The Last Letter from Your Lover

The Last Letter from Your Lover
Pamela Dorman Books
July 7, 2011
400 pages
Goodreads/Amazon

It's 1960 when Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital with no memory. She cannot remember anything about her life, not her husband and not the accident that put her in the hospital. Later, back home and trying to decipher her life, Jennifer discovers a letter. The missive, urging her leave her husband is something else Jennifer doesn't remember. While she doesn't remember the man who wrote to her - it is signed only 'B,' either - it does let her know that her marriage is not everything she has been told.

Jennifer's initial discovery of the letter sets into motion a whole series of events that take place over many years - even decades.

The Last Letter from Your Lover is quite an epic love story that has a lot of back and forth in time periods in the beginning - it can get confusing if you don't pay attention to the dates on the headings. The two main characters are also kept apart a lot but its their separation that grows their relationship and the book.

In the latter section of the book, new characters - one central and some secondary - are added to the story. They help to advance the original story line.

It's a difficult story to summarize, but the way it spans so much time and uses things relevant to the time period (both gender wise and other things I wouldn't have thought of) as well as making things difficult for extra-marital affairs, both for logistically and psychologically on those involved is fantastic.

The Last Letter from Your Lover is a book I picked up while looking for potential books to buy people for Christmas and it was an enjoyable read. I'm not sure it's a book that will stay with your or has any scenes that will stick in your head, but it's definitely worth a read - and one that I'm recommending.

Rating: 8/10