jfbfsf's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars, but I can't bring myself to round up.
The story is interesting. The writing is... ok. The dialogue/relationship sections are terrible. There are two story lines - one in present day, and one in the 1940s. The older one was total romance novel - I know there was a story there, it wasn't just about heaving chests and starry eyes... but it was mostly about that. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. I think I even highlighted some of the more egregious dialogue, but I've returned the book to the library, so I can't check.
The modern story seemed far fetched... but less terrible eye rolling romance.
I was pulled in by the stories, and definitely wanted to see how the two stories tied into each other, and how it would all resolve.
I read it (and actually read for like 4 straight hours on a plane) but mostly because I wanted to see how it all wrapped up and be done with it.
The story is interesting. The writing is... ok. The dialogue/relationship sections are terrible. There are two story lines - one in present day, and one in the 1940s. The older one was total romance novel - I know there was a story there, it wasn't just about heaving chests and starry eyes... but it was mostly about that. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. I think I even highlighted some of the more egregious dialogue, but I've returned the book to the library, so I can't check.
The modern story seemed far fetched... but less terrible eye rolling romance.
I was pulled in by the stories, and definitely wanted to see how the two stories tied into each other, and how it would all resolve.
I read it (and actually read for like 4 straight hours on a plane) but mostly because I wanted to see how it all wrapped up and be done with it.
felinity's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully written story of two women, one in the present and one in the past, whose lives seem inexplicably intertwined. As the story progresses, things from one life seep through to the other, enhancing the story until it becomes fully complete.
We share Vivian's emotional rollercoaster, and her uncertainty about Isaak, while Audra's story draws the past even closer, binding the two women together.
All the characters are drawn in loving detail, with real emotions, doubts, conflicts, fears and joy; I especially love the very realistic friendship that Audra and Tess share. Each has to deal with grief and loss, sometimes just from a parting and sometimes more permanent, and we see how each handles it in a different way; we learn that one way isn't better than the other, just different, and that isolation from the others who are grieving tends to be unhelpful. At the same time, each also grows to discover that real love is carefully, patiently, painstakingly built over time, that it cannot exist in a vacuum or without openness, honesty and acceptance, that it is an ongoing process and requires commitment.
The details of life are always uncertain, though loss seems inevitable, and what's important is holding on to those pieces which help us remember, to live, to love, and using them to build something new and better. So many teaching moments in this story, and yet it just flowed so naturally. I read this on my own, and savored every minute, but I can see it as a great bookclub read.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
We share Vivian's emotional rollercoaster, and her uncertainty about Isaak, while Audra's story draws the past even closer, binding the two women together.
All the characters are drawn in loving detail, with real emotions, doubts, conflicts, fears and joy; I especially love the very realistic friendship that Audra and Tess share. Each has to deal with grief and loss, sometimes just from a parting and sometimes more permanent, and we see how each handles it in a different way; we learn that one way isn't better than the other, just different, and that isolation from the others who are grieving tends to be unhelpful. At the same time, each also grows to discover that real love is carefully, patiently, painstakingly built over time, that it cannot exist in a vacuum or without openness, honesty and acceptance, that it is an ongoing process and requires commitment.
The details of life are always uncertain, though loss seems inevitable, and what's important is holding on to those pieces which help us remember, to live, to love, and using them to build something new and better. So many teaching moments in this story, and yet it just flowed so naturally. I read this on my own, and savored every minute, but I can see it as a great bookclub read.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
gr8reader's review against another edition
5.0
Well written........Blown away how some of the shorter chapters (maybe 5 pages long) could be so packed with storyline and information. There are 2 story lines (that are related to each other) and the odd numbered chapters are about one story and the even numbered chapters about the other story. The font of each storyline is different. One story is in the present and one in the past. There were times that I was tempted to read just one story and then go back and read the other......but I couldn't choose which one to start with. Well developed characters and plot line. There are points where you discover things about the story from the past within the present story and you want to know how those characters got to that point......A real page turner at times. It looked as though one of the stories was NOT going have a "pat, predictable ending" and without giving things away, I was just a tad disappointed that it ended the way that it did.
bravelass85's review against another edition
3.0
An enjoyable read though the two story lines only sort of connected. It felt to me like it could have been two separate books. I enjoyed both stories however.
raeerin22's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
So touching and unexpected
vixenchick's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2015. This book was always on my mind, even when I wasn't reading and doing other things. It kept drawing me back to see how Jack was doing, or Vivian, or Isaak.
I normally shy away from books that change between past and present, but the author did an amazing job here and I was never confused.
This should be on everyone's "to-read" list!
I normally shy away from books that change between past and present, but the author did an amazing job here and I was never confused.
This should be on everyone's "to-read" list!
laurennmiller's review against another edition
4.0
This book mirrors the past-life theme of another recent read, "The Forgetting Time", (with the added intrigue of a WWII plotline) but doesn't unfurl the stories quite as elegantly. It was a good read overall, but I was left wanting more details on certain aspects (like Devon's death, or what happened to Isaak's family).
mdabernig's review
4.0
I had forgotten when I found this on my kindle that the reason I had this book was because I had loved [b:Letters from Home|22123215|Letters from Home|Kristina McMorris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410153549s/22123215.jpg|14297764] so much and had bought this when it came out & had just never gotten around to reading it, for whatever reason.
I really enjoyed this book - it was a clever dual story narrative, which I'm obviously a sucker for, but beyond that, they were clever dual stories. The stories were anchored by two women - Vivian during WW2 and Audra, a young widow still adjusting to being a single mother to a child who is plagued by night terrors. Vivian and Audra were fascinating and dimensional characters - I felt a connection with them both for different reasons and I wanted so much for them both to find the happiness they deserved.
Audra's story was sad...a woman who had lost her husband a few years before and who was struggling in many ways, but especially with her son, Jack. She didn't know how to help him and felt her life over-whelm her with one setback after another while Jack's nightmares just kept getting worse and worse. I guessed a few times about how Jack's story was going to link the two stories and I was wrong, and happy to be wrong because it was just so much more affecting the way it worked out.
I worried that Vivian's story was going to be a bit formulaic, and obvious but thankfully I was completely wrong in that regard and I found her story with Gene and Isaac genuinely wonderful. I was so happy with how it was resolved...bittersweet, of course, but I was so happy with what went on in that storyline.
This is a lovely book, and reaffirms why Kristina McMorris is probably one of my fave authors. Now I just need to go look out her other books - hopefully I won't leave them sitting unread on my kindle for too long this time!
I really enjoyed this book - it was a clever dual story narrative, which I'm obviously a sucker for, but beyond that, they were clever dual stories. The stories were anchored by two women - Vivian during WW2 and Audra, a young widow still adjusting to being a single mother to a child who is plagued by night terrors. Vivian and Audra were fascinating and dimensional characters - I felt a connection with them both for different reasons and I wanted so much for them both to find the happiness they deserved.
Audra's story was sad...a woman who had lost her husband a few years before and who was struggling in many ways, but especially with her son, Jack. She didn't know how to help him and felt her life over-whelm her with one setback after another while Jack's nightmares just kept getting worse and worse. I guessed a few times about how Jack's story was going to link the two stories and I was wrong, and happy to be wrong because it was just so much more affecting the way it worked out.
I worried that Vivian's story was going to be a bit formulaic, and obvious but thankfully I was completely wrong in that regard and I found her story with Gene and Isaac genuinely wonderful. I was so happy with how it was resolved...bittersweet, of course, but I was so happy with what went on in that storyline.
This is a lovely book, and reaffirms why Kristina McMorris is probably one of my fave authors. Now I just need to go look out her other books - hopefully I won't leave them sitting unread on my kindle for too long this time!
cleister's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Very well written. It is written with 2 different story time frames but all gets connected in the end. Audra is the mother of Jack a child who has a connection to the past , in the WWII time. Vivian is the mother of Judith and there is a storyline with her that comes full circle and connects with present day. Somewhat confusing but interesting well written story.
xoxocheyekay's review
2.0
I found the story line of the book interesting, but it had almost nothing to do with what I thought it would be about. The book follows a single mother, Audra, who had lost her husband a few years prior to a brain aneurysm. Her son, Jack, starts to show a fear of planes and appears to know facts that shouldn't be possible for him to know. On alternating chapters, the story shows a relationship between an American girl and the love triangle she finds herself in with a former boyfriend and a new boyfriend during WWII. It is clear Jack's newfound knowledge and these three people are related somehow.
Because of the description, I thought this book would center more on reincarnation and on Jack himself. Instead, it focused almost solely on Audra and her grief process about her husband. There was also a minor conflict of Audra's in-laws attempting to obtain custody of Jack. However, this was inconsequential and did not add to the story at all.
I did enjoy the chapters written back and forth between the present and the past. They were actually the only things that kept me reading the book.
Because of the description, I thought this book would center more on reincarnation and on Jack himself. Instead, it focused almost solely on Audra and her grief process about her husband. There was also a minor conflict of Audra's in-laws attempting to obtain custody of Jack. However, this was inconsequential and did not add to the story at all.
I did enjoy the chapters written back and forth between the present and the past. They were actually the only things that kept me reading the book.