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The Postmistressby Sarah Blake |
Judy Stanton (08/15/11): I really enjoyed reading The Postmistress. Though it is yet another Holocaust story, through the character of Frankie Bard, the story and the atrocities are very personalized. To me, this female reporter was very real, and her concern as to whether she was really being heard is still an issue today. How do reporters embeded with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan handle such terror? Despite the huge growth of media, they are likely still concerned about what they report being heard, motivating people to action, and, the interesting perspective of not always being there to know how a story they have begun....especially about a person's life....ultimately ends. But Frankie Bards's was not the only story being told in this book, which keeps bringing you back to find out how the lives of Postmistress and the town doctor and his wife touch Frankie's life, beyond just their hearing her on the radio. The inexplicable craziness of life circumstances-- the whimsies of fate -- that sometimes make the difference between life and death, is another theme explored in the book. Interestingly, the supposed "story" introduced at the very first of the book...the postmistress who didn't deliver mail...turned out not to be the most interesting part of the novel to me.
Very well written, a compelling read. If you like historical fiction, you will truly enjoy the Postmistress. 4+
Rating: ****+
Debbie Weiss: I agree with Wanda that this is truly an exceptional book. The
time is the 1940's and the war is in full force. The Nazis are bombing London nightly and the Jewish refugees are
streaming across Europe, trying to escape to freedom while they can. Frankie Bard is an American radio personality reporting from Europe and
wants to speak the truth about the atrocities that are occurring so that Americans will awake from their slumber and
inaction. The depictions of the horrors of war are graphic and the human stories are compelling. The book is well-written
and the readers become involved in the lives of the characters because they truly care what happens to them.
Rating: ****
Wanda Cohen: Loved it! Even if it did take my breath away a few
times, this is a new favorite. The characters are well constructed and memorable. The setting
is wonderfully depicted and explored so you actually feel as if you are in the bunker during
the bombing of London or watching the horizon for invading subs off the coast of the US.
Read it because it tells what we, as a country, were doing when the Jews began to disappear
in Europe and more importantly, what we were not doing. The two main characters approach the
reality of their lives from very different places yet meet the reality of war with a common
strength and determination to protect and hold close all that is dear to them. I can't wait
to read another book by Sarah. Buy it and share it with all your friends.
Rating: ****
