“This is a gentle, well-written read, stuffed full of engaging characters you’ll root for from the start.”

 

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

This was probably the most surprising book so far this year for me. I grabbed it in the supermarket as an extra (I’d already packed two) holiday read without even reading the back, I judged it purely on the pretty cover.

The book covers two stories, one of a present day family holding onto each other following a tragedy in their combined past and the discovery of a memoir written by recently deceased Professor Jacob Belinsky, detailing his life and love at Bletchley Park during the war. The two stories intertwine seamlessly and at the same time the author creates two completely separate worlds. Basically, two fantastic stories for the price of one.

Having never heard of Erica James before I thought this book would be a fluffy bit of easy holiday reading and I really couldn’t have been more wrong. The quality of writing is stunning and her characters are beautifully presented, not overdone at all. I shed a few tears throughout as loss on all different levels is a central subject within the book, but always tastefully dealt with.

On the whole this was a pretty flawless book, if I were to be picky I might say the ending was a little predictable and twee and the present day love story a little underwhelming but it was all in keeping for a beautifully written story which I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

Reviewed by:

Leah Nayar

Added 29th August 2015

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Leah Nayar