Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the sky, Lily Verner made a terrible choice. She's tried to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant colors of the silk she helped to weave at her family's mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time.
In this evocative novel of love and consequences, Lily finally confronts the disastrous decision that has haunted her all these years. The Last Telegram uncovers the surprising truth about how the stories we weave about our lives are threaded with truth, guilt, and forgiveness.
Release Date: April 2013
Age Group: YA
Source: Review copy from publisher
Reviewed By: Madi B
Review:
I liked The Last Telegram. I had never read anything of or concerning silk so it was interesting to learn (if it counts as learning) about how they make it, etc. The beginning of the book, takes place after her husband’s funeral (many years after the book) but the author didn’t mention the husband’s name. So when Robbie comes in the book, you’re thinking “Awww they’re going to get married!” then enter Stephen and you’re all “Are THEY going to get married?” and then Michael shows up and finally you say “Which one is she marrying?!?” It’s kind of like a mystery you’re trying to solve. This book was not your normal WWII read. (Although none of the WWII books are all that normal) The setting was in England which was new for me (obviously I have not read enough WWII books) and it was interesting to read about a family that wasn’t in complete shambles.
During the book, sometimes you’d flip to the next chapter and 3 months will have passed. I was thinking “What if I wanted to read that??” Then Trenow (The author) pulled another 3-month-er …RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOVE STORY! NO!!! BAD LIZ TRELOW! I think it’s because of these lovely (That was supposed to be sarcastic) time lapses I didn’t really connect with the Lily. (The main character) And that’s sad I mean hello! I’m spending a whole book with this fictional person and I don’t even like them! (Ok I liked her but I didn’t think she was kick-butt-awesome-sauce) Fair warning there are some bad scenes in this! (So don’t hand this to a 10 year old, or a 12 year old for that matter) And there were times in this book where I could see when something bad was going to happen and the main character just keeps going. It’s like that moment in a scary movie where you’re screaming at the TV “DON’T YOU DARE GO INTO THAT DARK BASEMENT ALONE! DON’T YOU REALIZE YOU’RE IN A SCARY MOVIE???”
Overall I liked The Last Telegram. I liked the setting, loved the love story, and maybe someday I’ll read it again.
Fun review. :)
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