A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. ‘Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls’ One Day’ The Times
While Riley Purefoy and Peter Locke fight for their country, their survival and their sanity in the trenches of Flanders, Nadine Waveney, Julia Locke and Rose Locke do what they can at home. Beautiful, obsessive Julia and gentle, eccentric Peter are married: each day Julia goes through rituals to prepare for her beloved husband’s return. Nadine and Riley, only eighteen when the war starts, and with problems of their own already, want above all to make promises - but how can they when the future is not in their hands? And Rose? Well, what did happen to the traditionally brought-up women who lost all hope of marriage, because all the young men were dead?
Moving between Ypres, London and Paris, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is a deeply affecting, moving and brilliant novel of love and war, and how they affect those left behind as well as those who fight.
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‘Every once in a while comes a novel that generates its own success, simply by being loved.’
The Times
‘Birdsong for the new millennium’
Tatler
‘Powerful, sometimes shocking, boldly conceived, it fixes on war’s lingering trauma to show how people adapt – or not – and is irradiated by anger and pity’
The Sunday Times
‘[A] tender, elegiac novel. Others have been here before, of course, from Sebastian Faulks to Pat Barker, but Young belongs in their company’
Mail on Sunday
‘Unmissable ... in crisp poignant prose Young explores what war really means in terms of mental anguish, while cleverly commenting on class and sex’
Marie Claire
‘Weaving heartbreakingly painful irony, heroic sacrifice, human weakness, vanity, tragedy and the purest of loves, you’ll be left sobbing and grasping onto any hope that all is not lost amid the poppies, the guns and the hospital beds’
Easy Living
‘A memorable and unusual novel which explores new ground in the literature of the Great War’
Linda Grant
‘This novel is a triumph’
Elizabeth Jane Howard
‘Young has a historian’s eye for the private details of war, and a warmth to her prose that makes her small cast emotionally engaging ... Through Riley, however, the novel achieves an appeal to compassion and courage that deserves to reach a wide audience ... Hindsight tells us peace will not be final, but Young conveys, beautifully, the universal wish that it might be’
Independent
‘Beautifully realised’
Daily Express
‘Masterfully conveyed’
Woman & Home
‘Full of drama, betrayal and addictive real-life detail’
Red
‘This is a moving and powerful novel, one you’re not likely to forget’
Choice
‘A book that should be read by everyone’
New Books
The lives of two very different couples are irrevocably intertwined and forever changed in this stunning World War I epic of love and war.
From the day in 1907 that eleven-year-old Riley Purefoy meets Nadine Waveney, daughter of a well-known orchestral conductor, he takes in the difference between their two families: his, working-class; hers, "posh" and artistic. Just a few years later, romance and these differences erupt simultaneously with the war in Europe. In a fit of fury and boyish pride, Riley enlists in the army and finds himself involved in the transformative nightmare of the twentieth century.
While Riley and his commanding officer, Peter Locke, fight for their country and their survival in the trenches of Flanders, Peter's lovely and naive wife, Julia, and his cousin Rose eagerly await his return. But the sullen, distant man who arrives home on leave is not the Peter they knew. Worried that her husband is slipping away, Julia is left alone with her fears when Rose joins the nursing corps to work with a pioneering plastic surgeon treating wounded and disfigured soldiers.
Only eighteen at the outbreak of the war, Nadine and Riley want to make promises to each other—but how can they when their future is out of their hands? Youthful passion is on their side, but then their loyalty is tested by terrible injury, and even more so by the necessarily imperfect rehabilitation that follows.
Moving among Ypres, London, and Paris, this emotionally rich and evocative novel is both a powerful exploration of the lasting effects of war on those who fight—and those who don't—and a poignant testament to the power of enduring love.
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls One Day The Times While Riley Purefoy and Peter Locke fight for their country, their survival and their sanity in the trenches of Flanders, Nadine Waveney, Julia Locke and Rose Locke do what they can at home. Beautiful, obsessive Julia and gentle, eccentric Peter are married: each day Julia goes through rituals to prepare for her beloved husband's return. Nadine and Riley, only eighteen when the war starts, and with problems of their own already, want above all to make promises but how can they when the future is completely out of their hands? And Rose? Well, what did happen to the traditionally brought-up women who lost all hope of marriage, because all the young men were dead?Moving between Ypres, London and Paris, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is a deeply affecting, moving and brilliant novel of love and war, and how they affect those left behind as well as those who fight. A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls One Day The Times Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780007361441
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780007361441
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780007361441
Book Description Condition: New. A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. 'Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls' One Day' The Times Num Pages: 336 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 201 x 143 x 26. Weight in Grams: 284. Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # KTG0014571
Book Description Condition: New. A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. 'Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls' One Day' The Times Num Pages: 336 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 201 x 143 x 26. Weight in Grams: 284. Seller Inventory # KTG0014571
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. `Inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls' One Day' The Times. Seller Inventory # B9780007361441
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 416 pages. 7.83x5.12x1.14 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0007361440
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