What do you think?
Rate this book
Letters from Skye
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Debut Goodreads Author (2013)A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.
March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.
March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.
June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.
290 pages, Hardcover
First published July 9, 2013
About the author
Jessica Brockmole
8 books486 followersI have been enamored with historical fiction since I was old enough to sit still for bedtime readings of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Now, I write stories of my own (and am much better at sitting still). I am the author of LETTERS FROM SKYE, a novel of love, family, and the letters holding both together, and AT THE EDGE OF SUMMER, set in WWI France, and the upcoming WOMAN ENTERS LEFT. I also have a novella in the the WWI anthology FALL OF POPPIES.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,691 reviews
August 31, 2017
I thought this would be a lot better than it was. It's just one step above your standard WWII romance novel, not particularly deep or insightful. And adultery just isn't romantic to me, no matter how you package it. I read half and skimmed the rest.
Kim (in the comment thread) had a good suggestion: Forget this novel; just look at pictures of Skye instead:
Much better, I promise.
Kim (in the comment thread) had a good suggestion: Forget this novel; just look at pictures of Skye instead:
Much better, I promise.
July 25, 2013
Letters from Skye is a sweet and simple book that ultimately disappointed me because the author seemed to believe that the cliched plot twists and insubstantial characters and setting could be saved by a charming concept.
I love the idea of a novel told in letters or diaries and just last week read and reviewed a great example of this type of novel - Margaret Forster's Diary of an Ordinary Woman. But to make that kind of novel succeed you have to have a strong narrative voice, a sense of a real person setting events down in real time. Unfortunately, all of the letter writers in Skye sound the same - there's no differentiation in voice between an American college student and a Scottish poet in 1912 or a young woman and her boyfriend in the midst of WWII.
I've read interviews with the author and she seemed to have done a great deal of research on the language of the time. The words may have been correct but her diction and language structure was completely off - the letters read like zippy emails back and forth, full of jokes and some fairly explicit conversations between a man and a woman in 1912. I suppose I'm inclined to nit-pick because I have all the letters between my great-grandfather and his parents, covering a time period from the 1880s-1930s. People wrote very differently back then and spoke about things in a far more poetic way than we do. I didn't feel any of that in Skye.
I reached a point about halfway through the book when I realized it wasn't going to work for me. I plowed through to finish it as I'd received a review copy and kept myself occupied by wondering what the novel might have been like as a straight-forward narrative with the key letters interspersed throughout. I think this could have been a very good novel in the vein of a dual-timeline, Kate Morton-type story full of secrets. The different settings - the isolated Isle of Skye, college life in the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century, the battlefields of France during the Great War and Blitz London. What amazing settings - what an opportunity for a sweeping novel showing the impact of war on families. None of that comes through in Skye because of the limitations imposed by the letters.
I'm sure many readers will not be bothered by these problems and can accept this as a sweet, generic love story. Unfortunately, I feel as though I've read this book many times and had hopes for something more.
Disclaimer: I received an advance e-galley of this book for review.
I love the idea of a novel told in letters or diaries and just last week read and reviewed a great example of this type of novel - Margaret Forster's Diary of an Ordinary Woman. But to make that kind of novel succeed you have to have a strong narrative voice, a sense of a real person setting events down in real time. Unfortunately, all of the letter writers in Skye sound the same - there's no differentiation in voice between an American college student and a Scottish poet in 1912 or a young woman and her boyfriend in the midst of WWII.
I've read interviews with the author and she seemed to have done a great deal of research on the language of the time. The words may have been correct but her diction and language structure was completely off - the letters read like zippy emails back and forth, full of jokes and some fairly explicit conversations between a man and a woman in 1912. I suppose I'm inclined to nit-pick because I have all the letters between my great-grandfather and his parents, covering a time period from the 1880s-1930s. People wrote very differently back then and spoke about things in a far more poetic way than we do. I didn't feel any of that in Skye.
I reached a point about halfway through the book when I realized it wasn't going to work for me. I plowed through to finish it as I'd received a review copy and kept myself occupied by wondering what the novel might have been like as a straight-forward narrative with the key letters interspersed throughout. I think this could have been a very good novel in the vein of a dual-timeline, Kate Morton-type story full of secrets. The different settings - the isolated Isle of Skye, college life in the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century, the battlefields of France during the Great War and Blitz London. What amazing settings - what an opportunity for a sweeping novel showing the impact of war on families. None of that comes through in Skye because of the limitations imposed by the letters.
I'm sure many readers will not be bothered by these problems and can accept this as a sweet, generic love story. Unfortunately, I feel as though I've read this book many times and had hopes for something more.
Disclaimer: I received an advance e-galley of this book for review.
July 22, 2020
This was an unusual book. It took a little while to get into it and I found it to be a book which I didn't just read straight through. I would move on a little and quite enjoy pondering on the thoughts and feelings of the people involved in it. A quote on the book said..."Words on the page can drench the soul" and after reading I quite agree with parts of this book. The mention of the Isle of Skye first drew me to it as I have always wanted to visit there. I do believe that often with a friendship by mail or letter can encourage many to reveal their deepest feelings to each other. For some reason a friendship of this nature can become really deep and fulfilling. I recommend a book and the film called "Green Journey" by Jon Hassler for anyone who likes this sort of book. Elspeth and David share private things they have never spoken of to another living soul. They may have never met but they "know" each other. Anyone like me who has had such a friendship will understand. World War 1 finally interferes with their lives. Elspeth is waiting, always anxious on Skye and David in the war as an ambulance driver. I found it a beautiful book full of the richness and power of a love story with a difference. I recommend it highly and will be reading it again for sure.
September 5, 2023
I just returned from Scotland and having visited Skye, I thought this would be a perfect time to pick up this book. I listened to it on audio- it had a different narrator for each of the four voices, which was excellent! It was great to hear a Scottish brogue along with an American voice.
This novel is told completely through letters. It starts pre WWI and then moves onto WWII. David writes to Elspeth Dunn after reading a book of her poetry. A correspondence ensues that lasts right through WWI. Elspeth is married but her husband Ian is not very communicative. Writing to David becomes her life line.
Moving forward to WWII, we meet Margaret, Elspeth’s daughter. After a bombing, she discovers her mother’s letters. She knows so little of her mother’s past, so she decides to investigate on her own.
Of course, both stories will converge at some point. That is obvious right away. The ending was predictable, but very sweet and appropriate for the book.
I really loved the descriptions of Skye once Margaret went there for the first time. It was rainy and blustery, much like my recent experience.
Writing and receiving letters is a lost art. When I first moved to Calgary in 1980, I used to write to my mother and friends. I loved receiving letters, but what a chore to respond! Just think, no one will have boxes of old letters any more. No more handwriting of a loved one. I saved a few of my mother’s letters for which I am eternally grateful.
This was a perfect audiobook. There remained a couple of unanswered questions, at least for me. If you are in the mood for an endearing love story, then this book is for you.
Published: 2013
This novel is told completely through letters. It starts pre WWI and then moves onto WWII. David writes to Elspeth Dunn after reading a book of her poetry. A correspondence ensues that lasts right through WWI. Elspeth is married but her husband Ian is not very communicative. Writing to David becomes her life line.
Moving forward to WWII, we meet Margaret, Elspeth’s daughter. After a bombing, she discovers her mother’s letters. She knows so little of her mother’s past, so she decides to investigate on her own.
Of course, both stories will converge at some point. That is obvious right away. The ending was predictable, but very sweet and appropriate for the book.
I really loved the descriptions of Skye once Margaret went there for the first time. It was rainy and blustery, much like my recent experience.
Writing and receiving letters is a lost art. When I first moved to Calgary in 1980, I used to write to my mother and friends. I loved receiving letters, but what a chore to respond! Just think, no one will have boxes of old letters any more. No more handwriting of a loved one. I saved a few of my mother’s letters for which I am eternally grateful.
This was a perfect audiobook. There remained a couple of unanswered questions, at least for me. If you are in the mood for an endearing love story, then this book is for you.
Published: 2013
January 12, 2015
I loved this beautiful, gentle love story spanning WWI and WW2.It all starts when Elspeth Dunn, a 24y old published poet living on Skye receives a fan letter from an American college boy, David Graham. She is so surprised she writes back and they establish a friendship by letter gradually flowering into a romance. However, there are complications. Elspeth is recently married to her childhood friend and her husband soon enlists to fight in WWI. The story is told not only through the letters of Elspeth and David but also through letters from Elspeth's daughter Margaret to her fiance, who is fighting in France in WW2. Margaret knows nothing of her mother's past and tries to unravel the story through her mothers letters and estranged relatives.
I noticed that many reviewers felt that the voices of Margaret, David and Elspeth were not sufficiently different to be distinct. I do agree somewhat with that but found that their characters were well enough built up through their writing that I had a clear mental image of them as individuals. I would also agree that the style and tone of the letters was very modern and not in the style of letters written in 1916 but perhaps this could be partly attributed to Elspeth and David being such free spirits. However, this did not detract from the story for me. I also felt that the author could have made more of the wildness and romance of Skye but my imagination filled in the gaps so again this did not detract from a wonderful story. Despite these small quibbles I enjoyed the book very much 5★
I noticed that many reviewers felt that the voices of Margaret, David and Elspeth were not sufficiently different to be distinct. I do agree somewhat with that but found that their characters were well enough built up through their writing that I had a clear mental image of them as individuals. I would also agree that the style and tone of the letters was very modern and not in the style of letters written in 1916 but perhaps this could be partly attributed to Elspeth and David being such free spirits. However, this did not detract from the story for me. I also felt that the author could have made more of the wildness and romance of Skye but my imagination filled in the gaps so again this did not detract from a wonderful story. Despite these small quibbles I enjoyed the book very much 5★
October 26, 2017
I loved everything about this audio book. Loved, loved, loved.
At first I was worried I wouldn't understand the Scottish speakers, but it was no problem and simply lovely. It had a perfect calming effect on my currently frazzled nerves. World Wars one and two provide a background, but the growing love between a Scottish poet on the Isle of Skye and her American fan from Illinois, told in letters, is front and center.
Did I say I loved this?
At first I was worried I wouldn't understand the Scottish speakers, but it was no problem and simply lovely. It had a perfect calming effect on my currently frazzled nerves. World Wars one and two provide a background, but the growing love between a Scottish poet on the Isle of Skye and her American fan from Illinois, told in letters, is front and center.
Did I say I loved this?
December 21, 2020
I love an epistolary novel! It feels like I'm reading through the commentary of a relationship. The inner voyeur in me just a good mystery steeped in letters.
Elspeth Dunn is a poet living on the Isle of Skye when she receives a letter from a fan- David Graham from Urbana, IL. What's happens next is alternating timelines between WWI & WWII, men going to war, lyrical poems written, and secrets.
I found the back and forth created a tension that I appreciated, and made for a super quick read. I struggled a bit with some of it, the whole idea was a little bit of struggle for the buildup of the relationship given how it started, however if I suspend belief and set everything aside, I really enjoyed this one.
Elspeth Dunn is a poet living on the Isle of Skye when she receives a letter from a fan- David Graham from Urbana, IL. What's happens next is alternating timelines between WWI & WWII, men going to war, lyrical poems written, and secrets.
I found the back and forth created a tension that I appreciated, and made for a super quick read. I struggled a bit with some of it, the whole idea was a little bit of struggle for the buildup of the relationship given how it started, however if I suspend belief and set everything aside, I really enjoyed this one.
August 5, 2016
A beautiful love story comprised of letters . In this day of texts and tweets , it was wonderful to learn about these people solely through their letters. I had forgotten what it was like to write or receive one of those letters that told it all . While the ending was somewhat predictable, I loved it none the less.
July 1, 2013
Some of the books and movies I love pull back the veil and reveal me to be a hopeless romantic, and this is going to be one of them. I sat and read this cover to cover without a break, except for when the emotions got too intense and I flipped over to check my e-mail. The entire book, set during both world wars, is written in letters. During the first world war, the letters are between a female poet living on the Isle of Skye and a slightly younger male fan of her work. The second world war letters are between more than two people, trying to unravel the mystery of the first.
Maybe it's because I believe in love growing between strangers who have never met, or maybe it's because I have experienced the intimacy of letters from a far off place, but this book grabbed the breath out of me. Add to it being set in the isles of Scotland with bits of Gaelic thrown in for good measure, and I'm surprised I can even write coherently.
Maybe it's because I believe in love growing between strangers who have never met, or maybe it's because I have experienced the intimacy of letters from a far off place, but this book grabbed the breath out of me. Add to it being set in the isles of Scotland with bits of Gaelic thrown in for good measure, and I'm surprised I can even write coherently.
July 24, 2015
After the topic of depression and suicide in my last read I needed something lighter. This is unashamedly a love story. Elspeth, a published poet, receives a fan letter one day in 1912 that leads into correspondences with a young man that encompasses World War 1. Yes, you can see where it is heading from the start and that romance will develop, but it is about the letters and the journey that is the key, because this romance is not as simple as it first appears.
There are other letters in the narrative from Margaret to Paul and an uncle she has never met. These are during 1940 and take in some of the events in World War 2. Margaret wants to know about her father and why her mother has kept so much of her life a secret. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where this is heading. Even when I didn’t agree with the choices made by these characters at times somehow I got sucked in to reading this novel very quickly. I did think the Isle of Skye itself could have been revealed more than it was. I never really got a clear picture of it. But, all in all I enjoyed this novel and really liked the cover. Worth reading if you want something light and you might just find your emotions involved at times.
There are other letters in the narrative from Margaret to Paul and an uncle she has never met. These are during 1940 and take in some of the events in World War 2. Margaret wants to know about her father and why her mother has kept so much of her life a secret. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where this is heading. Even when I didn’t agree with the choices made by these characters at times somehow I got sucked in to reading this novel very quickly. I did think the Isle of Skye itself could have been revealed more than it was. I never really got a clear picture of it. But, all in all I enjoyed this novel and really liked the cover. Worth reading if you want something light and you might just find your emotions involved at times.
February 24, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book, a love story between a poet from the isle of Skye and a young man from Urbana, Illinois told in letters. There’s two timelines, the first from 1912-1917 and the second mostly 1940. The early part of the book when they begin their correspondence is sweet and as the story progresses I thought it was headed for major tragedy but it pulls back from that and the ending is possibly a more predictable one that felt just a little anticlimactic for me. But it’s a lovely read that I got very involved in.
July 2, 2013
This was a quick book to read and it was a nice book. Switches between 1912 and 1940, but this is not mainly a historical novel per say, though it does touch on the war, the ambulance drivers and the aircraft, it is without doubt a love story. Wished the letters would have included more information about the Isle of Skye because I felt that this novel lacked depth. When I first started there were times when I was bored and wished they would hurry up and write something half-way interesting. I guess I just never really bonded with any of the characters. The last fifty pages were the best and so once again this is a nice book, an easy book to read and I am sure other readers will find it of more interest than I did.
ARC from publisher.
ARC from publisher.
December 18, 2023
Setting: 1912 & 1940 Western Europe
4 1/2 stars for this reader
Elspeth Dunn, a young poet on Scotland's Isle of Skye, is thrilled to receive her first fan letter from an American college student David Graham.
Feeling lonely in her faltering marriage, Elspeth replies and the two strike up a correspondence that turns into a friendship and eventually a deep love.
But when David becomes an ambulance driver during the Great War, and Elspeth's husband goes missing in battle, their love is put to the ultimate test.
Years later, Elspeth's daughter Margaret is caught up in her own war romance when an air raid destroys part of her mother's house and reveals a cache of love letters from an American named David to "Sue."
When her mother disappears, Margaret follows her trail and begins to unravel the threads of a family tragedy that at last explains the mystery of Margaret's own past.
This story was a totally different kind of read for me and at first very hard to get into.
I love books that are in the first persons voice or done by written diaries of the main character as I feel I am then more connected to the character and her story that is to be told.
But this book is told entirely through letters that are by turns charming,lively,touching,and tear jerking.
And because it was done this way I had to stop feeling like I was just reading someone's letters and pretend if you will, that I was Margaret herself finding out her mother's secret and from there on the story became a sweet well developed romance with mysteries of the past that unraveled at a brisk pace that kept me riveted.
Spanning continents and two world Wars Letters from Skye was full of goodhearted characters that were understandably haunted by the shadows of War.
Keep a tissue handy it's everything a War romance should be.
I look forward to what next comes out from this author.
4 1/2 stars for this reader
Elspeth Dunn, a young poet on Scotland's Isle of Skye, is thrilled to receive her first fan letter from an American college student David Graham.
Feeling lonely in her faltering marriage, Elspeth replies and the two strike up a correspondence that turns into a friendship and eventually a deep love.
But when David becomes an ambulance driver during the Great War, and Elspeth's husband goes missing in battle, their love is put to the ultimate test.
Years later, Elspeth's daughter Margaret is caught up in her own war romance when an air raid destroys part of her mother's house and reveals a cache of love letters from an American named David to "Sue."
When her mother disappears, Margaret follows her trail and begins to unravel the threads of a family tragedy that at last explains the mystery of Margaret's own past.
This story was a totally different kind of read for me and at first very hard to get into.
I love books that are in the first persons voice or done by written diaries of the main character as I feel I am then more connected to the character and her story that is to be told.
But this book is told entirely through letters that are by turns charming,lively,touching,and tear jerking.
And because it was done this way I had to stop feeling like I was just reading someone's letters and pretend if you will, that I was Margaret herself finding out her mother's secret and from there on the story became a sweet well developed romance with mysteries of the past that unraveled at a brisk pace that kept me riveted.
Spanning continents and two world Wars Letters from Skye was full of goodhearted characters that were understandably haunted by the shadows of War.
Keep a tissue handy it's everything a War romance should be.
I look forward to what next comes out from this author.
June 6, 2018
Que bonita lectura!!! Cambia entre 1912 y 1940, no es principalmente una novela histórica, por decir, aunque toca la guerra, los conductores de ambulancia y los aviones, es sin duda una historia de amor. Cartas desde la isla de Skye contiene dos hilos: la historia de la Primera Guerra Mundial de Elspeth Dunn una poeta que vive en Skye y Davey, el estudiante universitario estadounidense que le envía una carta de admiradores y despierta una larga correspondencia; y la historia de la Segunda Guerra Mundial de la hija de Elspeth, Margaret, que busca descubrir los secretos ocultos en el tesoro de antiguas cartas de su madre.
Esencialmente como dije anteriormente, este es un romance de tiempos de guerra, con escenarios bien presentados y personajes secundarios convincentes, como Findlay, el hermano desafecto de Elspeth. Es un libro que se narra completo através de cartas, pero para mi no hubo necesidad de diálogos ni nada, sencillamente me fascinó y lo leí de un tirón.
Libro para 5to elemento : agua
Libro para libros, libros y más libros inciso 6a
Esencialmente como dije anteriormente, este es un romance de tiempos de guerra, con escenarios bien presentados y personajes secundarios convincentes, como Findlay, el hermano desafecto de Elspeth. Es un libro que se narra completo através de cartas, pero para mi no hubo necesidad de diálogos ni nada, sencillamente me fascinó y lo leí de un tirón.
Libro para 5to elemento : agua
Libro para libros, libros y más libros inciso 6a
August 28, 2017
Beautiful book with which to start the new year! I would recommend this to all fans of historical fiction with a dash of romance and a hint of mystery.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
February 22, 2016
Elspeth is fond of saying to her daughter that 'the first volume of my life is out of print'. But when a bomb hits 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 now exposed and out in the open. The next day, Elspeth disappears.
I really enjoyed reading this novel, the format of reading the lives through letters and no actual narration as such was delightful. I felt as if I had discovered the letters and now trying to be a part of the love, the history and the life that Elspeth, Margaret, Davey and Paul lived.
It wasn't a heavy story, where many war stories can be, it was very focussed on the love of two people and how they completely gave of themselves in those letters. I feel very romantic and whimiscal after finishing the book, much lighter. Very satified to read something easy and light among the darkness that war times are..
I really enjoyed reading this novel, the format of reading the lives through letters and no actual narration as such was delightful. I felt as if I had discovered the letters and now trying to be a part of the love, the history and the life that Elspeth, Margaret, Davey and Paul lived.
It wasn't a heavy story, where many war stories can be, it was very focussed on the love of two people and how they completely gave of themselves in those letters. I feel very romantic and whimiscal after finishing the book, much lighter. Very satified to read something easy and light among the darkness that war times are..
June 18, 2022
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.
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.
October 26, 2015
Depois de ter lido A Sociedade Literária Tarde Casca de Batata descobri este livro. Tinha uma estrutura semelhante, é um género literário que aprecio e uma capa que achava linda. Tinha todos os motivos para ler este livro.
Em Março de 1912, Elspeth Dunn, uma poetisa da ilha escocesa de Skye recebe uma carta de um jovem admirador da América. Começam então a corresponder-se com uma frequência quase frenética e viciante. Esta troca de correspondência vai trazer algo mais às suas vidas.
Todo este livro é todo contado em forma de correspondência. Apesar de a sinopse contar algo mais da história eu não o vou fazer aqui. Pois considero que todo o mistério traz beleza à história.
Li este livro de uma forma viciante e frenética. Uma história de amor que me agarrou logo desde o início. Uma escrita romântica, sem parecer lamechas.
Em Março de 1912, Elspeth Dunn, uma poetisa da ilha escocesa de Skye recebe uma carta de um jovem admirador da América. Começam então a corresponder-se com uma frequência quase frenética e viciante. Esta troca de correspondência vai trazer algo mais às suas vidas.
Todo este livro é todo contado em forma de correspondência. Apesar de a sinopse contar algo mais da história eu não o vou fazer aqui. Pois considero que todo o mistério traz beleza à história.
Li este livro de uma forma viciante e frenética. Uma história de amor que me agarrou logo desde o início. Uma escrita romântica, sem parecer lamechas.
September 6, 2021
I love an epistolary novel! This book, which starts with a letter from March 1912 and ends with one dated October 1940, is a delight to read. Although it spans two world wars, it is mostly a charming and captivating story of friendship and love, and celebrates the power of the written word to stir the heart.
I loved this book! 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
I loved this book! 5 stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️
June 20, 2014
If you want to read a great love story filled with wonderful fleshed out characters, beautiful locations, history and lots of surprises, get yourself a copy of this book. ChickLit, yes, undoubtably. But really really GOOD ChickLit. Never trite or predictable.
I read this book in almost one sitting because I just had to read one more letter, then just one more, then......and so forth til the end. The technique of telling the story through the letters between Davey and "Sue" worked so well here. Letters that never arrived, missed opportunities, things never told that led to heartbreak and joy, all these things grabbed my emotions and never let go. Highly recommended for an unforgettable journey between the two World Wars.
I read this book in almost one sitting because I just had to read one more letter, then just one more, then......and so forth til the end. The technique of telling the story through the letters between Davey and "Sue" worked so well here. Letters that never arrived, missed opportunities, things never told that led to heartbreak and joy, all these things grabbed my emotions and never let go. Highly recommended for an unforgettable journey between the two World Wars.
May 12, 2013
Dear Future Reader,
Letters from Skye came to me as an advanced reader’s copy by way of First Reads via Good Reads. I am grateful to have had this opportunity.
Davey and Sue’s love story told through letters is wonderfully voyeuristic. Not as epic as Tristan & Isolde or Romeo & Juliet, non-the-less enduring and addicting. While another reviewer found the detail in the letters held too much detail, I fully believe and imagine friends, then lovers writing to one another in the way done by Jessica Brockmole. (I’ve read letters from relatives during the same time period, and can attest). While I don’t usually read or enjoy romance novels, occasionally an avid reader comes across one that captures you (the Time Traveler’s Wife as well as the aforementioned classics come to mind). My comparison only goes so far as these are the ones that I have enjoyed.
Do I wish that I had learned more of Skye? Yes, but that’s the wonderful thing of this presentation. It allows and subtly encourages me to seek further literature about the wars, war time and love, and Skye. Is this a novel for everyone? I would hope so but resign myself to most likely not. I will be recommending Letters from Skye to several friends in hopes that they find the same joy I did.
“Here I am”
J
Letters from Skye came to me as an advanced reader’s copy by way of First Reads via Good Reads. I am grateful to have had this opportunity.
Davey and Sue’s love story told through letters is wonderfully voyeuristic. Not as epic as Tristan & Isolde or Romeo & Juliet, non-the-less enduring and addicting. While another reviewer found the detail in the letters held too much detail, I fully believe and imagine friends, then lovers writing to one another in the way done by Jessica Brockmole. (I’ve read letters from relatives during the same time period, and can attest). While I don’t usually read or enjoy romance novels, occasionally an avid reader comes across one that captures you (the Time Traveler’s Wife as well as the aforementioned classics come to mind). My comparison only goes so far as these are the ones that I have enjoyed.
Do I wish that I had learned more of Skye? Yes, but that’s the wonderful thing of this presentation. It allows and subtly encourages me to seek further literature about the wars, war time and love, and Skye. Is this a novel for everyone? I would hope so but resign myself to most likely not. I will be recommending Letters from Skye to several friends in hopes that they find the same joy I did.
“Here I am”
J
July 6, 2013
The last 'epistolary novel' I read was the truly wonderful The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, one of my favourite books of all time. So I went into Letters from Skye, another story told entirely in letters, with the bar set extremely high.
Letters from Skye is Jessica Brockmole's first novel. It contains two threads: the World War I story of Elspeth Dunn, a poet living on Skye, and Davey, the American college student who sends her a fan letter and sparks off a long correspondence; and the World War II story of Elspeth's daughter Margaret, who seeks to find out the secrets concealed in her mother's hoard of old letters.
Essentially this is a wartime romance, with well-presented settings and convincing secondary characters such as Elspeth's disaffected brother Findlay. Letters from Skye would make a good book club choice. It's not in the same league as the Guernsey book, but it will certainly attract enthusiastic readers.
My rating: 3.75
Letters from Skye is Jessica Brockmole's first novel. It contains two threads: the World War I story of Elspeth Dunn, a poet living on Skye, and Davey, the American college student who sends her a fan letter and sparks off a long correspondence; and the World War II story of Elspeth's daughter Margaret, who seeks to find out the secrets concealed in her mother's hoard of old letters.
Essentially this is a wartime romance, with well-presented settings and convincing secondary characters such as Elspeth's disaffected brother Findlay. Letters from Skye would make a good book club choice. It's not in the same league as the Guernsey book, but it will certainly attract enthusiastic readers.
My rating: 3.75
February 21, 2013
The last 50 or so pages would earn the book an extra half-star, I should say.
I read this book because it was pitched to me as a good companion to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: epistolary novel, wartime secrets, crossing the generations, a remote island setting. On the surface, it's an apt comparison. But where Guernsey is a charming and old-fashioned story, Letters from Skye feels rushed and largely unbelievable. More to the point, the language in the letters, particularly the exchanges up to and during World War I, feel anachronistic in their language. That is, far too modern in their sensibilities and language patterns. I felt like I was reading a set of contemporary letters, written by contemporary lovers.
Not the worst literary sin in the world, to be sure, but this was not a book that I could ultimately recommend. I suppose that it's rather the nature of epistolary novels to disobey the "show, don't tell" rule, but there were so many moments of "telling" in this novel that I almost laughed out loud. In order for the reader to know certain segments of the plot, the World War I lovers basically repeat back in letters to each other things they did during their fleeting time together. As someone who once was an avid letter writer, it stretched my credulity to believe that either character would essentially rehash their entire visit like that on paper for the reader's benefit. Additionally, the novel feels fairly two dimensional and predictable and it fails to give a good sense of place, either of Edinburgh or the Isle of Skye, which I think is its greatest crime -- one of the best things about the Guernsey book was the sense of time and location it was able to convey.
I read this book because it was pitched to me as a good companion to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: epistolary novel, wartime secrets, crossing the generations, a remote island setting. On the surface, it's an apt comparison. But where Guernsey is a charming and old-fashioned story, Letters from Skye feels rushed and largely unbelievable. More to the point, the language in the letters, particularly the exchanges up to and during World War I, feel anachronistic in their language. That is, far too modern in their sensibilities and language patterns. I felt like I was reading a set of contemporary letters, written by contemporary lovers.
Not the worst literary sin in the world, to be sure, but this was not a book that I could ultimately recommend. I suppose that it's rather the nature of epistolary novels to disobey the "show, don't tell" rule, but there were so many moments of "telling" in this novel that I almost laughed out loud. In order for the reader to know certain segments of the plot, the World War I lovers basically repeat back in letters to each other things they did during their fleeting time together. As someone who once was an avid letter writer, it stretched my credulity to believe that either character would essentially rehash their entire visit like that on paper for the reader's benefit. Additionally, the novel feels fairly two dimensional and predictable and it fails to give a good sense of place, either of Edinburgh or the Isle of Skye, which I think is its greatest crime -- one of the best things about the Guernsey book was the sense of time and location it was able to convey.
July 20, 2017
Entre 3'5-4 Una bonita historia de amor narrada de forma espistolar en tiempos de guerra. Quizá esperaba más, creo que es debido a las altas expectativas, pero con todo y con eso llegó un punto en que no podía parar de leer ya que la historia me tenía atrapada.
September 30, 2018
Maravillosa¡¡¡ qué historia más bonita, más conmovedora y emotiva. No pensé que una novela epistolar me fuese a gustar tanto, a transmitir tanto solo a través de cartas. Pero eso no ha sido un handicap sino que la escritora ha ido utilizando varios puntos de vista y la historia ha resultado ágil y muy bien hilada. Ha conseguido transmitir tantos sentimientos y emociones que me ha llegado al corazón estrujándomelo. Hace nada que la he acabado y he llorado de pena y de felicidad al acabarlo.
Está llena de frases preciosas. Me ha encantado ver la evolución de los personajes a lo largo de los años desde una simple carta de un fan, a una amistad y al amor más profundo. Me ha gustado muchísimo la pareja, eran tan para cual. David y su Sue.
“ Davey, no puedo vivir sin ti. No puedo existir sin ti.”
Al final he podido más que odiar a Ian, lo siento, lo que hizo me pareció horrible.
Un pero le pongo, el final se me hizo muy corto, porque no nos regaló la autora unas pocas hojas más o un epilogo???
Una de la historia de amor más bonitas que he leído.
"¿Hay alguna palabra que signifique "más aún que para siempre"? Así será como yo te amaré."
Está llena de frases preciosas. Me ha encantado ver la evolución de los personajes a lo largo de los años desde una simple carta de un fan, a una amistad y al amor más profundo. Me ha gustado muchísimo la pareja, eran tan para cual. David y su Sue.
“ Davey, no puedo vivir sin ti. No puedo existir sin ti.”
Al final he podido más que odiar a Ian, lo siento, lo que hizo me pareció horrible.
Un pero le pongo, el final se me hizo muy corto, porque no nos regaló la autora unas pocas hojas más o un epilogo???
Una de la historia de amor más bonitas que he leído.
"¿Hay alguna palabra que signifique "más aún que para siempre"? Así será como yo te amaré."
May 2, 2016
Isle of Skye, in 1912: the young author Elspeth Dunn gets her first fan letter from the roguish American, called David Graham. The two immediately became fast pen friends, getting into deep conversations about their lives and the world in general. A while later, they're falling in love with each other.
Isle of Skye, in 1940: Margaret, the daughter of Elspeth, finds a letter by accident. The intimated written letter was directed to a woman, called Sue, addressee of the writing is David Graham. Margaret is confused and starts to investigate. Who is Sue? Who is this guy lovingly called Davy? And why is a suitcase full of letters the most important thing for her mother Elspeth?
The novel, which was composed as a serial of letters, shows the story about Elspeth and her Davy in two different time levels, during the period of the First World War and during the period of the Second World War. In the first time level you learn a lot about the development of the relationship between Elspeth and Davy. How they meet each other for the first time, how Davy goes to war and how Elspeth is worried about him. Also you learn about their lives and views.
In the second time level we follow Margaret, the daughter of Elspeth, who aim to find out about her mother's previous life. But we also follow Elspeth again. After her daughter found her letter she makes up her mind: She wants to find her lost love, Davy, who she hasn't seen for so many years.
I must confess the story isn’t the best one. And the end is rather clichéd and foreseeable. It has an effect on me the author Jessica Brockmole had no clue how to end the novel simply and logically (maybe individual), so she takes the first conclusion, that crosses her mind. Unfortunately that conclusion isn’t the most imaginative, creative and original one.
But from the beginning Jessica Brockmole manages, in a very personal, sensitive, authentic way, to express credibility the feelings and beliefs of her characters. Also this novel has such a skillful and creative construction, that you get immediately fascinated.
In addition, I have to say that I've listened to the audio book. And it was the best idea I've ever had! Every character has his own professional voice actor. It is astounding how the actors could turn this novel into reality just through their voices. It is also remarkable how the voices changes with the characters. Don't know how it is in english, but the german audio book alone is a minor masterpiece.
All these positive points and all the many feels I had while reading it makes me forget the unoriginal ending. Even I'm not a romantic type I just love this book! :)
Isle of Skye, in 1940: Margaret, the daughter of Elspeth, finds a letter by accident. The intimated written letter was directed to a woman, called Sue, addressee of the writing is David Graham. Margaret is confused and starts to investigate. Who is Sue? Who is this guy lovingly called Davy? And why is a suitcase full of letters the most important thing for her mother Elspeth?
The novel, which was composed as a serial of letters, shows the story about Elspeth and her Davy in two different time levels, during the period of the First World War and during the period of the Second World War. In the first time level you learn a lot about the development of the relationship between Elspeth and Davy. How they meet each other for the first time, how Davy goes to war and how Elspeth is worried about him. Also you learn about their lives and views.
In the second time level we follow Margaret, the daughter of Elspeth, who aim to find out about her mother's previous life. But we also follow Elspeth again. After her daughter found her letter she makes up her mind: She wants to find her lost love, Davy, who she hasn't seen for so many years.
I must confess the story isn’t the best one. And the end is rather clichéd and foreseeable. It has an effect on me the author Jessica Brockmole had no clue how to end the novel simply and logically (maybe individual), so she takes the first conclusion, that crosses her mind. Unfortunately that conclusion isn’t the most imaginative, creative and original one.
But from the beginning Jessica Brockmole manages, in a very personal, sensitive, authentic way, to express credibility the feelings and beliefs of her characters. Also this novel has such a skillful and creative construction, that you get immediately fascinated.
In addition, I have to say that I've listened to the audio book. And it was the best idea I've ever had! Every character has his own professional voice actor. It is astounding how the actors could turn this novel into reality just through their voices. It is also remarkable how the voices changes with the characters. Don't know how it is in english, but the german audio book alone is a minor masterpiece.
All these positive points and all the many feels I had while reading it makes me forget the unoriginal ending. Even I'm not a romantic type I just love this book! :)
July 14, 2013
Jessica Brockmole’s debut novel, Letters from Skye, was a fascinating read! She easily captures the essence of bygone days as well as the beautiful craft of letter writing with her distinctive prose. Her words manipulate your emotions and beginning with the first letter this reader became a prisoner of her pen.
This impressive debut gives an unforgettable love story all told through letters. Spanning two generations, two continents as well as two World Wars, Brockmole expertly brings to life a resilient love wrought with adversities. Beginning in 1912, you are smoothly carried back and forth through time as the story flashes from the past into the present setting of 1940. Each chapter leaves you hungry for more, eager to fit all the pieces together.
I found it hard to put this one down. I completely enjoyed the author’s writing style and the descriptive details given of life on the Isle of Skye further added to the charm of this tale. The only quibble I found is that I needed more. I became so embroiled in the lives of these characters that I wanted an epilogue.
The romantic journey between Elspeth Dunn, a poet living on the Island of Skye, and David Graham, an American college student, is a captivating read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find what would come next and the outcome of their relationship.
Many have stated that “Jessica Brockmole is a stunning new literary voice,” and I quite agree! Thank you, Jilly, for pointing the way to this fabulous read!
*** ARC courtesy of Ballantine Books via Edelweiss ***
This impressive debut gives an unforgettable love story all told through letters. Spanning two generations, two continents as well as two World Wars, Brockmole expertly brings to life a resilient love wrought with adversities. Beginning in 1912, you are smoothly carried back and forth through time as the story flashes from the past into the present setting of 1940. Each chapter leaves you hungry for more, eager to fit all the pieces together.
I found it hard to put this one down. I completely enjoyed the author’s writing style and the descriptive details given of life on the Isle of Skye further added to the charm of this tale. The only quibble I found is that I needed more. I became so embroiled in the lives of these characters that I wanted an epilogue.
The romantic journey between Elspeth Dunn, a poet living on the Island of Skye, and David Graham, an American college student, is a captivating read. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find what would come next and the outcome of their relationship.
Many have stated that “Jessica Brockmole is a stunning new literary voice,” and I quite agree! Thank you, Jilly, for pointing the way to this fabulous read!
*** ARC courtesy of Ballantine Books via Edelweiss ***
June 17, 2015
Uživala sam od prve do posljednje stranice.
February 14, 2017
o meu livro clichê preferido de sempre
August 10, 2016
I remember that, when I was a very small child, my godmother used to travel from her home in Plymouth to the Isle of Skye for her summer holidays every year. And I remember telling her that it was a very, very long way, and her telling me that it was worth it, because there was something magical about Skye.
Maybe it was that memory that drew me towards this book. I’d like to think so, because I think that there is something of that same magic that my godmother found between these pages.
This a story told entirely in letters.
The first of those letters was written by David Graham of Illinois, in March 1912. He wrote to the author of a book of poetry that a friend had given him, telling her poems had really touched him, in a way that the tales of action and adventure that were his usual reading material never had.
Later that month Elspeth Dunn wrote back from the Isle of Skye, telling him of the sensation that a letter from America had caused in the small island post office, and expressing surprise and delight that somebody else in the world had read her verse.
Their correspondence went on – I noticed that both of those letters left ideas dangling that invited a response – and it became important to both of them. They both wrote warm, articulate, interesting letters that were a joy to read, and it was clear that their correspondence was valued by each of them.
There were lovely details, there were glimpses of their lives, and there was also things that went unsaid or undescribed. And so there were things that I could wonder about, and pictures for me to paint in my head.
They might have gone on sending letters back and forth across the Atlantic for years and years, but war came. That changed things ….
And then the story moved forward, to 1940 when the world was at war again. Margaret wrote to her fiancé, a pilot in the RAF, telling him of her concerns about her mother. She had found a cache of old letters but her mother had refused to talk about them. That made Margaret realise how little she knew about her family and about her mother’s past. And when her mother disappeared Margaret decided that she had to find out.
She read the letters. She wrote to the uncle she had never met. And she travelled to the Isle of Skye, to her grandmother’s home.
That cast a different light on what had happened on the war, and on the consequences of David and Elspeth’s relationship.
I warmed to Margaret, and I wanted to find answers just as much as she did.
The story is cleverly and thoughtfully constructed. It’s a little predictable in places, but I really didn’t mind; I felt the same way reading this book that I felt reading a much loved book as a child, and wanting the pieces to fall into place the way that they did.
Which is not to say that everything fell into exactly the right place, that things worked out exactly as I wanted. They didn’t. Because I was reading about real people, who I had come about, whose correspondence had engaged me, completely and utterly.
I’ve purposely avoided details, because if this story appeals you really should learn them all as you read those wonderful, wonderful letters.
And all I’m going to say about the ending is that I had tears in my eyes ….
Maybe it was that memory that drew me towards this book. I’d like to think so, because I think that there is something of that same magic that my godmother found between these pages.
This a story told entirely in letters.
The first of those letters was written by David Graham of Illinois, in March 1912. He wrote to the author of a book of poetry that a friend had given him, telling her poems had really touched him, in a way that the tales of action and adventure that were his usual reading material never had.
Later that month Elspeth Dunn wrote back from the Isle of Skye, telling him of the sensation that a letter from America had caused in the small island post office, and expressing surprise and delight that somebody else in the world had read her verse.
Their correspondence went on – I noticed that both of those letters left ideas dangling that invited a response – and it became important to both of them. They both wrote warm, articulate, interesting letters that were a joy to read, and it was clear that their correspondence was valued by each of them.
There were lovely details, there were glimpses of their lives, and there was also things that went unsaid or undescribed. And so there were things that I could wonder about, and pictures for me to paint in my head.
They might have gone on sending letters back and forth across the Atlantic for years and years, but war came. That changed things ….
And then the story moved forward, to 1940 when the world was at war again. Margaret wrote to her fiancé, a pilot in the RAF, telling him of her concerns about her mother. She had found a cache of old letters but her mother had refused to talk about them. That made Margaret realise how little she knew about her family and about her mother’s past. And when her mother disappeared Margaret decided that she had to find out.
She read the letters. She wrote to the uncle she had never met. And she travelled to the Isle of Skye, to her grandmother’s home.
That cast a different light on what had happened on the war, and on the consequences of David and Elspeth’s relationship.
I warmed to Margaret, and I wanted to find answers just as much as she did.
The story is cleverly and thoughtfully constructed. It’s a little predictable in places, but I really didn’t mind; I felt the same way reading this book that I felt reading a much loved book as a child, and wanting the pieces to fall into place the way that they did.
Which is not to say that everything fell into exactly the right place, that things worked out exactly as I wanted. They didn’t. Because I was reading about real people, who I had come about, whose correspondence had engaged me, completely and utterly.
I’ve purposely avoided details, because if this story appeals you really should learn them all as you read those wonderful, wonderful letters.
And all I’m going to say about the ending is that I had tears in my eyes ….
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,691 reviews