Past Encounters

De: Deborah Swift

Narrado por: Stevie Zimmerman

Some memories fade, some refuse to let you go.

Rhoda Middleton suspects her husband Peter is having an affair. But when Rhoda tracks the mysterious woman down, she finds she is not his lover after all, but the wife of his wartime best friend, Archie Foster.

There is only one problem - Rhoda has never even heard of Archie Foster.

Hurt and bewildered by this betrayal of trust, Rhoda tries to find out why Peter has kept his friendship with Archie hidden for so long.

Taking us on a journey from the atmospheric filming of the romantic wartime classic, Brief Encounter, to the extraordinary Great March of prisoners of war through snow-bound Germany in 1945, this is a novel of friendship, hope, and how in the end, it is the small things that enable love to survive.

BookViral Millennium Awards Best in Genre

©2014 Deborah Swift/Davina Blake (P)2017 Deborah Swift/Davina Blake

Reseñas de la Crítica

"For lovers of history and drama this is a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon." (BookGeeks)

Thoughtful and original

This is one of the best books I’ve listened to in quite a while. It examined aspects of the war we don’t hear about as much, and had really compelling characters.

Good Grief

I read tons of WW2 books. I kept saying, "good grief." I guess I do not like husband's who live double lives.

The untold story of British POWs in German work camp during WWII and life on the home front

Deborah Swift is a master of historical fiction. Past Encounters does a masterful job of weaving together the present martial difficulties of a 1950s British couple with their meeting, courtship, and sudden separation due to the outbreak of World War II. The plot lines move back and forth between the war and the post war present doing an excellent job of helping the reader to experience the horrors of a German POW camp from the point of view of the British prisoners trapped there. The author paints a vivid picture of these men and their love for one another whereby they regularly risk their own lives for the sake of their brothers in arms. The picture painted of the home front in the north of England where the war seems worlds away is also highly interesting and compelling. Deborah Swift is a master of creating vivid characters about whom you will find yourself caring deeply while exposing you to lesser known stories from one of history's most compelling eras, Mid Twentieth Century Europe. I fell in love with these characters and find their struggles completely believable and important. I also loved the narrator. She and the author both deserve 5 stars. Bravo!

Touching

A sad and touching story with a touch of hope. Very well written with complex and realistic characters. I liked it that the story started 10 years after the war and that a reader was discovering the impact of the war on their present lives. Peter ' s war time memories were heartbreaking, his friendship with Archie and loyalty to his wife were a testament to his characters. I was especially touched by Rhoda 's observation that it was easier to lose a person than a dream. Clinging to a memory of a beautiful dream didn't allow her to value what good she had in her life.

Stevie Zimmerman 's beautiful narration made this book even more poignant. Inability to communicate, unspoken feelings between the couple were wonderfully underlined by her ability to convey emotions.
Highly recommended.

Very slow in parts, then very superficial in parts.,

Main characters are attractive at first, but you get a bit tired of how “gormless” they are when it comes to their emotions. Always seeming unprepared and uncomfortable with their own feelings. It got a little old. Way too much time (for me) on the misery of daily life of the prisoner camps, with bits of “later on” seeming sprinkled in as an afterthought. Then the ending wrapped up in no time — not very believable. Could have used more development of the nice parts of Peter and Rhoda’s relationship over time. I think the author was aiming for two parallel life experiences that come together in the end, but there wasn’t enough development if Rhoda and Peter as a couple over time. JMO.