thepageladies's review
4.0
Book Review…A Letter in the Wall by Eileen Brill
It’s 1971, and Joan Dumann fears her former business partner wants her dead—but her anxiety is less about dying than it is about feeling disrespected and invalidated. As she constructs a letter about her predicament, she revisits her past.
A Letter in the Wall is based on a letter written by the real Joan that was found in the Wall of a Pennsylvania home more than half a century later. I was able to hear the author speak about this book. The way she actually found the letter in the wall of the home she was living in and I couldn't wait to read it! We follow Joan from her early childhood through marriages, her mother's death, and the birth of her own children. Joan's character is realistic and complex and at times it was hard to like her but I also had moments where I felt bad for her. Overall I truly enjoyed this story, it's emotional and captures the life of a woman that I'm sure many of us will be able to relate to in our own way!
Thank you Get Red PR and Eileen Brill for sharing this book with me!
It’s 1971, and Joan Dumann fears her former business partner wants her dead—but her anxiety is less about dying than it is about feeling disrespected and invalidated. As she constructs a letter about her predicament, she revisits her past.
A Letter in the Wall is based on a letter written by the real Joan that was found in the Wall of a Pennsylvania home more than half a century later. I was able to hear the author speak about this book. The way she actually found the letter in the wall of the home she was living in and I couldn't wait to read it! We follow Joan from her early childhood through marriages, her mother's death, and the birth of her own children. Joan's character is realistic and complex and at times it was hard to like her but I also had moments where I felt bad for her. Overall I truly enjoyed this story, it's emotional and captures the life of a woman that I'm sure many of us will be able to relate to in our own way!
Thank you Get Red PR and Eileen Brill for sharing this book with me!
janp's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jonid's review
3.0
3.5 stars Young Joan loses her mother in the influenza pandemic of 1918. She and her distant and work obsessed father go to live with an Aunt, Uncle and cousins. At summer camp she writes a letter to a boy she thinks she has a connection to, but she never mails it, and when she realizes that her feeling are not reciprocated, she hides the letter in her bedroom wall. (The letter the author finds which inspired her to write the novel) I found Joan to be unlikable, making self-destructive choices throughout her life. The book starts out with her fearing for her life and pointing a finger at her business partner. She remains convinced of the rightness of every decision she makes. She finds motherhood unfulfilling, true friendships elusive, and men disappointing. While the story is well told, without a sympathetic main character, it’s hard to root for Joan. Ultimately you know where her choices will lead her, and while interesting, I didn’t really care
annegoodreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Eileen Brill’s novel A Letter in the Wall skips through the mundane parts of Joan’s life while also embracing the events that shape and mold her with strength and resolve. I loved how the letters written by Joan embodied characteristics that represented Joan’s life at the time they were written. The expanse of time covered from 1918 to 2007 is embraced as perspectives shift within Joan, her family members, and society. I was hooked from the very start when it opened with Joan being betrayed by a business partner in Oklahoma. I kept reading with great fury to figure out how Joan got to Oklahoma and why. And the end with everything coming full circle was perfection! I loved how it ended with Joan’s daughter’s quote, “We’re all products of our decisions.” The Author’s Note gives the details of the real Joan and her letter found by the author.
sarahsbookstack's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Eileen wrote this story after finding a non-mailed letter in the wall of her home from a Joan Dumann.
She researched as much as she could but didn't find a lot on Joan, so she made this story of what she might have been like until the year 1971 - the year of Joan's murder.
Now, at times while reading, I felt bad for Joan's character but then I always remembered that Joan kind of brought all the things that happened to her on herself. She would make wild decisions, oftentimes without consulting those that it would affect, But I believed that she always believed she was making the right choices.
I felt the second half of the book, I was more into than the first half but I'm glad to have stuck with it.
She researched as much as she could but didn't find a lot on Joan, so she made this story of what she might have been like until the year 1971 - the year of Joan's murder.
Now, at times while reading, I felt bad for Joan's character but then I always remembered that Joan kind of brought all the things that happened to her on herself. She would make wild decisions, oftentimes without consulting those that it would affect, But I believed that she always believed she was making the right choices.
I felt the second half of the book, I was more into than the first half but I'm glad to have stuck with it.
chelz286's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This novel follows Joan through the decades of her life, born in 1915 she saw a lot of changes in the United States. War, Spanish Flu, prohibition, Great Depression, WWII, the changes of women in the workforce, and yet another war in Vietnam. Women, families and the workforce had many changes because of these historical events and Joan was one to get what she wanted in life.
Joan is very much a character that you have a love, hate, and sometimes feel you have a bit of an understanding of. This was before postpartum depression really started to be understood and ok for women, as well as women being at the forefront the workforce let alone a company. But Joan was not one to be told no, or that she couldn't do something and this often caused Joan to make hasty decisions regarding her life. Not one to be told what to do, often she did not heed advise or suggestions from her children and this played into lots of things in her life.
Having had a few marriages and a few children, Joan often had the envy of others but soon she would want more or want different and the husbands and the kids typically ended up hurt in the end. Joan at times meant well but it did not come across that way, she was seen as someone who would do what it took to get what she wanted and in the end none of that mattered.
I like that this character lived through a lot of the big historical events in the last century in the US and that it was based somewhat on a true person. Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and the author for the free novel.
Joan is very much a character that you have a love, hate, and sometimes feel you have a bit of an understanding of. This was before postpartum depression really started to be understood and ok for women, as well as women being at the forefront the workforce let alone a company. But Joan was not one to be told no, or that she couldn't do something and this often caused Joan to make hasty decisions regarding her life. Not one to be told what to do, often she did not heed advise or suggestions from her children and this played into lots of things in her life.
Having had a few marriages and a few children, Joan often had the envy of others but soon she would want more or want different and the husbands and the kids typically ended up hurt in the end. Joan at times meant well but it did not come across that way, she was seen as someone who would do what it took to get what she wanted and in the end none of that mattered.
I like that this character lived through a lot of the big historical events in the last century in the US and that it was based somewhat on a true person. Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and the author for the free novel.
mamaflom's review
medium-paced
2.5
The concept of this book is very intriguing. Eileen Brill found a letter in her wall and proceeded to research to find out who Joan was, what led to the letter she found, and what her life was like.
Although Ms. Brill was unable to find out many details about Joan, she created a fictional story about what could have been based on the small details she was able to unearth.
I felt that the story was intriguing, but was distracted by many errors in regards to the timing of the story. These were minor (such as going to an IHOP before IHOP was founded, using 'jerk' as a description before it's time and so forth), but I did find myself questioning items going forward and looking things up for validity while reading.
The characters are interesting, but at times descriptions or details feel pushed in order to make a point.
I did feel for Joan and her family, so the author did her job in pulling me into the story.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
#aletterinthewalleileenbrillbooks #NetGalley
Although Ms. Brill was unable to find out many details about Joan, she created a fictional story about what could have been based on the small details she was able to unearth.
I felt that the story was intriguing, but was distracted by many errors in regards to the timing of the story. These were minor (such as going to an IHOP before IHOP was founded, using 'jerk' as a description before it's time and so forth), but I did find myself questioning items going forward and looking things up for validity while reading.
The characters are interesting, but at times descriptions or details feel pushed in order to make a point.
I did feel for Joan and her family, so the author did her job in pulling me into the story.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.
#aletterinthewalleileenbrillbooks #NetGalley
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