If I hadn’t read a lot of favourable reviews of Louisa Young’s novel My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, I would never have picked it up. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but I’m allergic to men in greatcoat’s on WWI novels. On the other hand it’s better than a man in a greatcoat kissing a woman. But, as fluffy as it looks, the reviews made it sound poignant.
Louisa Young is a versatile author. Not only has she written three previous novels and a biography but, as Zizou Corder, she also writes a successful YA adult series together with her daughter.
Here are the first sentences
France, 7 June, 3.10 a.m.
It had been a warm night. Summery. Quiet, as such nights go.
The shattering roar of the explosion was so very sudden, cracking through the physicality of air and earth, that every battered skull, and every baffled brain within those skulls, was shaken by it, and every surviving thought was shaken out. It shuddered eardrums and set livers quivering; it ran under skin, set up counter-waves of blood veins and arteries, pierced rocking into the tiny canals of the sponge of the bone marrow. It clenched hearts, broke teeth, and reverberated in synapses and the spaces between cells. The men became a part of the noise, drowned in it, dismembered by it saturated. They were of it. It was of them.
They were all used to that.
And some details and the blurb for those who want to join
My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young (UK 2011) WWI, Historical Fiction, 336 pages
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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The discussion starts on Friday, 29 September 2014.
Further information on the Literature and War Readalong 2014, including all the book blurbs, can be found here.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
A friend of mine has told me a couple of times how much she loved this book. I am tempted, but have book buying ban in place.
Too bad, but I do admire you for sticking to your ban.
I’m glad to hear your friend liked it.
What a great opener. I can’t join in, but will be definitely adding this book to the TBR pile.
I’m very curious to find out how I will like it.
It’s a great opener, I agree.
I have this book waiting for me and I’m planning to have it read by the end of the month. I’ve peaked at the first few pages, and it looks very promising.
I have only read the first page but the reviews I read made it sound very good.
I hope you can join the discussion.
I like the passage that you quoted. The effects of the sound of explosion are described in such an artistic yet terrifying way.
I always find it interesting when an author writes a different genre of books under a pseudonym. Sometimes we think of writers as monolithic when they usually are not.
It’s very well described. I’ve read the whole prologue by now and she did a really interesting thing.
I admire writers with multiple identities.
Welcome back. I’m looking forward to reading this one which has been in my ‘to-read’ pile for a while now.
Thanks, Caroline.
I’m glad you’re reading along.
I’ve started it and like it a great deal so far.
I hope it turns out to be a good book. I’m a bit snowed under at the moment so I can’t join in, but I’m glad you’re reading again.
Too bad you can’t join but I understand. The beginning is rather good. I’m reading but more non-fcition.
The US cover is much different and actually I prefer it–though it doesn’t give the feeling of a WWI novel–maybe that is a good thing? I’ve been wanting to read it ever since it came out and really must pick it up and start reading soon–maybe I will have better luck with it than I have with most of my other reads of late…… (Hope things are better in your corner of the world!).
Thanks, Danielle, I’m better.
I’m already on page 160. I really, really like it. I’m pretty sure you’ll like it too.
Maybe I wouldn’t have minded the cover so much if it wasn’t stereotypical but you see so many greatcoats on WWI novels.
I read this one awhile back, so I’m looking forward to the discussion!
I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts. I’ll add your review to my post.
Looks like a very interesting book, Caroline! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Nice to know that the book covers both the war front and the home front. Happy reading!
Thanks, Vishy. It’s a grrat book but not so easy to read.