The USA TODAY bestseller! Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience for fans of My Name is Eva, The Alice Network and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. A story of love not a story of a war...
”A great WWII-era historical fiction that has it all: mystery, suspense, history, espionage, action, and a dash of romance all wrapped up into an addictive and intriguing novel.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A life-changing moment
From the New York Times bestselling author comes an enthralling historical story inspired by true events - a brilliant, lonely young man and the ordinary English girl who changes his world forever - for readers who loved The Ragged Edge of Night, All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale. I'm getting desperate not hearing from you. Your letters are a lifeline and there is something I need to tell you. Please write, please, please. 1937, England. Kathleen Motts, with her flame-red curls and gift for geometry, grew up just across the water from the secretive RAF base, Bawdsey Manor, on the bleak and beautiful east coast. When the stars overhead turn red as warplanes surge towards her home, Kath is desperate to do her bit, enlisting as one of the first female radar operators, helping to keep the brave pilots safe in troubled skies. Vikram Mackensie is quiet, exceptional at maths and music, and always the outsider. When he's recruited for a top-secret war project at Bawdsey Manor, Vic's chance to belong has arrived at last. He may only be half-British, but he vows to help the country he loves. From their first meeting on windy cliffs above a rocky beach, Kath arrives like a blaze of warmth into Vic's grey life and turns the colour back on. As the war intensifies, so do Kath and Vic's feelings for each other. They may have grown up on different sides of the world - but if the war can't keep them apart, nothing will. But fate intervenes when Vic is posted to America, and Kath is left heartbroken and alone. As the silence between them grows, so does the secret that Kath is holding... As the sky falls around Kath, will she ever have more than one last letter? A heartbreaking and gripping novel, Our Last Letter shows that even in humanity's darkest moments, light and love will find a way.
‘A mesmerising story of love and hope...the best book that I have read this year’ Penny, Reader Review The most heartbreaking historical fiction novel you will read this year from the USA Today bestseller!
Two women. One shocking wartime secret. And a family mystery just waiting to be discovered... Berlin Zoo, 1943: Ten-year-old Adelaide and her newborn sister are orphaned after a devastating night of bombing. Heartbroken and frightened, Adelaide runs to her mother's closest friend, Katharina Heinroth, and the kind zookeeper takes the two little girls under her protection. As the bombing intensifies, Adelaide tries to shut out the horrors of war by caring for her tiny sister and playing with the adorable baby monkeys. But when Katharina organises a dangerous operation to enable children and animals to escape the battle-scarred city, something goes wrong. And Adelaide has to promise her adopted mother to keep a shocking secret. A secret that will change Adelaide's life forever. Berlin Zoo, 2019: Bethan Taylor notices the elderly lady sitting on the bench next to her seems confused, her thoughts flitting between past and present. Ada talks of her childhood, played out in an underground bunker beneath the animal enclosures during the war. As Ada's story unfolds, Bethan is surprised to hear a name she recognises... Katharina Heinroth is at the top of a list of German names Bethan found in a hidden compartment of her late mother's jewellery box. Bethan's father couldn't tell her anything about the crumpled piece of paper and she's been searching for the meaning ever since. As the two women are brought together by the pain of the past can they help each other to heal? And after decades of silence, can Ada help Bethan to uncover a long-buried family mystery? An unforgettable and heart-wrenching novel of a brave orphan girl and a shocking wartime secret. Inspired by a true WW2 story and perfect for fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Alice Network.
A beautiful, page-turning and heartwrenching story of how hope can blossom in the ruins of tragedy and of the redeeming power of love. From No. 1 bestselling author of The Letter Kathryn Hughes. _______ *Previously published as Her Last Promise* Winner Book of the Year in Prima magazine Big Book Awards 'Storytelling at its finest with characters that come alive and a plot that dances with intrigue. An absolutely first-class read that does not disappoint' Prima 'A gripping read' Woman & Home _______ Tara Richards was just a girl when she lost her mother. Years later when Tara receives a letter from a London solicitor its contents shake her to the core. Someone has left her a key to a safe deposit box. In the box lies an object that will change everything Tara thought she knew and lead her on a journey to deepest Spain in search of the answers that have haunted her for forty years. Violet Skye regrets her decision to travel abroad leaving her young daughter behind. As the sun dips below the mountains, she reminds herself she is doing this for their future. Tonight, 4th June 1978, will be the start of a new life for them. This night will indeed change Violet's destiny, in the most unexpected of ways... _______ Readers adore this book: 'Hope rises from despair and new beginnings are forged in the most extraordinary and unexpected way. Kathryn Hughes delves deeply into the heart and soul of her characters, making them totally relatable...like friends you really care for. My addiction to this novel was total and uncompromising ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' 'Wonderful! First book I have read by Kathryn Hughes and will now read her previous stories. I loved it ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' 'Beautifully written, it will stay with me for a long time ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' 'Completely captivating ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐' 'I really enjoyed this book, especially the nostalgic 1970's descriptions ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'
Told in alternating timelines, THE THINGS WE LEAVE UNFINISHED examines the risks we take for love, the scars too deep to heal, and the endings we can’t bring ourselves to see coming. Twenty-eight-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce—the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother’s estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He’s just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she’ll be damned if the good-looking writer of love stories thinks he’s the one to finish her grandmother’s final novel...even if the publisher swears he’s the perfect fit. Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn’t much the “golden boy” of modern fiction hasn’t accomplished. But he can’t walk away from what might be the best book of the century—the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another. But as they read Scarlett’s words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book—it’s based on her real-life romance with a World War II pilot, and the ending isn’t a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she’s as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother’s mistakes—even if it means destroying Noah’s career.
She began to turn the pages of the paper more quickly, searching for the details about the war, the scandal, the trial... She thought back to those days at the end, when trust in Italy was in short supply. Betrayal was everywhere and the world went mad. Italy, 2019: Each morning Livia Moretti sits in her favorite café in Florence, drinking espresso and reading the newspaper. To the tourists who pass by she is simply an old lady. They walk on without knowing the part she played in saving this beautiful city. To Livia too the dark days of war feel very far away. But one morning she sees the name Isabella Bellucci and is jolted right back to the past. To a time when Nazi troops marched through the city and you could trust no one. Italy, 1942: As a member of the Italian resistance, Livia monitors British radio transmissions from the secrecy of her little attic room, dedicating her time to decoding mystery messages that could have the power to save the lives of those she loves the most. Until the day her life intersects with Isabella Bellucci. And, in a strange twist of fate, a terrible misunderstanding will change the course of the war for both of them. One woman will never forgive herself. And the other will find herself betrayed...