Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

     The Postmistress is a story of war: the one at home in America where citizens of quiet, little towns go on with life until the war peeks in. It's also the story of war abroad, where violence and destruction are a daily occurence, one that citizens deal with and learn from or somehow make fit into their lives. It is also an infinitely interesting character study of people who live on both sides of this impossible scenario.
     Iris James is the postmistress in Franklin, Massachusetts, and as such she is practical, orderly, prompt, and a stickler for detail. But when love comes her way from both a personal direction and in the form of a Franklin couple torn apart by war, her unfailing order comes crashing down, and she must decide between right and wrong, love and duty.
     Frankie Bard is a news reporter for Edward R. Murrow in a war-torn London where she must tell the story of the war while dodging not only bombs, but the harsh limits of the media censors. She is terrified both of what is happening to the world and of not telling the story completely. When the paths of Iris and Frankie finally collide, both must make a choice about what is really necessary to stop a world from breaking apart.
     The Postmistess has intrigue, love, war, secrets, and characters that are real enough to make the reader feel they are there with them, struggling to survive. It has beautiful detail and a style of writing that creates an interesting world that is easy to get lost in. In short, it has everything a good novel should have. So, give it a try and let me know what you think of Iris and Frankie's final decision. Did they make the right one?



No comments: