Before I Met You

A Novel

By: Lisa Jewell

Narrated by: Helen Duff

After her grandmother Arlette's death, Betty is finally ready to begin her life. She had forfeited university, parties, boyfriends, summer jobs - all the usual preoccupations of a woman her age - in order to care for Arlette. Now she's ready for whatever life throws at her, and, since the will included a beneficiary unknown to her who lives in the city, she heads there to find the mysterious woman....

In 1920s London, Arlette is starting her new life in a time of postwar change. Beautiful and charismatic, she's drawn into a hedonistic world, but then tragedy strikes, and she flees back to her childhood home....

When Betty's search leads her to a man - someone who meant the world to her grandmother - the secrets of Arlette's past may help Betty find her own way to happiness in the present....

A rich detective story and a captivating look at London then and now, Before I Met You is an unforgettable novel about two very different women, separated by 70 years but united by big hearts and even bigger dreams.

©2013 Lisa Jewell (P)2018 Dreamscape Media, LLC

When is this going to be a movie

Ok I have to say Lisa Jewell is quickly becoming my favorite author. Lots of twists and turns, somewhat predictable but still very entertaining. it is Helen Duff who makes the books irresistible. Love her narration. I don’t want to give the story away but it is a fun journey.. Also, this would be a terrific movie (AMAZON PRIME are you reading this?)

Best of her work

This is by far the best book she has written. I have listened to all of them to date. Good job and Definitely worth the listen

Stick With It!

I have never listened to books by this author before, but I was tempted to shut it off a few times in the beginning. It took FOREVER to get to some kind of point but, then, it was hard to stop listening. I only listen while I am driving to and from work too, so I would even wake up thinking of the characters and what would happen next. I rarely do that with a book! It was a well thought out story with twists and turns. The authors of her research too - worth the extra time to get going.

Really enjoyed this book!

Very nice story with two different time frames!
I loved hearing about the 20’s
I couldn’t wait to continue this book every time I had a chance.

Loved this story

The story was very engsging, and the characters were colorful and memorable. I especially loved the main character, Betty

Loved it!!

Lisa Jewell is such an amazing author. Her characters are always captivating! Couldn’t have loved it more! Kudos to the narrator as well for being exceptional!

Great book!

Loved the story! Loved the narrator! This is one of those books for the repeat list.

Beautiful and heart wrenching story

I never wanted it to end... if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would!

Excellent

This book was very engaging. I was sad for it to end. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been so involved in a story. This is an excellent read/listen.

Still thinking about this listen days later!

Amazing writing and characters that you fall in love with. This is the 9th Jewell book I have read. Having read all of her recent ones, I stepped back to 2013 with this one. Before I Met You does not have the suspenseful intensity of some of her books, yet every moment is engaging, 14 plus hours and I rewound if I missed 30 seconds.

This was beautifully written historical fiction, with a mystery that drives the plot. There is a bit of supporting romance in both eras that furthers, not takes away from, the plot. The theme is the parallel of the lives (but with twists) of two unrelated women, going back and forth between 1920’s and 1990’s London. I was so intrigued by the setting I found myself using Google Maps to immerse myself in it.

Extremely satisfying ending! If you find yourself on the edge of your seat thinking “why did that have to happen?” trust the author every event and detail comes together in the end.

The narration is absolutely perfect; Helen Duff seamlessly moves from male to female characters so consistently! Her accent and style are perfect for the London setting.

Lisa Jewell’s most unique talent for me is her ability to write conversations so real you can visualize them playing out. What the characters say, how they say it, and their body language described are what make them come to life.

Jewell does use some profanity to define certain characters, giving them a personality that comes to life. There is a little sexual deviance (some of it humorous) but she does not write detailed sex scenes for shock value, what she writes has a point that furthers the plot.