The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Hello All,

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake has been on my to-be-read list for quite some time, but only after it had been sent to me by Penguin for review for the paperback release did I finally get around to reading it. I had definitely been missing something.

The impression I had from reviews last year was that the postmistress was withholding mail from residents of a small Cape village during World War II. This is only a slight bit of the story. The postmistress, Iris James is a fully fleshed out character who has reasons for her handling of the U. S. Mail.

There are two other amazing strong women in this novel, Emma Fitch and Frankie Bard. Emma is a new bride whose husband, Will, six months or so into their marriage, decides that he needs to go serve in London during the Blitz, before the United States has begun any commitment in the war in Europe. Frankie Bard is a woman reporter, based in London, and living with the horrors of the Blitz daily. Frankie and Will's paths cross in London, one night in a shelter. Frankie is then given the opportunity of a lifetime; go to Berlin, and travel with people and families to get their stories of what they've seen and why they are leaving. Most are Jews, and they all have interesting stories to tell.

All of these women come together just before the war in the small village of Franklin, Massachusetts, and their stories come together as well.

The Postmistress is an excellent book, one of the most descriptive books I've read in quite some time. I learned a lot while reading this, and was lost in the story at the same time. I can't recommend The Postmistress enough.

Happy Reading!
Patti