Letters From Skye

By: Jessica Brockmole

Narrated by: Elle Newlands, Katy Townsend, Lincoln Hoppe, Adam Alexi-Malle, Guy Burnet

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet and a fisherman’s wife, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s bucolic Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when a fan letter arrives from an American college student, David Graham. As the two strike up a correspondence - sharing their favourite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets - their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I moves across Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he comes back alive.

June 1940: More than twenty years later, at the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for her best friend, a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against finding love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. And after a nearby bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter, sent decades before by a stranger named David Graham, remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover who David is and where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago....

©2013 Jessica Brockmole (P)2013 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"a story of uncovered secrets and loves lost, and of discovering that the people you are closest to aren’t always as straightforward as you think" (Emma Herdman, Bookseller’s Choice, Bookseller)

"very entertaining" (Sunday Mirror)

"Letters from Skye is a touching story of forbidden wartime romance, spanning two generations and two separate continents." (The Reading Room)

Loved it!

If you could sum up Letters From Skye in three words, what would they be?

True love endures

Who was your favorite character and why?

Elspeth (Sue). She was so eloquent in her letters. And she never gave up. A strong,yet vulnerable, woman.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but they were all great. I have to confess that I have a weakness for the Scottish accent.

If you could rename Letters From Skye, what would you call it?

I wouldn't rename it at all. It's perfect just as it is.

Any additional comments?

I shared it with my mother and she loved it too.

Made for audio

What made the experience of listening to Letters From Skye the most enjoyable?

The letters format of the novel made it perfect for audio. Hearing the voices read their own letters brought the story to life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Letters From Skye?

The fast pace when Margaret, the daughter, took over her mother's search towards the end.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

All the narrators were excellent, making the letters real. The accents highlighted the characters.

Any additional comments?

This would have been a good book to read but was really elevated by being dramatised. It was reminiscent of "The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society".

I absolutely loved it.

This book was wonderful and so easy to listen to - and it was a great story. I listened to it in the car and sometimes I wouldn't get out of the car until the end of a chapter. I totally recommend this book. The readers were excellent, however, it took me a while to catch onto their accents and at the beginning I didn't realise there were two different time periods, but once I did, it was very easy to follow the story.

This is not the type of book I would normally read but I was checking it out for my elderly mother. I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did and therefore I have no hesitation in recommending it for any age group. It is a rarity nowadays - a great book with no sex, violence or bad language!

Didn't want it to end

I was totally drawn in to the unfolding lives of the characters and really cared about them - not just the main protagonists. It captured well the mood of the times and different places. It was beautifully narrated by several voices and well-crafted - keeping you unsure of the eventual outcome until the last few paragraphs. I finished listening this morning and am searching for other books by the authot (and female narrators!) I really did not want it to end!

Loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, narrators were great, story line - a good mix of history, love and myth to keep you interested to the end. Main characters were so well developed. Would love there to be some kind of continuation to the story. I’ll definitely listen this one again.

Utterly beautiful

This is a wonderful love story and it is read very well. It is so beautifully written, that I repeatedly found myself wanting to rewind sections... The author's use of language is astounding. I listened daily on my morning walk and was sad when it came to an end. I must find books more by this author.