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Letter From Home
by
Carolyn Hart (Goodreads Author)
World-renowned journalist G.G. Gilman does her best not to think of the past. But one day she gets a letter--sent from the small Oklahoma town where she grew up--that brings it all back. Memories of people she had once known and loved dearly--and of the sultry summer when her life changed forever.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
October 5th 2004
by Berkley
(first published 2003)
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Jobiska (Cindy)
added it
I enjoyed this book and will definitely keep an eye out for works by this author in 2ndhand stores etc. Her characters are rich and full, as is the authenticity of her WWII small town Oklahoma setting. The structure of the book, switching from the main character in first person as an older woman to 3rd person memories as a girl, was a tad confusing, especially since I caught the author (ha ha!) in one mistake ("my" in the 3rd person part), and more so because the older narrator's mus...more
I think this is the book that Carolyn Hart felt compelled to write, the story she wanted to tell. I wouldn't be surprised if it grew from real events in her young adulthood. It's certainly a departure from her longstanding and popular Death on Demand series or the more recent novels featuring a ghost.
Told in retrospect by a world-famous journalist and set against the background of the World War II years in a small Oklahoma town, Letter from Home is a story of love, lust, deception, and tr...more
Told in retrospect by a world-famous journalist and set against the background of the World War II years in a small Oklahoma town, Letter from Home is a story of love, lust, deception, and tr...more
I loved the descriptive way of writing this author has. It's almost as if it were an exercise in adjectives, similes and metaphors. Each sentence is filled with them. "Chief Fraser moved slowly, lumbering like a bear across the floor, his boot heels thumping. He stopped at the front door, looked back, his big slab of a face drawn in a frown" (p. 43) for example. Or "Youthful voices rose in the dusk, competing with the twilight rasp of the cicadas. They sat on folding chairs on a...more
This was one of my impulsive grabs from the library. These spontaneous choices usually end in misery for me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually liked this book. It wasn't bad. It was set up nicely, had good characters and an interesting setting. However, it was a little bit predictable. I totally pegged the murderer before I was half-way through. I didn't know the details, but I was pretty sure who it was. The main character also seemed a lot older than her 13 years. But it d...more
I found this author in a listing of authors who had received "Agatha's". I thought I'd try one of her books. She lays this out so masterfully from beginning to end. It all ties together. The theme of the letter is carried through, as is the cemetery motif. I really loved the many references from that time period and from the midwest. The clothing, some of the food items, and the sayings all brought back memories to me of growing up in that era in the middle of the U. S. I will c...more
I very much enjoy Carolyn Hart's other books, but not as much as this book. The imagery is as compelling as the dialog. The characters are drawn lovingly & realistically. Her use of the letter, the present & the past in each chapter keep me racing to read more. THe book takes place in a small town in the U.S. during World War II. I had no idea nwhat life was like for my country during those years. Now I do. I felt that the "mystery" serves as a backdrop for the story of the character...more
LOVED the ending. But the 'reading' in the meantime! Oy vey! Dragged on and on and I almost gave up so many times but I just wanted to know what the heck actually happened. Unfortunately this was a book-on-tape in my car and my car's tape deck system is horrible about fast forwarding. So I decided to dredge through it to see if there were any redeeming qualities to the story. Not really.
Very different type of Hart novel, but I liked it.
From the Publisher
World-renowned journalist G.G. Gilman does her best not to think of the past. But one day she gets a letter—sent from the small Oklahoma town where she grew up—that brings it all back. Memories of people she had once known and loved dearly—and of the sultry summer when her life changed forever.
From the Publisher
World-renowned journalist G.G. Gilman does her best not to think of the past. But one day she gets a letter—sent from the small Oklahoma town where she grew up—that brings it all back. Memories of people she had once known and loved dearly—and of the sultry summer when her life changed forever.
Chapters are organized as retrospective review of a childhood mystery by an old woman with the mystery solved at the graveyard as she is visiting as an old woman. The murdered woman is trashtalked by those in her community and the author as a young newspaper writer is interviewing others for a more complex and positive view of the victim.
Good story. Characters well defined and all actions seemed very plausible. I enjoyed how it was arranged with the past and the present and a letter all interwoven. Recommend this book to others. I wish we could give 1/2 stars - I liked it but not quite really liked it. It was a slight bit predictable, but that didn't hurt the story.
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A fine story with a bit of mystery and some issues of class thrown in. A found the main character too young at 13 to carry the story the way she did and I found the loose ends tied up nice and neat at the end with little to ponder or wonder about after you close the last page.
The most interesting and exciting part of the book is when Gretchen's grandma helps Barb's father, Clyde Tatum. The police said that whoever hides the criminal, s/he will be in trouble, and that's Gretchen's grandma! Everytime when grandma goes to find Barb's father, I will ask myself, "Will she get caught?"
Clyde Tatum "Killed" his wife...that's what people are saying. However, I, as the reader, Gretchen, and grandma believe that Barb's father didn't do it, because we k...more
Clyde Tatum "Killed" his wife...that's what people are saying. However, I, as the reader, Gretchen, and grandma believe that Barb's father didn't do it, because we k...more
probably 3.5 stars. a good read, although I figured it out before the end. . . yes, I thought I was very clever but maybe it was just more obvious than I thought!
world-renowned journalist G.G.Gilman remembers the summer she started writing, and the murder involved, after getting a letter some 50 years later
Loved this book! Grew up in NE Oklahoma. Some have remarked that G.G. couldn't have been as grown-up at the age of 13. I disagree. War changes lives.
I can't say I liked this one. Simplistic writing, just a little too "folksy" for me. The ending seemed contrived too.
I picked this up because I loved 'Ghost at Work' so much. It wasn't as good but still a quaint little mystery.
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WW2, mystery in a small town, girl reporter cover best friend's mother's murder and Grandmother dies.
Ma.jessa espinosa
added it
it was a summer of secrets and mystery. the summer when everything changed.
The first book I've read by Hart, and I liked it. Was a good, fast read.
Carolyn Hart develops the story in Oklahoma. It made me feel I was in the city. Hart is very descriptive and in her mysterious way of writing she made me feel I was there. I liked the way Hart develops the whole story without making me going back to re-read every time I turned the page of the book. It is a very gripping story all the to the end.
a perfect blend of mystery, romance and many more!!
I thought the book was good and a quick read.
book club read, but very good.
October Book Club selection.
Surprise twist at the end. Unexpected.
Kept me interested. Able to finish the book in three sittings.
Surprise twist at the end. Unexpected.
Kept me interested. Able to finish the book in three sittings.
Jennifer
added it
Pretty good mystery.
easy read but without much substance
The ending made this worth the read. Some occasional (and unnecessary) bad language.
I loved this book!
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Also writing as Carolyn G. Hart.
An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is...more
More about Carolyn Hart...
An accomplished master of mystery with 46 published books, Carolyn Hart is the creator of the highly acclaimed Henrie O,Death on Demand, and Bailey Ruth Raeburn series. Her books have won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Letter from Home (2003), her standalone mystery set in Oklahoma, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her latest book is...more
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