Book thoughts: The stolen letter by Clara Benson

Blurb: Italy, 1944: The longer her imprisonment went on, the more she cast her mind back to the stolen hours they had spent together. His love had blown in like an unexpected breath of warm summer air, giving her the promise of life and joy. But now they had been torn apart and she was tormented by the thought that they might never be reunited.

1939: When Stella arrives in Florence, it’s love at first sight. She is wowed by the rolling hills dotted with olive trees, the buttermilk villas with shuttered windows and terracotta roofs that glow gloriously in the sunlight. Even the breeze holds the scent of freedom – freedom from England, where the shadow of her past haunted her.

Then there is Ted, an American journalist who is wild and mischievous, with an arrogance bordering on rude. Stella is infuriated by him – but she cannot deny the lure of the danger and excitement he promises.

But there is something dark under the bright surface of this beautiful country, with unspeakable tragedies just around the corner. When the Nazis take control of Italy, Stella and Ted – and whatever dreams the future held for them – are ripped apart. As bombs descend, destroying everything in their wake, there is nothing to do but sit in darkness, praying to see tomorrow.

And it seems that even in Italy, Stella’s past has found her. Somewhere in the winding streets of Florence there is a letter that could change the course of her fate. Unknown to her, it holds a secret with the power to rewrite her past, and everything she has been running away from. But will she live to find it? And with the odds stacked against her, will she ever see Ted again?

My thoughts: it’s 5.30 am and I have just finished reading the stolen letter and am in the wonderful stage of book hangover, where I wish there were more left to read and I have no inclination to move on to the next book and away from all the characters I have come to know and love in this one. 

This is an extraordinary book, that slowly but surely pulls you in and devours you. The imagery is amazing, the story both enticing and heartbreaking, while being beautifully crafted. 

I love story’s set in the war, and seeing people overcoming the most devastating circumstances, their spirit and determination never fails to amaze me and Stella is no exception, as we shadow her life, page by page watching her grow from a frighten, naive young girl to a strong and determined young woman. 

Her story is heartbreaking and invigorating, and she meets a whole host of interesting and well developed characters along the way, from the evil and twisted Marius, who marries her, merely to torture and terrorize her, to Beatrice, sharp and distrusting, but ultimately kind and compassionate underneath. 

Clara builds realistic, believable characters, perfectly flawed, as we all are and weaves a historical novel that has you convinced you have actually step back in time, and are witnessing the real happens of world war 2 in all us gruesome reality. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and will definitely be looking for more books by this author in the future. 

I receive this book in return for an honest review from NetGalley. As always I apologize for any errors in spelling or grammar and ask for your forgiveness. Due to my Crohn’s disease I often get terrible brain fog and forget how to spell the simplest of words as well as mixing up words and names and such. Unfortunately there isn’t a whole lot I can do about it, except as for your understanding. 

Love and hugs all

Joss xx