Shortlisted for the Galaxy Paperback of the Year Award 2011.

June 2010 Good Housekeeping selection.

Sarah Blake’s second book after the critically acclaimed Grange House has already been a hit in the US. Set during World War II, it tells the story of postmistress Iris and Emma, a newlywed doctor’s wife, in small-town America. Both are avid listeners of radio journalist Frankie, reporting from Blitz-torn London, and the three women become inexorably linked in a moving tale that will stay with you long after the final page.

Synopsis

Letters of love, telegrams of loss - the postmistress awaits them all. The wireless crackles with news of blitzed-out London and of the war that courses through Europe, leaving destruction in its wake. Listening intently on the other side of the Atlantic, newly-wed Emma considers the fragility of her peaceful married life as America edges closer to the brink of war. As the reporter's distant voice fills the room, she sits convincing herself that the sleepy town of Franklin must be far beyond the war's reach. But the life of American journalist Frankie, whose voice seems so remote, will soon be deeply entangled with her own. With the delivery of a letter into the hands of postmistress Iris, the fates of these three women become irrevocably linked. But while it remains unopened, can Iris keep its truth at bay?

Reviews

'A beautifully written, thought provoking novel that I'm telling everyone I know to read' -- Kathryn Stockett, Author Of The Help

'I loved it. It's exquisite and I wish I'd written it. It's truly a lovely, moving and beautifully evocative book.' -- Cathy Kelly

'Unforgettable, insightful and compelling... Perfectly recreates the cadences of passion while also conjuring up the wrenching, nightmare suspense of history in the making' -- Sena Jeter Naslund, Author Of Ahab's Wife

About the Author

Sarah Blake lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, the poet Josh Weiner, and their two sons. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation