Welcome!

It’s time for the weekly “Way Back Wednesday” where I work my way through winsome works long forgotten…

A word of warning: Wandering thru the world of words is what I do. {wink wink}

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The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor

Historical Fiction, pub 6/13/17

“An Amazon Best Book of the Month in Literature in Fiction for June 2017”

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I enjoyed this story immensely! I’ve heard wonderful things about this author and was excited to receive an advance copy.

The story alternates between the late 80’s in California and the late 40’s in Germany and Austria. It’s part love story, part quest, part history lesson.

There are many other historical fiction books set in this time period however the use and role of stamps (making and engraving) during that time was fascinating. (I have no idea how to say the word philatelists though!)

The characters of Kate and her father Ted, Benjamin and Elena, and Kristoff and Miriam were interesting and genuine. Loved the symbolism of the edelweiss and the homage to Little Women. I was very pleased with how the author handled her father’s illness and the ending was bittersweet and just perfect. Looking forward to more by this author!

Goodreads | Amazon

READ MY REVIEW OF JILLIAN’S RECENT BOOK: IN ANOTHER TIME, Pub 3/5/19

About the Book:

A historical novel of love and survival inspired by real resistance workers during World War II Austria, and the mysterious love letter that connects generations of Jewish families. A heart-breaking, heart-warming read for fans of The Women in the Castle, Lilac Girls, and Sarah’s Key.

Austria, 1938. Kristoff is a young apprentice to a master Jewish stamp engraver. When his teacher disappears during Kristallnacht, Kristoff is forced to engrave stamps for the Germans, and simultaneously works alongside Elena, his beloved teacher’s fiery daughter, and with the Austrian resistance to send underground messages and forge papers. As he falls for Elena amidst the brutal chaos of war, Kristoff must find a way to save her, and himself.

Los Angeles, 1989. Katie Nelson is going through a divorce and while cleaning out her house and life in the aftermath, she comes across the stamp collection of her father, who recently went into a nursing home. When an appraiser, Benjamin, discovers an unusual World War II-era Austrian stamp placed on an old love letter as he goes through her dad’s collection, Katie and Benjamin are sent on a journey together that will uncover a story of passion and tragedy spanning decades and continents, behind the just fallen Berlin Wall.

A romantic, poignant and addictive novel, The Lost Letter shows the lasting power of love.

About the Author:

Jillian Cantor has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She is the author of award-winning novels for teens and adults, including, most recently, the critically acclaimed The Hours Count and Margot, which was a Library Reads pick. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.

Web Links:

·Foreign Covers Gallery : click here

·Writing Tips from Jillian Cantor, author of The Hours Count, (2016) : click here

·In Conversation with Jillian Cantor and Georgia Hunter – The authors of The Lost Letter and We Were the Lucky Ones on the intricacies of writing historical fiction : click here

·WomensHistoryReads interview: Jillian Cantor : click here

QOTD: What’s your favorite Historical Fiction time period?

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