Just read it!! Or rather, listen!

What did you love best about My Dear I Wanted to Tell You?

I must confess that when I first started listening to this book, I thought that author Louisa Young had attempted to compete with the extraordinary novels by Pat Barker. The themes were somewhat familiar--unrequited love between the classes, women wanting to study to study art at the Slade, only to be told it wasn't proper, putting created characters amidst real people and true events, and the Great War turning the known world on its head. But I quickly saw that, like the characters in this fine novel, that I must not fall prey to assumptions. It is a beautifully written novel about beauty, convention, war, and love.

The cover looks a bit like a romance novel--and romance there is. On the lower half of the cover art, it looks like a gritty war novel. It is, indeed, that. I found this book so intriguing, I couldn't stop listening. And I wanted to stop, because I wanted to savor it. I wanted it not to end.

I believe this is a book that will be loved by readers of the aforementioned Pat Barker (Life Class, The Regeneration Series, etc). Also fans of Audrey Neffenegger, Ian McEwan, Michael Chabon, Jacqueline Winspeare, Charles Todd, Amy Tan, and, just to confuse you, fans of THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN and THE SHIFTING FOG.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Dear I Wanted to Tell You?

There are so many. The history buff in me loved the period and was fascinated by the details about the dawn of facial reconstruction. I loved watching Riley, the main character, come to terms with his life after the war. And his hard-won meeting, at last, with the girl who got away. Or rather, the girl he sent away.

What does Dan Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is outstanding!!!! One of the best narrations I've ever listened to!!!

Since leaving Downton Abbey, Stevens has worked hard to separate himself from the all-too-affable Mathew Crawley. Thank God he made this book one of his projects! He is perfectly brilliant. I am so impressed with his range, of bringing individual voice to each of the characters, both men and women, old and young. He is simply terrific. And part of the reason I kept listening, after my initial "Uh oh, is someone trying to copy Pat Barker?" moment. The writing is fantastic, but Dan Stevens was the icing on that cake.

If you could rename My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, what would you call it?

Let's see...WAR AND PEACE is already taken. So...

I actually think the chosen title is the perfect one, because all the characters are hiding things in order to protect their loved ones. But it also makes the book sound like more of a romance novel than a literary work about love, war, and redemption.

Any additional comments?

Read it and review it. I really want to hear what others have to say. I plan to recommend this book to everyone I know. Except maybe my husband, who would rather read a good thriller.

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18 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Amazing what a good narrator can do for a book

This is another example of the narration bringing a book up a notch. The story and characters are strong...Dan Stevens brought the characters to life.

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7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Beautiful Epic Story

What made the experience of listening to My Dear I Wanted to Tell You the most enjoyable?

Dan Stevens is the reason I bought this book. I loved him as Matthew in DOWNTON ABBEY, and loved his narration of Ken Follett's book, WORLD WITHOUT END. His voice was soothing without being dull, and he captured the tone and feeling of each of the characters perfectly.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Riley was my favorite character as he was a truly unselfish person with great courage and integrity.

Any additional comments?

This book really brought to life the ravages of war, and how people dealt with the tragedies that affected their lives. It held my interest throughout, and I look forward to reading another book by Louisa Young, and also finding another narration done by Dan Stevens.

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4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A Powerful book with a great narrator

What made the experience of listening to My Dear I Wanted to Tell You the most enjoyable?

The author paints pictures with her stories. You feel like you are there experiences life in the trenches and life as a nurse on the frontline.

What does Dan Stevens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dan Stevens is simply a great narrator. He never distracts from the story.

If you could take any character from My Dear I Wanted to Tell You out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Riley is a great character. You follow from when he is a working class boy, growing up with a higher class, in the war, and then recovering from his wounds.

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4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

great narration, boring plot

so disappointed in this book. it was a struggle to get through. had the potential to be great but took forever to get going, difficult to follow plot/characters and ending was a total disappointment. only finished it because I'm stubborn.

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3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Bittersweet

I love bittersweet novels and this is among the best I've listened to recently. It's a bit gruesome at times; it doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, in the many forms that can take.

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3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Explicit Gay Sex Scene -- Poorly Done, Just Yuck

I listen to books on Audible as I go to sleep. From the description of this book, I thought it would be a nice WWI historical romance. Last night, I fell asleep while listening, as usual, yet awoke later to an explicit gay sex scene that, frankly, I could have lived without. It was gross and poorly written -- good writers can deal with these issues without sounding like trashy, pulp porn. I wasn't expecting graphic pornographic scenes, and that is not why I bought this book. I think the book's description, blurb, and dust jacket are all very misleading. I'm not going to finish the book because I don't trust this writer to deal with delicate issues with sensitivity and artistry. Yuck!

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2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Beautiful

This was the most beautifully written book I've read in ages. I am so in love with the characters, especially Riley, and am so happy there are two more books in the series. Dan Stevens is the book whisperer. I could listen to him read the dictionary and find it enjoyable. His portrayal of the characters in this book is magical.

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Mediocre at best...

I would not recommend this book. Basically, it was boring but I did listen to all 10 long hours of it because I was driving 16 hours and it was all I had except satellite radio.

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A vivid description of the psychology of WWI.

This is not just a World War I love story, it is a detailed insight into the psychology of the men and women who were engulfed in the war. The enthusiasm of being able to join for perhaps a few months (as they thought), through the hell of the battles and trench warfare and then the difficult return to the reality of civilized life with both physical and psychological wounds. All this intertwined with the other major source of human conflict, that of love.

Well written and narrated, definitely worth the listen.

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2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile