Dear Mr Snippet

by Roseanna Rolph

My dearest Mr Snippet…


World War II has just begun, and newly-married John, a young cadet army officer from London, has been forced to leave behind his beloved wife Rita. As each of them desperately try to hold onto their joint hopes and dreams, will fate grant them the future they dream of, or will the unpredictabilities of a relentless war conspire against them?

Through their passionate, witty and heartfelt letters, personal diary entries and family photographs, Dear Mr Snippet chronicles John and Rita’s parallel yet contrasting lives, lived through the tensions and brutalities of World War II, Dunkirk and the Battle of Normandy.

Collated by their granddaughter, Roseanna Rolph, Dear Mr Snippet is a truly compelling and unique historical memoir that transports readers back to another time, whilst shedding light on the struggles faced by military families to this day.

456 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

As a trained teacher, Roseanna Rolph enjoyed using stories and objects from the past to shed light on the present. Utilising research skills developed during her studies for her MA in Education, and a fair amount of detective work, she has carefully pieced together Dear Mr Snippet, a unique time-capsule of a story, which juxtaposes life in the armed forces and as a civilian, and details how her grandparents worked to fight their own and their country’s wars. Through this touching memoir, she shares her fondness for how letters, diaries and photographs transport us back to another time, whilst unveiling new understandings. Since writing Dear Mr Snippet, Roseanna has been given an elected membership to the Royal Historical Society.

Following in her grandparent’s footsteps, she lives in Surrey, England, and likes nothing better than to correspond by and receive letters, recognising that they can become important touchstones and keepsakes at different points of our lives. She can often be found rummaging in antique shops in search of another curiosity from the past.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely and wonderful collection. It is so generous of the author and her family to allow us a glimpse into her grandparents’ life. I found it fascinating to learn more about daily life during WWII from letters and diary entries, and so special to see the tender love between John and Rita (which seemed too sweet to be real, but the hardships they endured and the funny stories of their children definitely reminded me of its reality!). This book made me feel every emotion possible! I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.

Content notes: mention of death, bombings, injury, illness (including illness in children), medical testing, fear of having to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons, mention of a woman consuming alcohol while pregnant (before the affects of fetal alcohol syndrome were known)

[Kelly Hollingworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important, beautiful, poignant read with a unique insight into the inner feelings and lives of two people, John and Rita Reed through their letters to each other in the period 1939-45. What an honour and privilege to read their personal correspondence, sharing the everyday-the weather, their health, the war, their children, their love. Kept for decades in a cardboard box the letters hold such power and intimacy, they moved me immensely. The extended time John and Rita and Rita and Jeremy were apart is unimaginable. I read this book over the 80th anniversary week commemorating VE Day. This event is mentioned in the book and it made me reflect on the then and now. This memoir will stay with me for some time - the love they had for one another, words written on paper but read and felt in my heart 80 years on. The included personal photos gave an even greater dimension to their story. A great read for those who enjoy history, particularly the Second World War.

[Hannah Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Let me start by saying it is always difficult for me to rate books that are based on someone's life. It feels strange to give a star rating based on someone's personal experience, but if I let that go and reflect on how much I enjoyed the book I'm forced to admit that it wasn't really my cup of tea. The language was a bit too flowery for me to take it seriously and overall I just didn't feel that connected to the story. However, if you are someone who loves books written in letters or you have a particular interest in World War II this might be the book for you!

The story was interesting enough to keep me reading to the end. I also thought the addition of real photographs was a great touch!

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a true glimpse of the life of John and Rita a soldier and his wife during the WWII. The author did a wonderful job of retelling the story while keeping it as close to reality as she could. There were missing entries, missing letters, and no true way to capture everything. Roseanna Rolph did a wonderful job and I put this book down feeling so much lighter and with a smile on my face because John and Rita showed true love which is remarkable.

You should definitely take a few minutes of your day and smile as you read even through the hard times true love prevails.

[Nikki Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was such an insight into a newly married couple navigating their lives through the second would war, with all the uncertainty and struggles they had to overcome both personally and as a result of their separation. The insight into their daily lives, their thoughts at the time, the bombing endured etc came directly from their own letters and language which made it very special. I read the book in a few nights of reading because once you finish one letter you can’t stop yourself reading the next - I had to really stop myself reading into the very early hours.

[Daniella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I am usually a big fan of historical fiction and non fiction but the writing style for this book made me constantly think when will I finish.
I thought the letters were cute and wholesome but it would’ve been nice to have some writing/dialogue in between all the letters and diary passages to make it flow a bit more.