Monday 27 May 2019

✿ The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant ✿ Kayte Nunn ✿







A cache of unsent love letters from the 1950s is found in a suitcase on a remote island in this mysterious love story by top ten bestselling author, Kayte Nunn

1951. Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed to an isolated mental asylum by her husband. Run by a pioneering psychiatrist, the hospital is at first Esther's prison but soon becomes her refuge.

2017. Free-spirited marine scientist Rachel Parker embarks on a research posting in the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast. When a violent storm forces her to take shelter on a far-flung island, she discovers a collection of hidden love letters. Captivated by their passion and tenderness, Rachel determines to track down the intended recipient.

Meanwhile, in London, Eve is helping her grandmother, a renowned mountaineer, write her memoirs. When she is contacted by Rachel, it sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal secrets kept buried for more than sixty years.

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant is a deeply atmospheric, resonant novel that charts the heart's wild places, choices and consequences.



ARC received from Hachette Australia for an honest review

Cold and flu season has hit us here in Australia, and since I was suffering from the worst. cold. ever (you know, a dose of man flu) this weekend, I tucked myself under my blankie on my couch and devoured The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant.

This beautiful of Esther's lost love is told in dual time periods, and through 3 POV's - although I didn't feel that the 3rd POV, Eve, added to the story, and it could have all be told in Esther and Rachel's POVs.

I love how, even though decades separated them in age, there were some similarities in their lives, their adventurous spirits.

It was also  an interesting look at the way mental illness was treated back in the 1950s, and how far head of the time the doctor here was.

It is a little bit predictable, and there are no surprises to how this story is going to end, however the journey that is taken is one that you want to go on with them.

Perfect for a weekend read with a hot cuppa, this was beautifully written, and will satisfy all romantics.



 


Kayte Nunn is a former book and magazine editor, and the author of two contemporary novels, Rose's Vintage and Angel's Share.  The Botanist's Daughter was Kayte's first novel of transporting historical fiction, followed by The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, set largely in the atmospheric Isles of Scilly.

If you would like to see the wonderful images inspired by the book, Kayte's Pinterest page is at pinterest.com.au/kaytenunn/the-forgotten-letters-of-esther-durrant , or you can find her at kaytenunn.com