The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright

By: Beth Miller

Narrated by: Marian Hussey

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sometimes it takes losing something to see where you truly belong.

For the past 29 years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop hoping to finally sell the legendary gold pen, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat. 

But now Ursula has stopped writing and everything is a little bit worse. 

Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. She has always been the person Kay relies on. 

Worried, Kay gets out her shoebox of Ursula’s letters and as she reads, her unease starts to grow. And then at 10 o’clock in the morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table....

This emotional and heart-warming novel is for anyone who knows it’s never too late to look for happiness. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will fall in love with this feel-good and moving story that shows you that the best friendships truly last forever.

©2020 Beth Miller (P)2019 Bookouture

A heartfelt story

This story flows from the narrator so smoothly, its as though she is at your table having tea. I enjoyed the the story, It was as if I knew the family and each of its members so very well . I would have given the story a full 5 starts if it had not been for the unnecessary use of curse words.
I have read many stories with adult language that somewhat fits the story line, in this case its just a bit much. (perhaps a simple mention of it in the details would have been enough for me to find it not so off putting.

Fantastic

This is such a wonderful novel of going through struggles of life and trying to make the best of them. I related quite a bit to things that Stella went through as an adult child of divorce and the only child helping with a fathers needs. It felt like the author knew my feelings of resentment toward a selfish brother that could care less of my sacrifices while he left all responsibilities and caregiving to me without a care. It was also nice to know that my feelings of pain as I am still the child of my parents no matter how old I am, have a right to affect me as an adult. I just wish there was a support group here like the one in the book!

outstanding

Wow, this was an emotional roller coaster, such delightful writing, great characters, such a real story in a modern world. It is so important to concentrate on ourselves and finally Mrs. Bright does that. Congratulations to Beth Miller for writing such a good book.

One Go Around

The Missing Letters of Mrs. Bright by Beth Miller is a beautiful book. There is heartache, healing, love, loss, hope, forgiveness, incredible friendship and so much more. The author wrote vivid imagery, endearing characters, and some beautiful letters. I loved how Baer wanted to live life to the fullest. .Kay, Stella and Rose also added to the story. Marian Hussy was impeccable in her narration. She added the right emotions and gave the characters distinguished voices. The inspiration for living life with only one go around stuck with me. I got a very peaceful vibe listening to this book, had moments of laughing out loud, and was motivated to cultivate friendships.

Like listening to an old friend.

I enjoyed this book very much. It was more of listening to an old friend than listening to a story. I think because of my age, this could have easily been someone in my life. I found my self totally understanding her reasons for her life decisions and all the reactions to them.

I found it to be a good paced, very satisfying read.

The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright

The overall book was well narrated and flowed well.
The author kept the reader informed from past to present on characters.
I believe the book could have been just as productive without the vulgar language.

Love, love, love this! ❤️

This is easily one of the best audio books I have listened to in a while - and I have listened to many! Such a feel good story with the right balance of happiness and sadness. Follows the life of a lady called Kay. Loved the main character and her daughter. The narrator brilliantly brought each character to life. The characters were well developed and very relatable. Listened to this within a few days! I will definitely look out for more from this author! 10/10! 👍🏻

Loved it, loved it, loved it!!!

I typically listen to and read psychological thrillers, so this is very different for me. I absolutely loved every single minute of this book, I didnt want it to end. I even turned it off with ten minutes to go, just to savour the end.
A story of life, love, separation and seizing thr day!!
I loved the storyline and absolutely loved the narrator. An easy 5 stars for me.

A heartwarming and inspiring story

A heartwarming & inspiring story of love, friendship and dreams. I particularly liked how realistic & believable were. An easy & enjoyable read.

Undervalued and fed up - great listen!

We've all felt like Kay, undervalued and fed up with life. One day, she decides to leave her husband and go off to find her friend, Bear, who lives in Australia and who they have written to in alternate months since Bear left nearly 30 years ago.

What follows is a wonderful tale of marriage, friendship and love. The story it told by multiple narrators - Kay, Bear and her daughter Stella and each story was interesting and wove together really well.

I'm not a fan of predictable 'chick lit' and was concerned this book might fall into this category. However, I was pleased to find this book quirky, full of interesting characters with twists and turns.

I listened to the audio which was outstanding.

4.5 *

I'll be looking out for more books by Miller.

a wonderful listen

Kay, Rose and Bear have been friends from childhood and even after Bear had moved away to Australia with her family as a teenager, she and Kay stayed close with unfailing monthly letters. So Kay is worried when the purple Basildon Bond envelope hasn't arrived for several months. Kay has news for her old friend. After 29 years of helping her husband in the family shop (which is his life) and rearing two now grown-up children, Kay recognises her unhappiness, regrets her long ago photography degree course abandoned by an unexpected pregnancy, and longs to do and see before it's too late. She packs a case and leaves. Her daughter Stella is shattered; her husband weeps and rages; her son is strangely distant. First stop on her journey of many layers of discovery is Australia to find Bear and unravel what lies behind the broken correspondence...

To say more would spoil the intricate inter-weavings of a heart-warming, deeply touching, human story (which so many listeners will recognise as their own) told with just the right touch of finely-balanced tenderness. I loved it from start to finish and it was hugely enhanced by Marian Hussey's very natural, warm narration.

Captivating!

What a lovely heartbreaking, heartwarming story! Books like this are the reason I sometimes stray from my preferred crime thriller genre.

The story is beautifully told with so much warmth and humour, and had me laughing one minute and crying the next. It is a story of love and loss, marriage and divorce, friendship ,forgiveness and taking chances. The book is told from the POVs of Kay and her daughter, Stella. I could totally relate to Kay, having found myself in a similar position in my 40s when I walked away from what most people thought was a happy marriage. I didn’t end up in Australia or Venice though!

The audiobook is perfectly narrated by Marian Hussey.

A very well written journey through Kay’s life. Makes you laugh and cry!

A journey into the past, a time of confusion and change in the present and a glimpse into the future life of Kay, her friends and family. A reminder to us all that time is limited and to make the most of each day as it goes by. I found this to be a very well written book by Beth Miller. The story alway moving forward, although revealing events from the past . Tightly plotted and well delivered by Marian Hussey. It is nowhere my usual genre but I can appreciate that it will be a wonderful listen for those who enjoy this style of writing.

A look at relationships and new beginnings

A gentle, touching and moving look at relationships with family and friends. I found this particularly interesting as it was exploring these relationships at different stages of life: Kay making a momentous decision in leaving her husband in later life to explore what she might have been missing and also to discover a mystery about her friend Bear; and this is contrasted with her daughter Stella's reactions to this departure as she assesses her own situation and life choices. It poses lots of questions that would be interesting to discuss [a good book club read] and I found it an engaging listen.
The audio version had great narration and this drew you into the story - well worth a read or listen!

Heartwarming

A story of friendships and family and how our decisions can affect everyone around us. Kay makes the momentous decision to walk out of her marriage, to see her friend Ursula and complete some of the dreams she had years ago. Her family don't understand what has changed and why, but this heart warming story brings together all the pieces of Kay's life both past and present. With a good narrator, you find yourself involved in both Kay's and her daughter Stella's story and their new beginnings.

A joy to read

What a lovely, simple and beautifully told story! Made me laugh and cry and left me with a warm glow.