Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole

 
A poem, a letter, subsequent letters, and then blossoming love.

LETTERS FROM SKYE is a book of letters from a fan to a poet…fan letters that turned into more than just correspondence.  The fan lives in the United States, and the poet lives in the Isle of Skye and is set during WWI and WWII.  The letters spanned decades and makes the reader ponder about whether it is wise or unwise to decide to find someone to love during war time.  

These letters told the story of "Sue" and Davey and how their letters and decisions changed an entire family.

Telling the entire story in letters was quite clever as a premise for a book, and it was enjoyable to read, but it didn't grip me to the point that I couldn't wait to get back to the book until the ending pages.


I do have to say, though, that Ms. Brockmole’s detail is amazing.  I could feel the pouring rain as Maisie, "Sue's" daughter, was walking through Skye and trying to find Portree. 

I could visualize the landscape and the sheep roaming. 

I remember all of this when I visited The Isle Of Skye, my favorite part of Scotland, and the reason I wanted to read LETTERS FROM SKYE.  

LETTERS FROM SKYE is a fun, well written read with a love story and history woven in.  

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

14 comments:

  1. Looking forward to any other thoughts if you read the book.

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  2. I'll be reviewing Letters From Skye later this month on My Bookshelf. The premise and the location are the two greatest factors in choosing to review this novel. I'm looking forward to chatting about it with you.

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  3. I usually love books written in letter format. I'll put this one on my TBR list.

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  4. The audio of this came today and I can't wait to listen to it. I hope the narrator does a good job.

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  5. Nice review, thanks Elizabeth. I'm looking forward to this one too and I have to say, the premise is what grabbed me too. The thought of correspondence over years or decades is neat.

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  6. Glad you found it enjoyable overall. I'll be reading this one soon. I recently reviewed an epistolary novel that I absolutely loved. I'll Be Seeing You by Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan. It's set during WWII so I think you'd like it.

    http://diaryofaneccentric.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/review-ill-be-seeing-you-by-suzanne-hayes-and-loretta-nyhan/

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  7. This sounds similar to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which also consisted of letter.
    Ann

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  8. I think they did compare it to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

    As my review shows, it was good in terms of the way the book was written. Nothing earth shattering about the plot.

    I did like it, though, so I really couldn't give it a 3/5.

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  9. I am not fond of books in the "epistolary" style, as they describe it. The first one I read—and which I finished and ended up enjoying—was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (I think that's the name of it, it's like a tongue twister!).

    Then I read another book all in e-mail, called Attachments. I think books like that are hard to follow...for me, anyway.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  10. It was a bit difficult to follow, Laurel.

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  11. I read another review that wasn't so favorable, so I'm glad to read that despite being hard to follow you did enjoy it.

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  12. This sounds like a great light read for summer, although it might make me want to whip out my passport and take a trip! Thanks for the review!

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  13. Great review. I totally agree the descriptions of the landscape gave you the feeling you where there.

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  14. Skye is the most beautiful place, and a great setting for a book, and I actually like the idea of a book told in letters. A very fair review.

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