Saturday 8 June 2019

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

Kayte Nunn

The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn

Reviewed by Helen

This is a story that I found very hard to put down, the story of two woman one in the 1950’s and one in 2018 and the story of a love that lasts for over sixty years, the strength and courage shown by Esther and what she went through back in 1950 will have you turning the pages, a fabulous story that I highly recommend.

Esther Durrant is a young wife and mother living in England, it is 1951 and she has been sent away to an isolated island is the Scilly Isles by her husband to get help from a psychiatrist who seems to be having some success with his patients, after the birth of her second child. Esther soon finds that this island will bring her back from the dark and help her into the future even if there are secrets that are kept for many years. Lives will change on this island.

Rachel Parker is a marine biologist and has just taken up a new position on the Scilly Isles, she is strong and very independent an Australian who has traveled a lot and never settled down, during a storm she gets washed onto rocks and rescued by a recluse Leah and while she is staying at the house she comes across a collection of hidden love letters that have been there for years, Rachel is pulled in by the love that flows from these letter and is determined to discover the writer and who the recipient should have been.

In England 2018 Eve is helping her grandmother with her autobiography learning about her mountaineering life that had kept her going for many years when Eve is contacted by a Rachel, requesting to visit with Esther, this starts a new chain of events that will uncover secrets that have been kept for over sixty years.

This is a moving and compelling story, I loved the setting Scilly Isles sounds beautiful the people that we meet, what they went through and why they were on the island is heartbreaking. But getting to know Richard Creswell the doctor and his way of treating people was uplifting in ways as well and the ending is just the best there were happy tears, I really did enjoy this book, a fabulous read that is sure to be enjoyed by many people.

5 stars


Published May 28th 2019 by Hachette Australia