The Postmistress by Sarah Blake on February 9th 2010
Genres: historical fiction
Pages: 371
Goodreads
In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say, and believes her job is to deliver secrets. Yet one day she does the unthinkable: slips a letter into her pocket, reads it, and doesn't deliver it.
Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Murrow. Her dispatches beg listeners to pay heed as the Nazis bomb London nightly. Most of the townspeople of Franklin think the war can't touch them. But both Iris and Frankie know better...
The Postmistress is a tale of two worlds-one shattered by violence, the other willfully naïve-and of two women whose job is to deliver the news, yet who find themselves unable to do so. Through their eyes, and the eyes of everyday people caught in history's tide, it examines how stories are told, and how the fact of war is borne even through everyday life.
This book was amazing. It exceeded all of my expectations by about a mile.
To start off, I am a huge history fan, especially regarding World Ward Two. I love the idea of focusing more on the people surrounding the war than directly involved in the war. It paints a picture that is more easily relatable to most people I believe.
It might be a bit of a slow start (especially getting used to all the characters and remembering who is who) but once it gets into the story, it really starts going. There were a couple of parts that had me almost in tears.
My favourite part has to be the way it was written though. You know what is coming but you continue reading hoping against hope that you are wrong. That is what makes an excellent book.
