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Letters from Skye

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Letters from Skye

By: Jessica Brockmole
Narrated by: Adam Alexi-Malle, Elle Newlands, Guy Burnet, Katy Townsend, Lincoln Hoppe
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18 June, 1940
Oh, my Margaret,
You have no secrets from me, but I've kept a part of myself locked away, always. A part of me that started scratching at the wall the day this other war started, that started howling to get out right now, the day you ran off to meet your soldier.
I should have told you, should've taught you to steel your heart. Taught you that a letter isn't always just a letter. Words on the page can drench the sould. If only you knew.
Mother

Elspeth is fond of saying to her daughter that 'the first volume of my life is out of print'. But when a bomb hits an Edinburgh street and Margaret finds her mother crouched in the ruins of her bedroom pulling armfuls of yellowed letters onto her lap, the past Elspeth has kept so carefully locked away is out in the open. The next day, Elspeth disappears.

Left alone with the letters, Margaret discovers a mother she never knew existed: a poet living on the Isle of Skye who in 1912 answered a fan letter from an impetuous young man in Illinois.

Without having to worry about appearances or expectations, Elspeth and Davey confess their dreams and their worries, things they've never told another soul. Even without meeting, they know one another.

Played out across oceans, in peacetime and wartime but most of all through paper and ink, Letters from Skye is about the transformative power of a letter - the letter that shouldn't have been sent, the letter that is never sent and the letter the reader will keep for ever.

 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World War I
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Critic reviews

This is an enchanting love story, told in a series of letters … It’s beautifully imagined and blissfully romantic.
This is a gentle love story. Telling it through letters makes the characters more real … given depth and richness by letters that speak straight from the heart.
A captivating love story that celebrates the power of hope to triumph over time and circumstance. (Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers)
A poignant tale of a stubborn love that bridges the lives and wars of two generations, Letters From Skye gives the reader a story to inhale as well as read, unfolding amid the gripping panorama of a changing world—an absorbing and rewarding saga of loss and discovery. (Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker)
A touching story of forbidden wartime romance, spanning two generations and two separate continents.
Jessica Brockmole is a gifted storyteller who weaves beauty and emotion into her pages. Letters from Skye will tug at your heart and make you long for the salty air of the Isle of Skye. (Sarah Jio, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Camellia and Blackberry Winter)
Very entertaining
A fascinating, lyrical tale of love and loss ... Brockmole expertly explores the toll of both honesty and deception upon hearts battered by war and society’s expectations. (Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife)
Letters from Skye is a captivating love story that celebrates the power of hope to triumph over time and circumstance. (Vanessa Diffenbaugh, New York Times bestselling author of The Language of Flowers)
A poignant tale of a stubborn love that bridges the lives and wars of two generations, Letters From Skye gives the reader a story to inhale as well as read, unfolding amid the gripping panorama of a changing world—an absorbing and rewarding saga of loss and discovery. (Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker)
All stars
Most relevant
loved this book. packed with emotion, and was hard to put down (press pause!). excellent delivery from narrators especially the man who played Davie, and Elle was exceptional with Sue's character.
want more!

brilliant story, brilliantly told

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I was totally drawn in to the unfolding lives of the characters and really cared about them - not just the main protagonists. It captured well the mood of the times and different places. It was beautifully narrated by several voices and well-crafted - keeping you unsure of the eventual outcome until the last few paragraphs. I finished listening this morning and am searching for other books by the authot (and female narrators!) I really did not want it to end!

Didn't want it to end

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What made the experience of listening to Letters From Skye the most enjoyable?

The letters format of the novel made it perfect for audio. Hearing the voices read their own letters brought the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Letters From Skye?

The fast pace when Margaret, the daughter, took over her mother's search towards the end.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

All the narrators were excellent, making the letters real. The accents highlighted the characters.

Any additional comments?

This would have been a good book to read but was really elevated by being dramatised. It was reminiscent of "The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society".

Made for audio

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This book was wonderful and so easy to listen to - and it was a great story. I listened to it in the car and sometimes I wouldn't get out of the car until the end of a chapter. I totally recommend this book. The readers were excellent, however, it took me a while to catch onto their accents and at the beginning I didn't realise there were two different time periods, but once I did, it was very easy to follow the story.

This is not the type of book I would normally read but I was checking it out for my elderly mother. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and therefore I have no hesitation in recommending it for any age group. It is a rarity nowadays - a great book with no sex, violence or bad language!

I absolutely loved it.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book, narrators were great, story line - a good mix of history, love and myth to keep you interested to the end. Main characters were so well developed. Would love there to be some kind of continuation to the story. I’ll definitely listen this one again.

Loved it!

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