I’m so delighted to be joining the blog tour today for the latest book from Clare Swatman, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright, and sharing my review: published on 15th February by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy, provided via netgalley.
Having discovered Clare’s wonderful books with The Night We First Met (I read it as How to Save a Life – you’ll find my review here), she immediately became one of my “must read” authors – it was one of those books that you live and experience rather than simply read, and I really had to include it as one of my 2022 Books of the Year. A Love to Last a Lifetime followed, and I might have loved it even more – moving and compelling, emotionally complete perfection (you can read my full review here). And then there was The World Outside My Window – an extraordinary portrayal of trauma and recovery, everything I could have possibly wanted it to be, and the book I chose to include in my 2023 Books of the Year (you’ll find my review here). And now we have another, and one I was so looking forward to…
Starting over can be hard to do…
So when mum of two Beth moves out of her beloved marital home and into an unloved and unkempt cottage, she can’t help but feel demoralised. Faced with months of DIY and dust, her children Jacob and Olivia aren’t impressed either. But when Beth finds a box of letters while she’s clearing out the children’s room, things start to look up.
The correspondence is decades old, between agony aunt Evelyn and those in need of solace. Intrigued as to why the letters have been kept safe all these years, Beth can’t resist reading them, and as the wisdom and kindness of Evelyn falls off the pages, so Beth starts to feel she has a friend and champion in this woman she has never met.
Good advice doesn’t age, and as life starts to look brighter, Beth begins to wonder if she could track down Evelyn and thank her for her help. But as Beth uncovers more about Evelyn’s story, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. And now Beth is determined to bring peace to Evelyn as she has to her.
A spell-binding, heart-warming story of friendship, love and being brave enough to be yourself.
One of the many reasons I’ve grown to really love the author’s books – as well as for her quite wonderful storytelling – is because of their exceptional emotional authenticity. As Kate finds herself alone after the most appalling betrayal, trying to turn the only house she could afford into a home for herself and her two young children – and my goodness, it really needs a lot of work, both inside and out in the overgrown and neglected garden – I could really feel her loneliness and how much she was hurting. But she’s definitely no doormat – she certainly fights her corner when she needs to, as she often does, and I found myself cheering her on every step of the way.
This is one of those times when I really don’t want to tell her story, because the author does it so much better – but when she finds a box of correspondence while tearing out a wardrobe in the children’s bedroom, it gives her an idea to give her new life some purpose. Evelyn, who used to live in the house, was an agony aunt, and the box is full of the letters she received and the advice she gave – and Kate, drawing on the correspondence and her own difficult life experience, comes up with an idea about how she too can make a difference. And, as she moves forward with her fresh start, new relationships, both friendship and the possibility of romance, come her way – but as she steadily gains confidence and we share her happiness, those new relationships disconcertingly begin to ebb and flow, and her future once more is touched with uncertainty.
Her own emotional journey is underpinned by a mystery – about Evelyn’s life, and why she disappeared – and that becomes an immensely moving and engaging story, with a few real surprises along the way. The characterisation throughout is quite superb – while Kate herself firmly had a place in my heart from the very beginning, and I loved her relationship with her children, the other people whose lives she becomes entangled with are equally beautiful drawn, entirely real, with their own engaging stories. And I must say that I entirely loved the book’s construction – each chapter prefaced by one of Evelyn’s letters and the advice she gave in return, so cleverly linked to each part of Kate’s story. The romantic content is just so perfectly judged – and there’s a really nice balance between the book’s lighter moments (and there are plenty) and those that break your heart.
So, a slightly shorter review than usual, and a little light on the detail – but I really want everyone to read and enjoy this lovely book as much as I did, without me spoiling it in any way. But I promise it won’t disappoint in any way – this will, without question, be one of my books of the year, and I’d urge everyone to add it to their upcoming reading list. Original, engaging, emotional, uplifting, and filled with warmth – I really loved it.
About the author
Clare Swatman is the author of seven previous women’s fiction novels – her first three, published by Macmillan, have been translated into over 20 languages. She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines. She lives in Hertfordshire.
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