Book Review - The Postmistress

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake offers two perspectives on the news in 1940.  First Iris James, as the postmistress in a coastal MA town, takes her duty quite seriously. However, one day, she slips a letter into her pocket, knowing she delays the inevitable but feels it’s for the best. She reads a heartbreaking letter and does not deliver it.  Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts overseas with Edward R. Murrow. She feels compelled to make sure Americans know what is happening in Europe. She doesn’t want folks to not believe that Nazi Germany is building evil and that it affects the world.

Cover blurb:  The Postmistress is a tale of two worlds – one shattered by violence, the other willfully naïve – of two women whose jobs are to deliver the news, yet who find themselves unable to do so. Through their eyes, and the eyes of everyday people caught in history’s ride, it examines how we tell each other stories, and how we bear the fact of war as we live ordinary lives.

This is a solid story with engaging writing. There’s a love story and a story of survival.   P. 351  A story like a snapshot is caught, held for a moment, then delivered. But the people in them go on and on. And what happens next? What happens?   This book has a sense of urgency and is a worthy read.  Another winner. I’ve been on a roll.

Thanks, Linda Hoffman – a friend, and a reader who shares her excellent finds.  Shout out, my friend!