Reviewer: Amy Lignor
Title: My Dear I Wanted to Tell You
Author: Louisa Young
Publisher: Harper
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-199714-3
Release Date: May 2011
Genre/Sub-genre: Historical Fiction
Year/Setting: 1907-1917/Europe (WWI)
Overall Rating: 5
Sexual Content Rating: Sensual/Sexual
Language (Profanity/Slang) Content Rating: Moderate/Intense
Violent Content Rating: Intense (War)
Louisa's Website/Blog: www.louisayoung.co.uk
Dear Readers:
This is NOT your "run-o’-the-mill historical romance novel. No…this author has done a magnificent job of putting together a story that spans countries, bigotry, social upheaval, and the "us vs. them" as far as money and "roles in society" are concerned, AND does all of this while telling a truly romantic tale that involves couples from various backgrounds.
In London, in 1907, Nadine Waveney was playing with her cousin out in the snow when he picked up a snowball and hit an innocent bystander - Riley Purefoy - directly in the face. That was the first time Riley was ever invited into a house of the upper middle class. Mr. Waveney was a famous music conductor and Mrs. Waveney was the ultimate "lady." Now, Riley loved his own parents. Only about five minutes away, in a very different section of town, his father, mother, and myriad of sisters lived in a "working-man’s cottage" by the canal. But when the Waveney’s offered Riley a shot at an education, Riley was set on a path that he’d never even dreamed of.
Working as an assistant to one of the Waveney’s friends - an artist of the highest caliber - Riley became the perfect "go-getter," and he even got to grow up with Nadine because she was an art student. One unforgettable day, when he and Nadine looked at each other, the social status and what everyone had "planned" for them slipped away. They were simply two, soon-to-be adults, who noticed they’d fallen in love.
Destiny is never an easy thing for anyone to allow, especially in a world that was so divided over rank and circumstance. Riley ended up headed to war and Nadine was told to head toward a path of marriage. Of course, Nadine had her own mind and became a nurse with the VAD - living through the horrific scenes of the lives that were ending right before her own. Riley was off fighting, carrying his own team’s body parts away when the mines were triggered. He was calm, concise, and was much beloved by his men and his CO, who kept promoting Riley up the ranks. But would that be enough? Would he prove to the Waveney’s that HE was the right man for their daughter no matter what his circumstance in life had been? And what of the CO and his wife, who were both so far apart? Once, they were a loving couple, and then - with the war - the pain made them split apart as if they, too, were running in different circles never to meet again.
This is an extraordinary novel. There are some characters who spent their lives worried about their "roles" and what they were supposed to play; and others who remember that one look in an artist’s studio, where they made a promise. Finding beauty in an ugly world is beyond difficult, and the personal wars were just as hard as the real one. There are extreme lessons in this story, and the author has done a remarkable job with dialogue, heartfelt emotion, and concept. You will truly enjoy!
Until next time,
Amy
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