The Postmistress

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is a different take on the beginning of the second World War.  Iris James is the postmistress in a small town on Cape Cod, and takes pride in caring for the people in the community.  She takes her job very seriously - and feels a patriotic duty to deliver the mail.

Frankie Bard is a young reporter who has something to prove.  She is living in London, reporting on the Blitz tearing the city apart.

Back in the US, Will and Emma Fitch are starting out their married life together.  Will, the town's doctor, loses a patient in childbirth, and decides to go to London and offer his services in the hospitals there.  Emma fears he will never return.  In case of his death, Will leaves a letter to Emma in the care of Iris, to give to Emma when she receives the news.  Will makes Iris promise to watch over Emma while he is gone.

While in London, Will meets Frankie in a bomb shelter.  The form a bond, and Will tells her how much he misses Emma.  When the bombing stops, they part ways.  As will walks away, he crosses the street, looking the wrong way, and is hit by a car.  Frankie rushes to him, and before he dies, he gives her a letter to mail to Emma.

Throughout her travels in Europe, Frankie holds on to the letter, but never mails it.  She goes on assignment and rides trains with refugees fleeing Germany through France.  She records hundreds of stories of the travelers. After broadcasting her last story from France, Frankie boards a boat back to the US.

This book has three major story lines that are impossible to explain without giving away the book.  The first part of the book, I thought Iris was the Postmistress, taking her role literally.  About 3/4 of the way through the book, it hit me that Frankie is really the postmistress the author refers to.  She is the one carrying the news of the war across the ocean, and then carrying the stories of the refugees to people who have the power to help them.  Lastly, she is entrusted with the letter from Will to Emma.  She ultimately brings Emma the news of his death.

The characters of this book are very well developed and the stories of the war going on are those untold by many.  Sarah Blake also includes the research she did for the book, as well as the discrepancies in the work and why she chose to include those.  I really enjoyed the book, and couldn't put it down in the last several chapters.  I also really enjoyed it because the plot was so new - and unpredictable.

Happy Reading!

katie