course, and relevant to the story, but it sounded like a sentance straight out of my high school World History textbook.
I think I'm being too harsh on this book, but all those petty things just added up and stopped me from really enjoying the book. The story itself felt a little unfocused and unfinished. But I didn't hate it, and I think it's certainly worth a read.
But - I am SO SICK of these characters in modern novels about WWII that are so "compassionate" and that act like they understand the war and the horrors that came with it so much better than everyone else around them. It just feels so contrived to me. It comes off as preachy and somewhat historically unrealistic - it always makes it seem very clear to me that the book was written about WWII from a modern viewpoint. It makes me dislike the characters that I am supposed to be rooting for (which in this book was Frankie's character, though other examples of this are Trudy from Those Who Save Us and Julia from Sarah's Key). These characters always try to beat me over the head with the message "THIS IS A TRAGEDY! You should care about it and be devastated like I am!" For me, it's much more effective if an author writes about characters that are well-rounded and relateable enough that I naturally feel grief and compassion for them.
I felt like Iris' character was undeveloped - what was the point of the certificate? I don't know - maybe it was just me, but I finished the book thinking that I didn't really know much more about her as a woman than I did at the beginning of the book.
A couple more very petty complaints - the author has like ten scenes where one character lights another character's cigarette and it was always described with some slight variation on the same sentance: "He/She bent into the flame and drew on it, exhaling." I don't know why, but this just really got on my nerves. Also, at the beginning there was some really obvious historical context thrown in - this sentance in particular felt clumsy to me: "There had been so many sensational and fake atrocity stories written about Germany during the First War, much of the press was chary of a story about deliberate, ominous action against the Jews now." It's absolutely true, of course, and relevant to the story, but it sounded like a sentance straight out of my high school World History textbook.
I think I'm being too harsh on this book, but all those petty things just added up and stopped me from really enjoying the book. The story itself felt a little unfocused and unfinished. But I didn't hate it, and I think it's certainly worth a read.
August 14, 2010
Juxtaposes the stories of 3 women in 1940-41: an American radio correspondent reporting from Europe to try to get America to enter the war; a young American wife whose husband has gone off to volunteer his medical services over in England; the postal worker in the NE/Cape Cod-ish town of above young wife and husband.
Blegh. This is a bait-and-switch book. Pretends to be a substantial, historical fiction *; really is an ephemeral novel. Bait-and-switches are the worst of all bad books in my opinion, b/c they just drive me crazy when I go in expecting one thing and end up getting another (although I will allow that this MAY be the fault of the marketing team, and not the author's). Still. This book drove me crazy and I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it, but I just kept thinking I'd get better. The only substantial part of the whole entire book is the "afterwards" or whatever it is called. I also even felt like her "Sources" section was overblown and overinflated b/c I have no idea why this book would have required the amount of research she "claims" to have done for this. In fact, this book is so insipid, I'd say it's fine for adolescent readers, but the only problem is there are 1-2 sex scenes, so there goes even that one attempt at my trying to find something redeeming in it....
* right on down** to the glowing recommendations from other fellow authors (whom, I think now, may have just been "scratching her back" so she would in turn "scratch theirs" by giving their books a good rec when the time came?), but I should have noticed that all of them are from NOVELISTS and not historical writers. This should have been a blaring red clue to me! Once again -- if you want a flim-flam novel, here ya go. Pretty good in that genre, not bad, the author's even a halfway decent writer.*** If you want historical fiction, throw this one back and keep looking.
** also right on down to the pseudo-"intellectual" (?) (for lack of a better word?) sounding title. UGH. Pretentious.
*** This is party why I blame her so much: she *is* apparently a decent writer so I feel like, for example, if I were her teacher, I"d be saying to her, "You can do better than this. Don't think you're fooling me or yourself. Go back and give this an honest A effort and don't waste your or my time on this!"
Blegh. This is a bait-and-switch book. Pretends to be a substantial, historical fiction *; really is an ephemeral novel. Bait-and-switches are the worst of all bad books in my opinion, b/c they just drive me crazy when I go in expecting one thing and end up getting another (although I will allow that this MAY be the fault of the marketing team, and not the author's). Still. This book drove me crazy and I wish I hadn't wasted my time on it, but I just kept thinking I'd get better. The only substantial part of the whole entire book is the "afterwards" or whatever it is called. I also even felt like her "Sources" section was overblown and overinflated b/c I have no idea why this book would have required the amount of research she "claims" to have done for this. In fact, this book is so insipid, I'd say it's fine for adolescent readers, but the only problem is there are 1-2 sex scenes, so there goes even that one attempt at my trying to find something redeeming in it....
* right on down** to the glowing recommendations from other fellow authors (whom, I think now, may have just been "scratching her back" so she would in turn "scratch theirs" by giving their books a good rec when the time came?), but I should have noticed that all of them are from NOVELISTS and not historical writers. This should have been a blaring red clue to me! Once again -- if you want a flim-flam novel, here ya go. Pretty good in that genre, not bad, the author's even a halfway decent writer.*** If you want historical fiction, throw this one back and keep looking.
** also right on down to the pseudo-"intellectual" (?) (for lack of a better word?) sounding title. UGH. Pretentious.
*** This is party why I blame her so much: she *is* apparently a decent writer so I feel like, for example, if I were her teacher, I"d be saying to her, "You can do better than this. Don't think you're fooling me or yourself. Go back and give this an honest A effort and don't waste your or my time on this!"
February 23, 2010
The premise of this book was interesting. I'd definitely hoped for more. I couldn't keep track of whose overall story this book was telling: Emma? Iris? Frankie? It seemed heavily favored to Frankie and hers was the most boring of the three. I think the author was far too caught up in her historical research. I wanted more of the people behind the story and less of the description of bombs going off in London. Although, I have to admit, it brought that piece of history to my mind and taught me a bit about it ... and then hammered it home with constant repetition. The author also seemed to discover the purpose of the plot far too late in the game. Suddenly, in the last chapter the questions she should have been asking throughout came to light. I also think she forgot how she started the story (at a dinner party) and never picked it back up at the end. Definitely could have been better but it was OK. Don't know if I'll pick up another book by her.
May 8, 2019
4.5 stars. After reading many of the mixed reviews of this book I was hesitant to read it. It has sat on my shelf since 2011. I finally picked it up and boy am I glad I did. This book grabbed me, pulled at my heartstrings and wouldn't let go. It is a WWII story that is quite different from those I've read before.
It is set in 1941 before the US has entered the war and focuses on three different American women. Two of the women live on Cape Cod and the third is a reporter who travels to London during The Blitz and then on to parts of Europe where she experiences and reports on the evacuation of the many Jews during this time. She tells stories of many individuals but she never knows how the story ends. She reports and then moves on to the next story. "A story like a snapshot is caught, held for a moment, then delivered. But the people in them go on and on. And what happens next? What happens?" Not knowing haunted her. The women living on Cape Cod are the postmistress who has a need to keep everything in order and a young insecure doctor's wife who is forced to find her way in the world alone. Their lives unfold throughout the novel slowly uniting the three of them.
This is a story that shows how war disrupts order and leaves loose threads that don't make sense individually but collectively they do. It is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel.
My rating was knocked down by 1/2 star because I felt the ending, although decent, was rushed.
A favorite quote:
"Whatever is coming does not just come, as you say. It's helped by people willfully looking away. People who develop the habit of swallowing lies rather than the truth. The minute you start thinking something else, then you've stopped paying attention ---and paying attention is all we've got."
"If the world had paid more attention in 1939,..... maybe we wouldn't be sitting here in the dark, dodging bombs"
It is set in 1941 before the US has entered the war and focuses on three different American women. Two of the women live on Cape Cod and the third is a reporter who travels to London during The Blitz and then on to parts of Europe where she experiences and reports on the evacuation of the many Jews during this time. She tells stories of many individuals but she never knows how the story ends. She reports and then moves on to the next story. "A story like a snapshot is caught, held for a moment, then delivered. But the people in them go on and on. And what happens next? What happens?" Not knowing haunted her. The women living on Cape Cod are the postmistress who has a need to keep everything in order and a young insecure doctor's wife who is forced to find her way in the world alone. Their lives unfold throughout the novel slowly uniting the three of them.
This is a story that shows how war disrupts order and leaves loose threads that don't make sense individually but collectively they do. It is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel.
My rating was knocked down by 1/2 star because I felt the ending, although decent, was rushed.
A favorite quote:
"Whatever is coming does not just come, as you say. It's helped by people willfully looking away. People who develop the habit of swallowing lies rather than the truth. The minute you start thinking something else, then you've stopped paying attention ---and paying attention is all we've got."
"If the world had paid more attention in 1939,..... maybe we wouldn't be sitting here in the dark, dodging bombs"
May 12, 2010
sorry ladies– i didn’t think this one was all that great!!
too disjointed — at the beginning it was very difficult to know who was who. i found that it started up with the assumption that you knew who all of the people were. the characters that were supposed to be the main ones never really did all tie in together, even tho they did all meet up at the end. i never believed that Iris gave a crap about Emma so was surprised that she did what she did.
too convenient — not one but two people (including the uptight postmistress, Iris) didn’t deliver letters to Emma (who ended up finding out exactly what they were trying to conceal from her (of course), Frankie meeting up with the doctor in London, the U-boats invading the shores of the town just as Harry said they would, the German guy living in the town meeting up with Frankie who hears someone he may know on the recordings she made in war-torn France, Thomas getting shot right in front of Frankie just after she interviewed him,Harry dying at the end just when he was about to marry Iris. It was just WAY too many coincidences and stuff you could see coming a mile away.
for some reason the bits that were added that tried hard to shock just pissed me off– i don’t know why. for example: Iris getting her virginity checked at the beginning, Frankie fucking an anonymous stranger while her apartment gets bombed, killing her roommate, Frankie having her period and feeling the clot come out then goes to buy some Kotex while the Blitz is going on, the men calling Frankie “beauty” in several different countries…i think that the author was just trying WAY too hard to be obscure.
the descriptions of this book were very misleading– that not delivering a letter (during WWII time) could like “change the fate of all” or some such claim. the small part about the fate of the Jews was the most interesting part and it was way too short and, again, convenient that Frankie was there to see it all happen. i thought the title was also misleading– it was hardly about the Postmistress– she was a secondary character at best.
BLECH– i didn’t hate it but i hope everyone in the book club were able to finish it– it think i only did because i had another book to get to!
too disjointed — at the beginning it was very difficult to know who was who. i found that it started up with the assumption that you knew who all of the people were. the characters that were supposed to be the main ones never really did all tie in together, even tho they did all meet up at the end. i never believed that Iris gave a crap about Emma so was surprised that she did what she did.
too convenient — not one but two people (including the uptight postmistress, Iris) didn’t deliver letters to Emma (who ended up finding out exactly what they were trying to conceal from her (of course), Frankie meeting up with the doctor in London, the U-boats invading the shores of the town just as Harry said they would, the German guy living in the town meeting up with Frankie who hears someone he may know on the recordings she made in war-torn France, Thomas getting shot right in front of Frankie just after she interviewed him,Harry dying at the end just when he was about to marry Iris. It was just WAY too many coincidences and stuff you could see coming a mile away.
for some reason the bits that were added that tried hard to shock just pissed me off– i don’t know why. for example: Iris getting her virginity checked at the beginning, Frankie fucking an anonymous stranger while her apartment gets bombed, killing her roommate, Frankie having her period and feeling the clot come out then goes to buy some Kotex while the Blitz is going on, the men calling Frankie “beauty” in several different countries…i think that the author was just trying WAY too hard to be obscure.
the descriptions of this book were very misleading– that not delivering a letter (during WWII time) could like “change the fate of all” or some such claim. the small part about the fate of the Jews was the most interesting part and it was way too short and, again, convenient that Frankie was there to see it all happen. i thought the title was also misleading– it was hardly about the Postmistress– she was a secondary character at best.
BLECH– i didn’t hate it but i hope everyone in the book club were able to finish it– it think i only did because i had another book to get to!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2022
3 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Niet een van mijn favorieten. Gevondrn bij een minibieb waarnaar hij weer terug gaat. Heb hem gelezen maar wat een wollige taal!
Niet een van mijn favorieten. Gevondrn bij een minibieb waarnaar hij weer terug gaat. Heb hem gelezen maar wat een wollige taal!
March 9, 2010
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Genre: Fiction
Rating: DNF
(No Summary.)
The thing about reading is that you need to pick up the book, and be wrapped up in it. It needs to flow well. It must be readable. It must be understandable. Words create sentences and sentences create paragraphs, etc.
When I started reading The Postmistress, I felt like I’d jumped into the middle of a book, in the middle of a series, with no idea who was who or what was happening or even who the narrator was. The sentences didn’t make any sense. It was like reading sentences backwards. Have you ever tried that? Do it. Ok now that you’ve tried it, you know how I felt. It felt like a bunch of jumbled words.
The style was strange, there was weird punctuation that made what little clear sentences there were choppy and difficult to read. I kept reading the same phrase over and over and eventually giving up.
The point of view isn’t first person, nor is it third. And whatever person it was, it kept switching mid-chapter so I couldn't keep up. The dialogue felt out of place, like people from that time period shouldn’t be speaking like that (Or maybe I’m just not educated on WWII culture, which is more likely than not. I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt).
And by page 15 I still had no clue who was who or what was going on. I felt no desire to continue reading, and trying to decipher the paragraphs felt like a chore.
And honestly, reading should not be a chore. I won’t finish a book if I could be reading better things.
I’m sorry to be so negative, I hate writing negative reviews. But I could not read this book. I couldn’t tell you what the plot was or what the characters were like if I tried.
As always, please remember that this is my personal opinion. Never decide to read or not to read a book based on one person’s views.
This was the second stop for Katrina’s Borrow My ARC Tour at Bloody Bad. Check the other tour stops here for other reviews, or see Amazon.com reviews.
Genre: Fiction
Rating: DNF
(No Summary.)
The thing about reading is that you need to pick up the book, and be wrapped up in it. It needs to flow well. It must be readable. It must be understandable. Words create sentences and sentences create paragraphs, etc.
When I started reading The Postmistress, I felt like I’d jumped into the middle of a book, in the middle of a series, with no idea who was who or what was happening or even who the narrator was. The sentences didn’t make any sense. It was like reading sentences backwards. Have you ever tried that? Do it. Ok now that you’ve tried it, you know how I felt. It felt like a bunch of jumbled words.
The style was strange, there was weird punctuation that made what little clear sentences there were choppy and difficult to read. I kept reading the same phrase over and over and eventually giving up.
The point of view isn’t first person, nor is it third. And whatever person it was, it kept switching mid-chapter so I couldn't keep up. The dialogue felt out of place, like people from that time period shouldn’t be speaking like that (Or maybe I’m just not educated on WWII culture, which is more likely than not. I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt).
And by page 15 I still had no clue who was who or what was going on. I felt no desire to continue reading, and trying to decipher the paragraphs felt like a chore.
And honestly, reading should not be a chore. I won’t finish a book if I could be reading better things.
I’m sorry to be so negative, I hate writing negative reviews. But I could not read this book. I couldn’t tell you what the plot was or what the characters were like if I tried.
As always, please remember that this is my personal opinion. Never decide to read or not to read a book based on one person’s views.
This was the second stop for Katrina’s Borrow My ARC Tour at Bloody Bad. Check the other tour stops here for other reviews, or see Amazon.com reviews.
December 6, 2009
I've read a lot of books that have examined life in the early days of WWII, but never one like this. Blake's novel concentrates on 3 American women during 1940-41. One is an ambitious reporter fighting the glass ceiling of war reporting over in Europe who finally gets the opportunity of a lifetime that ends up completely changing her life. Another is a somewhat OCD postmaster (it's actually incorrect, according to her, to call her postmistress) working in a small town near Cape Cod who struggles with her need for rules and order and her need to love and connect with people. The third woman is a timid young doctor's wife who must find strength she doesn't think she has in circumstances she never planned for. Each of them personify attitudes that were taken about the war in those days before Pearl Harbor, each of them bring to light an aspect of 1940s womanhood, each of them is a complex character that is hard to forget. The opening quote, from Martha Gelhorn, is perfect: "War happens to people, one by one." This is what comes alive in this book and makes it resonate long after the last page is turned.
April 3, 2011
I am re-reading this book for a discussion group in two weeks. The first time I read it, I loved it. It will be interesting to see what the somewhat finicky ladies in the discussion groups think about it. I remember the atmosphere of the book more than the characters; the setting was familiar and the era of WWII is always fascinating. Now, I need to do discussion questions for it, maybe find author interviews, etc.
October 17, 2010
I loved this book because the majority of the book was so beautifully written. I loved the fact that it chronicled the lives of three very different women during WWII, a postmistress, as per the title, a doctor's wife, and a female journalist. It really is not that often that you get to hear the perspective of a women, reporting behind enemy lines, during that period of history. I found Frankie Bard's story to be the most gripping of this wonderful trio.
Blake writes so magnificently in parts of this book, that it is hard as the reader to detach from the story. The bombing of London, and her description of what it was like literally made me feel as if I were experiencing it myself. There are other parts of the book, particularly when she is telling the story of Iris James that the writing is a bit lacking, and it is hard as the reader to get through those parts of the book. I really think that the entire book could have been about Frankie Bard, but the way she intertwines the lives of the three women, is very interesting. I should note that I found the the part about Dr. Fitch and his wife to be quite depressing, and I'm not really sure what this adds to the book, except a connection for Frankie to Cape Cod and what was going on there during WWII.
I would definitely recommend this book, if only for the amazing story of Frankie Bard, which shouldn't be missed!
Blake writes so magnificently in parts of this book, that it is hard as the reader to detach from the story. The bombing of London, and her description of what it was like literally made me feel as if I were experiencing it myself. There are other parts of the book, particularly when she is telling the story of Iris James that the writing is a bit lacking, and it is hard as the reader to get through those parts of the book. I really think that the entire book could have been about Frankie Bard, but the way she intertwines the lives of the three women, is very interesting. I should note that I found the the part about Dr. Fitch and his wife to be quite depressing, and I'm not really sure what this adds to the book, except a connection for Frankie to Cape Cod and what was going on there during WWII.
I would definitely recommend this book, if only for the amazing story of Frankie Bard, which shouldn't be missed!
March 14, 2010
The Postmistress is a novel of if. "If I tell this story in exactly the right way, people will hear it and act on it," thinks the reporter. "If I don't make mistakes, the system will be perfect and chaos and random chance will be kept at bay," thinks the postmistress. "If I think hard enough about my husband being safe, he will be," thinks the woman left at home as her husband goes off to London during the Blitz. But if is a double-edged word and sometimes it falls the other way, and we're left thinking, "If only I had done this or hadn't done that, then this other thing would never have happened."
Beautiful. I opened this novel, already in love with the cover, and fell in love with the writing contained within. It's not a beauty that keeps you at arm's distance. It's a beauty that seductively whispers, "Come closer. Read what I have to say. See what I'm showing you." And then it shows you the chaos of war, and how helpless we are before it. It shows you how it's human nature to avoid seeing what we don't want to see, or to avoid acting when it's easier to stay safely at home with our heads in the sand.
Haunting. I am going to be haunted by Frankie's story for a long time. I should perhaps relate more to the wife than the reporter, but Frankie's stories have left a mark on my soul. She's in London, and then she's in Europe in the refugee trains, and all the time she is beating against the world's indifference, shouting, "This is happening, and it's happening in numbers you can't imagine. And it's getting worse every day. Pay attention! Please, just pay attention." And the world doesn't pay attention, and the horror worsens.
Read it. It's not always easy; war stories never are. But we still have a duty to pay attention, even--or perhaps especially--to the past.
Beautiful. I opened this novel, already in love with the cover, and fell in love with the writing contained within. It's not a beauty that keeps you at arm's distance. It's a beauty that seductively whispers, "Come closer. Read what I have to say. See what I'm showing you." And then it shows you the chaos of war, and how helpless we are before it. It shows you how it's human nature to avoid seeing what we don't want to see, or to avoid acting when it's easier to stay safely at home with our heads in the sand.
Haunting. I am going to be haunted by Frankie's story for a long time. I should perhaps relate more to the wife than the reporter, but Frankie's stories have left a mark on my soul. She's in London, and then she's in Europe in the refugee trains, and all the time she is beating against the world's indifference, shouting, "This is happening, and it's happening in numbers you can't imagine. And it's getting worse every day. Pay attention! Please, just pay attention." And the world doesn't pay attention, and the horror worsens.
Read it. It's not always easy; war stories never are. But we still have a duty to pay attention, even--or perhaps especially--to the past.
November 7, 2012
2.5 Stars - This is a book group choice. It was slow (for me) at first and then parts were unbelievably coincidental. The three women didn't connect in any plausible way. Iris, the Postmaster was a very small part in the story. Frankie, the war reporter, was the most interesting because her news of the Jewish refugees attempting to escape the Nazis was one of the few times that I actually connected with the novel. Still, she meets and interviews a woman in Germany that just happens to be the wife of a man that she runs into back in Cape Cod! The sections revolving around Emma and her husband, Will were somewhat engaging, especially at the beginning of their relationship while he still doctored in America. I enjoy novels with disparate stories where all of their relationships come together and make sense at the end. However, this one didn't work for me.
April 5, 2011
My daughter, Kerry, sent me this book, thinking that I would enjoy it as much as she had. I didn't.
It's well written from the viewpoint of a radio news woman and describes in heartbreaking detail the horrors Jews experienced during World War II. But the author obviously meant for it to be more than that. Other characters were thrust in here and there, but they were superfluous. I kept thinking that it was building toward some conclusion, that everything would come together, and the reader would be left with a message. However, t he conclusion (if you can call it that) seemed to be that life is chaotic and meaningless, and there is no God and no plan, and no matter what we do with our lives, it doesn't matter.
It's well written from the viewpoint of a radio news woman and describes in heartbreaking detail the horrors Jews experienced during World War II. But the author obviously meant for it to be more than that. Other characters were thrust in here and there, but they were superfluous. I kept thinking that it was building toward some conclusion, that everything would come together, and the reader would be left with a message. However, t he conclusion (if you can call it that) seemed to be that life is chaotic and meaningless, and there is no God and no plan, and no matter what we do with our lives, it doesn't matter.
April 30, 2011
This is the first time I have given a book one star. I really did not like it. I have read many books lately set during WWII and this one felt way off the mark for me. The story was disjointed, the seriousness of the historical context was given short shrift (and by the authors own admission was not entirely accurate) and the emotional spin did not work for me at all. I always have trouble not finishing books, but I skimmed through the last few pages of this one, not really caring how it all ended.
November 13, 2015
As I listen to this I realize I have read this before. This is a very good book. In 1940, Frankie Bard goes back and forth across Europe interviewing the refugees and trying to get their stories on air to America. Emma Finch is married to a doctor who feels he needs to go over to the war and help out after losing one of his patients. Then there is Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, MA where Emma lives. Slowly their lives unfold as they get closer to having their lives meet. Very beautifully written and heartbreaking to listen to. Well worth the read.
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