I met Edwina Kiernan during an online webinar and wanted to read something she wrote. I searched Amazon for her books and selected The Letter because the cover intrigued me.
Usually, I don’t read Victorian romances, but I immersed myself in the narrative because of the strong writing and character development. Moreover, I liked the characters Grace Stratton and Dr. David Carbury. Throughout the book, Grace sighed a lot, but the gesture seemed believable in 1848.
I love British accents and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the narrator, Henrietta Meire. Not only did I have an easy time transitioning between female and male characters in the story, but her breathless, shortened dialogue during tension and conflict propelled the conversation forward.
My favorite chapters include Chapter 42, “The Advocate,” where the author introduces Jesus as the Supreme Representative for anyone “…thirsty for His mercy and forgiveness. For His grace.” Another favorite, Chapter 47, includes Grace’s struggle against self-righteousness.
I fell in love with Grace’s employer, Miss Withers. Her comment that not everyone who attends church regularly is “truly a Christian” made me smile. Another feature I appreciated in Kiernan’s novel was the consistency of its shorter chapters (a total of 61). This steady separation appealed to me because the chapters and scenes felt complete and satisfying.
At times, I longed for more action in the storyline, but Kiernan more than made up for it by providing interesting plot twists and surprises along the way. The spark between Grace and David rang true, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys character development and an extended romantic thread.
If you like historical romance and memorable characters, this might be the book for you. If you enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, I think you will like The Letter by Edwina Kiernan.
