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Loading... The Postmistressby Sarah Blake
  
» 4 more I nearly hated this book. I was nearly 100 pages in before I finally had any interest in it. While the writing wasn't horrible, it didn't draw me in. The characters have potential, but they all get squashed. I am disheartened that this was published, and disgusted that I paid for the hardcover. I don't think I would have picked it up at all had it not been for a book club, and I can say without a doubt I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. There are so many good WWII books out there, I wish we'd read one of those instead of this. Actually, my kids have better board-books than this. (  ) SMBrick | Feb 25, 2018 |  In 1940, Frankie Bard, 'girl reporter', was reporting from London, alongside Edward R. Murrow. The U.S. had not yet entered the war. Among those listening were the residents of a small town on Cape Cod. Iris is the postmaster in Franklin and takes her job of delivering the mail very seriously.. Will is the local physician and Emma is his new bride. Frankie feels that the real story is not being reported on; nothing is being said about Jews being forced to leave their homes. Her journalist friend, Harriet Mendelsohn, receives letters from Jewish relatives telling her some of what is going on. Then Harriet is killed during one of the bombing raids from the Nazis and Frankie tries to find ways to tell their stories. The author expertly conveys the fear and uncertainty of Americans worried that their sons will be sent off to war, and their limited knowledge of what is happening to the Jews in Europe. Back in Franklin, Will loses a mother during childbirth, and after listening to Frankie on the radio, decides he can be more help working in hospitals in London. Emma thinks he is going out of guilt for something that wasn't his fault, but she lets him go. She doesn't tell him that she is pregnant. Will asks Iris to hold a letter for him, to give to Emma if he is killed, knowing Iris will watch over her. Several months later, Iris is sorting the mail and does the unthinkable. She opens a letter, reads it, and decides not to send it on. In London, Frankie gets permission to go to France and rides the trains recording the stories of the various people fleeing Germany and France. Frankie's journey eventually leads her to Franklin, with another letter in her pocket that she has vowed to deliver. Sarah Blake's book is beautifully written and has successfully captured life in small town America at the start of the Second World War.. I would definitely recommend this one. (  ) EvelynBernard | Jan 10, 2018 | wonderful book on several levels; it gives a glimpse into how WII was viewed from the vantage of an American journalist who covered the London/European fronts as well as from those who listened to her radio broadcasts from America. The most poignant comment for me came at about a ⅓ of the way through (can't find it now!) where the narrator (or Frankie?) proclaims that "attention must be paid." I immediately recalled that same phrase that Mrs. Lohman uses to defend Willie in Death of a Salesman. In both cases we bare witness to a time in history that is on the cusp of huge change. In the Postmistress, America is about to enter the war, which resulted in many social and political changes. In Death of a Salesman Willie life falls apart when he has to come to grips with the fact hard work alone does not lead to the American Dream. A couple days after reading the Postmistress the New York Times ran an article also citing Death of a Salesman about the Occupy Wall Street movement being a "attention must be paid moment." (  ) Bakhtin | Oct 24, 2017 | Usually I can finish reading a book in several days, maybe a week or more. It took me almost 2 months to finished this maybe because the beginning of the story isn't that enticing to read. The mid part till the end is the better part of the book where we could say that the real action begins. I've read several war related fiction novels or real memoir novels before but this one is a little mild compared to them. The story of the news correspondence Frankie isn't mind-boggling rather it is just so-so. I gave a fair 4 out of 5 star to this book because I appreciate several lessons related to war that the author that wants to convey. (  ) fugou | Aug 14, 2017 | The intersection of three women's lives set during World War II. Breathy and romantic, it was a gripping, if not great, read. Other WWII books, including Life After Life, suited this reader better. ( ) mjspear | Jul 5, 2017 |
 Sarah Blake has coaxed forth a book that hits hard and pushes buttons expertly. Not for nothing does its publisher emphasize the resemblance between “The Postmistress” and “The Help,” Kathryn Stockett’s socially conscious pulp best seller. Each of these novels appropriates galvanizing social issues in the service of a well-wrought tear-jerker.
No descriptions found. In London covering the Blitz with Edward R. Murrow, Frankie Bard meets a Cape Cod doctor in a shelter and promises that she'll deliver a letter for him when she finally returns to the United States. Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, "The Postmistress" is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women--and of two countries torn apart by war.… (more) |
 LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumSarah Blake's book The Postmistress was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Sign up to get a pre-publication copy in exchange for a review. LibraryThing Member GiveawaySarah Blake's book The Postmistress was available from LibraryThing Member Giveaway.
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