The Lost Letters of William Woolf

by Helen Cullen

Lost letters have only one hope for survival . . .

Inside the Dead Letters Depot in East London, William Woolf is one of thirty letter detectives who spend their days solving mysteries: Missing postcodes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names - they are all the culprits of missed birthdays, broken hearts, unheard confessions, pointless accusations, unpaid bills and unanswered prayers.

When William discovers letters addressed simplyto 'My Great Love' his work takes on new meaning. Written by a woman to a soulmate she hasn't met yet, the missives stir William in ways he didn't know were possible. Soon he begins to wonder: Could William be her great love?

William must follow the clues in Winter's letters to solve his most important mystery yet: the human heart.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, Ireland, British Literature, Audiobook

Paperback

First published July 12, 2018

About the author

Helen Cullen is an Irish writer living in London. She has published two novels to date: The Lost Letters of William Woolf and The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually.

Reviews

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

”A time it was, and what a time it was, it was
A time of innocence
A time of confidences

“Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They're all that's left you”
-- Old Friends / Bookends, Simon and Garfunkel, Songwriters: Paul Simon

”More than kisses, letters mingle souls.”

Letters with no address belonging to the sender and a missing or unclear destination are lucky if they end up in East London’s Dead Letters Depot, it is their last hope. Inside the walls are thirty letter detectives who try to put together whatever clues they can to see that this mail finds a way to its intended destination. William Woolf has worked there for eleven years, since 1979, inheriting his position from his uncle, a man who filled his head with the stories found in missives that may or may not have ever found their way to the hands meant to receive them. He filled his notebooks as a child with these stories, so in the course of time these stories became somewhat of an obsession for him. These letters, the mysteries inside these letters that lie inside these walls, they speak to his soul.

”It was the letters to God, to mythics and mystics, to the other, that haunted William and formed the basis of his work. He had started collecting his favorites in the filing cabinets that lined the echoing Supernatural Division. He painstakingly typed out those he wanted to include in the volume and took photographs of the original documents. In his mind’s eye, he saw the two laid side by side on glossy, ivory pages within hard covers, the book entitled ’A Volume of Lost Letters.’”

When he finds a midnight blue envelope with handwriting of ”curls and spirals, dramatic capitals, carefully crafted lowercase letters, all in a dripping silver ink” and sees it is addressed only to “My Great Love,” he can’t resist slipping it inside his pocket, and although he’s never taken one home with him before, he feels he needs to read this without the eyes of others on him, somewhere private.

”Maybe this is the year you will find me. I hope so. I have been saving up so many stories to tell you, and I’m worried that if you stay away much longer they will all have slipped from my memory. I’ve forgotten so much already. Are you hiding somewhere? Are you lost? Do you not feel read? I wish you would hurry.”

And so it begins. There are other letters, some of which make their way to the intended recipient, thanks to his fine detective work, and those are personal, as well. Stories to make your heart melt a little. Some are more poignant than others, but this is where this story really shines.

William is married to Clare, who is at a stage in life where she is taking pole-dancing classes to ward off her pear-shaped posterior. Clare seems to resent William’s ability to be content in his going-nowhere job, she can barely recall their initial attraction, and now that all these years have passed, it seems as though they are living separate lives, together.

I had wanted to love this, and I did love parts of this, but sometimes the story of William and Clare, his viewpoints and her viewpoints, took me away from, what were for me, the best parts of this story. Several times I debated if I wanted to continue reading this, especially when I was reading Clare’s thoughts. Clare is struggling with her marriage, her feelings about William’s lack of desire for more money, bigger houses, more of everything, really. Dissatisfied with life, her marriage, she can only see a future with more. Without that promise, she may choose a different path, without William. William is struggling with Clare’s indifference to him, and their marriage.

The ending felt both rushed and inadequate to me, but it may work better for others. I didn’t expect, or even want a tidy ending with everything tied up with a neat bow, but I wanted the ending to have just a bit more substance.

Published: 01 JUN 2019 (Kindle)
12 JUL 2018 (Paperback)
02 OCT 2018 (Audio)
03 OCT 2018 (Library Binding)

Many thanks for the ARC provided by HARLEQUIN – Graydon House Books (US & Canada) Graydon House

[Sunflowerbooklover · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the premise of this story to be fascinating and brilliant.

William Woolf works at the Dead Letters Depot as a letter detective. His primary job is to try and get letters and packages to their final destinations when they names/addresses have been worn off etc. Can I just say how cool is that job?! I feel like you would find some fascinating letters and parcels!!

William is married to Claire and she is struggling with her marriage to William. Claire's life has not turned out the way that she has wanted and is left wanting more. Their marriage is clearly having some difficulties.

One day at work William comes across a letter that is addressed to "My great love" from a mysterious woman named Winter. William continues to find letters addressed from this "Winter". He soon takes a journey of his own trying to find out who this woman is.

So... I feel like this book focused solely on the strained marriage of William and Claire. I was a bit bummed out because I really wanted more of the lost letter concept. The author only had tiny bit of this in the beginning.

I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters... I found both women to be pretty annoying.

I also felt like the ending was a tad bit too rushed for my liking... and felt like the author was trying to hard to fit everything into a nice bow.

My interest was swaying in and out throughout the entire novel and lacked substance to me. I was bored in numerous spots.

Overall, 2 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the advanced arc in exchange for an honest review.
Published to GR: 6/1/18
Publication date: 10/2/18

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inside the Dead Letters Depot in East London, William Woolf is one of thirty letter detectives who spend their days solving mysteries: missing postcodes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names are just a few of the puzzles they have to try and solve so that the recipient gets the letters/parcels that were intended for them.

When William discovers letters addressed to "my first love" his work takes on new meaning. William starts believing the letters are really meant for him. Williams marriage is going through a rough patch. We get both William and his wife Claire's point of view of their relationship problems. My criticisms is that I would have liked to learn more about the day to day dealings with and investigations into the lost letters, parcels etc. Also I found the ending a bit rushed and then there were far too many coincidences happening that made it unbelievable.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK -Michael Joseph and the author Helen Cullen for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[°°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ʜᴇʟᴇɴ Ροζουλί Εωσφόρος ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°° ★·.·´¯`·.·★ Ⓥⓔⓡⓝⓤⓢ Ⓟⓞⓡⓣⓘⓣⓞⓡ Ⓐⓡⓒⓐⓝⓤⓢ Ταμετούρο Αμ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Τα χαμένα γράμματα έχουν μόνο μία ελπίδα επιβίωσης ...

«Μέσα στους τοίχους της αποθήκης των νεκρών γραμμάτων, οι ντετέκτιβ επιστολών εργάζονται για να λύσουν μυστήρια. Μελετούν τους ταχυδρομικούς κώδικες που λείπουν, το δυσανάγνωστο χειρόγραφο, το μελάνι με βροχή, τις χαμένες ετικέτες διευθύνσεων, τα σκισμένα πακέτα, τα ξεχασμένα ονόματα των δρόμων-όλες τις πολλές ανατροπές της μοίρας πίσω από χαμένα γενέθλια, σπασμένες καρδιές, ανήκουστες ομολογίες, άσκοπες κατηγορίες, απλήρωτοι λογαριασμοί, αναπάντητες προσευχές. Η αποστολή τους είναι να ενώσουν το χαμένο ταχυδρομείο με τους προορισμένους παραλήπτες του».

Ο τίτλος του βιβλίου αναφέρεται στην επιφάνεια της πλοκής, στα ρηχά νερά της εξέλιξης στο πλαίσιο των ανθρωπίνων σχέσεων και ειδικά στην αγάπη ανάμεσα στα ζευγάρια, που γεννιέται, μεγαλώνει και πεθαίνει κάποια στιγμή σαν ζώντας οργανισμός.
Κάποιοι κηδεύουν το κουφάρι της γριάς αγάπης τους. Κάποιοι άλλοι τη διατηρούν στη ζωή με πολλά χημικά και παραισθησιογόνα φάρμακα αθανασίας.
Ορισμένοι την κρατούν ζωντανή με μηχανική υποστήριξη αρνούμενοι να γίνουν δωρητές οργάνων για να σώσουν κάποιες άλλες αγάπες που περιμένουν το σωτήριο μόσχευμα για να επιβιώσουν.

Όλοι όμως πασχίζουν να βρουν τη λύση ώστε αυτή, η πάθηση της αγάπης, να υπάρχει έστω και μικροβιακά μέσα στο αίμα τους.

Ψάχνουν ανεπίδοτες δηλώσεις γραμμένες σε χαμένα όνειρα. Αναζητούν νέες εμπειρίες και προσπαθούν απεγνωσμένα να αισθανθούν τον πυρετό της παθιασμένης αρρώστειας που θα νικήσει για πάντα την μοναξιά και την ανιαρή τους θλίψη, την έλλειψη ενδιαφερόντων ζωτικής σημασίας και την αποδοχή μιας προβλέψιμης ρουτίνας που καταπολεμά την εγκατάλειψη και την απώλεια.

Σχέσεις βαλτωμένες που μυρίζουν όνειρα για θάλασσες ανοιχτές καθάριες, βαθιές και επικίνδυνα αδίστακτες.
Άτομα αποδεχόμενα την κοινωνική και γενικευμένη νόρμα ανέχονται και βασανίζονται μέσα σε θεατρικά σκηνικά γάμου που στο τέλος της παράστασης κανένας δεν χειροκροτά.
Απιστία, ως πανάκεια για έναν ξεφτισμένο δεσμό που μετά την άνομη πράξη αρχίζει πάλι απο το ξεθωριασμένο ασπρόμαυρο φόντο να βάφεται με έντονα, βιασμένα, μοχθηρά και κτητικά χρώματα,
ίσα- ίσα για να φανεί και πάλι η ύπαρξη του,
για να μην αναγκαστεί κάποιος απο τους διαπλεκόμενους να πληρώσει με γέλια και δάκρυα το αντίτιμο της χρέωσης για το μνημόσυνο της ανάπηρης, της σακατεμένης αγάπης, που επιτέλους αναπαύθηκε στην μακαριότητα της ανυπαρξίας.

Επίκληση συναισθήματος και μελό διακυμάνσεις ανάμεσα σε εραστές και απατημένους συντρόφους, γάμους σε αναταραχή και παγιδευμένα ζευγάρια.

Τώρα πως εξηγείται η έννοια του γάμου και της απιστίας εκπεφρασμένη ως κοινωνικό φαινόμενο με το τμήμα χαμένων γραμμάτων αλληλογραφίας κάποτε στο Λονδίνο είναι ασαφές και μάλλον ανεξήγητο αναφορικά με το περιεχόμενο και την πλοκή στην ιστορία μας.



Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς και σεμνούς ασπασμούς.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

William works as a letter detective in the Dead Letters Depot in East London. Each day he deals with letters with missing postcodes, letters wrongly addressed, writing that is illegible and various letters and parcels with no return address. As a young man it is not what he saw himself doing. When he first met Clare, he had great plans. Over the years things had changed. When William discovers letters in dark blue envelopes with silver writing, he is intrigued when they begin to ‘My Great Love.’ The letters are written by a woman called Winter to a man she has never met, but feels is the soulmate she is destined hopefully to meet one day. Fascinated, William cannot but help the letters were meant for him to find. He resolves to find Winter. Meanwhile in his marriage with Clare they are both aware that there is an increasing chasm between them.
It’s a book that is not going to appeal to everyone but I think I was just in the mood for something a little bit whimsical. It still manages though to deal in a realistic way with a love that started off so promisingly and has dwindled over the years of marriage into the mundane. I enjoyed learning more about William and Clare, their past and the slow slide into something neither of them ever envisaged. I liked reading the letters from Winter and some of the other letters that arrive at the Dead Letter Office, I especially liked the story and package with the medal. I enjoyed quirky secondary characters that pop up too. Really the story is about communications and what happens when people fail to communicate. Or when they put aside their dreams.
This is a book where the ending is not going to please everyone. It might even annoy some people. But I liked it. I felt it fitted with the rest of the story. I enjoyed this engaging read. Yes, you need to suspend disbelief but a good writer can convince me to do that. This is a debut novel. I’d be very keen to read another book by this author.

[❄️BooksofRadiance❄️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

Up until the last few chapters this was a solid 4-star read. Then it became somewhat cheesy and, more annoyingly, a bit too convenient.

[Susie Wang · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great idea with sub-par execution.

I honestly thought I was going to love this one. But I don't think I've ever read another contemporary novel so slow. And for such a slow pacing, you'd think there's a full resolve at the end. But no, there's no concrete ending at all.

The writing was okay, but it dragged on so much, I had to skim some parts. Otherwise, I might have quit reading it altogether.

Would not recommend it if you're looking for a quick and relaxing read. The slowness was almost stressing me out.

[Joanna Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book! The idea that there are people who are willing to take the time to get lost post back to the rightful owners is a lovely one and I do hope there is a Dead Letters depot somewhere.  Some of the personal stories behind the post were beautiful to read about and quite emotional at times when you read about the intended recipient finally opening their post.  There was a bit of a nostalgic quality to the book as letters are a bit of a rarity these days as is sending some of the items that are mentioned through the post.  It made me a little wistful for the simple joy of a hand written letter addressed to you.

William is an interesting character.  He is a little bit of a loner, a bit geeky and a bit of a dreamer.  He loves the idea of happy endings which is what drew him to the job and motivates him to return the post to the right person.  His little routines and idiosyncrasies were very sweet and heartwarming to read about.  It definitely made me warm to him.

The journey he undertakes to find the women who wrote the ”’ my great love’ letters was an interesting one.  I did enjoy reading about his travels and the interesting people he meets on his way, who all seem to have their own stories to tell, which really added to the story. I did feel a little cross with William for going on the journey as I felt he was being a little unfair on all involved chasing a dream whilst still married.  Even if that marriage is going through a bit of a rough patch.

For me this wasn’t a particularly fast paced book but that doesn’t matter as the reader is soon absorbed in William’s story and his internal fight over which women, his wife or the mysterious letter writer, he’s going to choose.  I felt that I wanted to keep reading to find out more about William and to find out how the story ends.

This is Helen’s debut novel and I will look forward to reading more from her in the future.  If you like The Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, you’ll like this story as I felt they were similar.

Huge thanks to Gaby Young for my copy of this book and to Katie Ashworth for inviting me onto the blog tour.  If you like sweet, nostalgic stories about someone finding themselves then you’ll love this book.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letter writing is a sadly a dying art nowadays and one that I have to admit to missing terribly although my dad still very much enjoys writing letters to his great grandchildren. The look of excitement in their eyes, when a letter addressed to them lands on the doormat, is a joy to behold and always makes me wish there were more handwritten letters sent to us. So I was immediately attracted to the stunning cover of The Lost Letters of William Woolf and what a beautifully constructed story lies behind that sumptuous artwork!

The characters of William and his wife Claire are exquisitely drawn and as their relationship is gradually unveiled we slowly become aware of the problems that lie between them. A lack of communication has caused their marriage to become stale, a union that fulfils neither of their dreams of desires. When William reads letters addressed to My Great Love whilst working as a “letter detective” at the Dead Letter Depot, he becomes fascinated by the mysterious Willow. He wonders if he could be the soulmate she seeks and decides to use the clues in her letter to track her down.

One of my favourite parts of the book was reading the letters written by other senders that arrived at the depot. Their stories of love, loss and hope gave an insight into the human desire to communicate emotions via the written word. Even the short letters were perfectly pitched to achieve maximum impact. And I loved the idea that there was someone as sensitive as William reading them, taking ownership and desperately wanting them to be delivered to their rightful place.

This is a uniquely crafted and beautifully expressed tale of a couple who need to find themselves again before they can find each other and of a lost art that needs to be encouraged before it disappears forever. I left a little piece of my heart in this book and possibly a tear stain or two on the final page.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Letters of William Woolf provides sanctuary to abandoned words and a voice so second chances might be heard. I was swept along on its trail of serendipity, while it healed hearts and broke others in its wake.

One of the ‘Post Office Poirots’ is, as the title would suggest, William Woolf. He works at the Dead Letter Depot and it’s his job to care for all manner of stray mail that, for one reason or another, has failed to reach its destination.

He and his colleagues relish the opportunity to reunite an orphaned letter with its intended loved one. But this is also an invitation for William to embrace all manner of mini-quests, as certain correspondence demands (and deserves) special attention! Ironically, while his determination, dedication and compassion have the power to alter the course of a stranger’s life, his own has lost all sense of direction.

Embarking on his extraordinary journey is a memorable and varied cast, notably the folk William stumbles across on his travels whose charming, self-contained stories become an extension of his own. These encounters were utterly delightful, but I especially enjoyed my returns to the Dead Letter Depot to await the next piece of a postal puzzle that William is fiercely protective of.

The Lost Letters of William Woolf delivered everything I’d hoped for, and perhaps a little more :) Certainly an author I’ll be keeping an eye open for in future.

(I’m incredibly grateful to have received an advanced copy of this title courtesy of the publisher, which I have chosen to voluntarily read and review.)

[Thebooktrail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in the bank holiday sunshine and whilst it's not a Booktrail book (it's set in London but that's about it) the real setting is the art of communication, reuniting people with their memories, lost letters, words of love and reassurance that have become lost over time, letters of rejection even, letters giving bad news, but all of them lost and not with their rightful owner.

There's a special Dead Letter Depot in East London looking after these lost letters and trying to find their true owners. The premise of this was lovely and I enjoyed reading the letters found and opened, reading for clues as to who they were for and if they would ever be sent to the right place.

Its a novel about lost communication, hope, lost love and a great deal more. The parts about the letters were the best, William Woolf less so, but that's just me. I wanted to follow the letters more as I'm nosy that way. It's very poignant and sad in parts but I'm still unsure about the ending. I enjoyed the read however. I hope there is a Dead Letters Depot somewhere.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

How wonderful to venture into a storyline about a Dead Letter Depot that actually employs letter detectives who spend their days solving mysteries: missing postcodes, illegible handwriting, rain-smudged ink, lost address labels, torn packages, forgotten street names to name a few of the puzzles they have to try and solve so that the recipient gets the letters/parcels that were intended for them.

A dream job? An ideal we could hope for?

Back to the review.

Told from different viewpoints – William, one of the detectives, and his wife, Claire – and their relationship history – will they or won’t they stay together – and how does this play into the importance of the letters he finds, the title of this book, and the journey it takes him on?

This was an imperfect story, but, still delightful in its telling.

Had it spent more time on the letter detective work, it might have been more appealing – but, there is still something to be said about the relationship between William and Claire, and what may or may not happen with it.

That is up to readers to determine.

[Diane S ☔]

Dnf at 25% Just not in the mood for this. Charming, in parts, whimsical in others, but much lighter than I wanted at this time.

[Melissa (Hiatus due to Death in Family) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This book was actually better than I was expecting. It's definitely an introspective book, more about the expectations we have in marriage and what we do when those expectations aren't met. It's about keeping secrets and trying to uncover what is really important.
I loved the lost letters and the snippets of stories we got, I wished for more. It would have made the book that much better if the portions from William's book were entwined with the story of William and Clare.
I found this book to be a worthwhile read if you are in a contemplative mood.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the description, I was expecting this book to concentrate a lot more on the attempts of William and his fellow ‘letter detectives’ to reunite the ‘lost letters’ of the title with their intended recipients. (The one ‘reunion’ we do get to witness, of an object with someone very significant for its previous owner, I found so touching.) Personally, I would also have liked to learn a bit more about William’s colleagues as we get only teasing insights into their own particular, idiosyncratic interests – Trevor and his philately, Marjorie with her lonely hearts, and so on. I found myself thinking how much easier it would be today with access to the Internet but, as the book is set in 1989, the letter detectives have to rely on telephone directories, other paper-based research methods and not a little gut instinct. Incidentally, I loved the description of the Dead Letters Depot as ‘this museum of missed messages’.

What I did enjoy was the reminder of a time when people communicated in writing and, from the evidence of some of the lost letters William deals with, weren’t afraid to express their feelings honestly and eloquently. William himself wonders, ‘How much would be left unsaid if people were devoid of the opportunity that pen and paper offered to speak from a safe distance?’ Really this epitomises the issue at the heart of the problems William and his wife, Clare, are experiencing in their relationship. I have to say at this point that I thought the way the author explores the ups and downs of their marriage shows great insight and is the real achievement of this book.

It’s a portrait of a marriage that has gone slightly astray between two people who, when it comes to it, still care for each other. William and Clare have lost the ability to communicate openly and honestly about their feelings, their hopes and ambitions. Clare recalls, ‘In the past, theirs had been a gentle love, not prone to arguments, accusations, recriminations.’ But now, ‘Their words rushed at each other like foot soldiers, focused only on their own purpose: not to listen, just to be heard.’ William and Clare have allowed the freedom and joy of their early years together – parties, madcap adventures, laughter and shared interests – to be replaced with the dull, drudgery of domestic life: whose turn is it to put out the bins, who was supposed to buy fresh milk, when is that mirror finally going to get put up on the wall? Those who have been in a relationship for any length of time will probably recognise this (although will hopefully have found ways to overcome it).

William’s discovery of the letters addressed to ‘My Great Love’ really brings home to him the disappointing change in his relationship with Clare. After all, wasn’t Clare once his ‘Great Love’? But is she still? The reader gets a sense that part of the problem may be William is still surprised even after all these years that the beautiful, talented Clare should have chosen him. Clare’s frustration with their relationship takes her in a different direction fuelled partly by childhood experiences that haunt her, chiefly a fear (without any real evidence to support it) that she will make the same mistakes as her mother.

I loved the concept of the ‘letter detectives’ and, although I didn’t get as much of their detective work as I’d hoped for, I admired the insightful way the author explored the stresses and strains of the relationship between William and Clare. Although I enjoyed the book, I confess to being left a little perplexed, and slightly let down, by its open-ended conclusion. I guess it does allow the reader to write their own ending for William and Clare. I know the one I wanted.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Michael Joseph, and NetGalley in return for an honest and unbiased review. (3.5 stars)

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

William and his wife Clare, once madly in love, are now engaged in a period of stalemate. Clare is resentful that William dropped his ambition of becoming a writer in favour of his dead end job in the dead letter depot - a department of Royal Mail that deals with letters that have lost their way. William's role is to find the owners for these letters and packages. One day a letter addressed to 'My Great Love' lands in his pile and his heart is captured by Winter, a woman writing to her fictional love and asking him to come and find her. William goes on a mission to find Winter to see if he is her great love afterall.
A lovely book, beautifully written. I loved reading this book although it was so well written that the depression surrounding William and Clare's marriage made me feel a bit gloomy, and I found Winter annoying. She needed to grab life by the balls and make it her own rather than writing to someone that didn't exist. She was writing to her fictional perfect man that, quite frankly, doesn't exist. I'm not bitter, I'm in a perfectly lovely relationship, but the person she was after wasn't realistic.
All in all, two big thumbs up.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Woolf works at the Dead Letters Depot in East London. A place where lost letters and packages are given a second chance to find their rightful owners. One day, William finds a letter simply addressed to “My Great Love”, written by a woman to a soulmate she’s not yet met. Living a life that didn’t quite pan out the way he thought it would and with a marriage that’s seemingly crumbling, William wonders if he might be the soulmate of the letter writer.

The Lost Letters of William Woolf oozes nostalgia. For the days when people took the time to write long and thoughtful letters and sent them all around the world, but also for those carefree times in our lives when it felt like you were on top of the world and everything would magically sort itself out until life and its everyday toils and troubles got in the way.

The letters and packages aren’t the only things that are lost. William is lost as well. It took me a while to warm to William. I felt he was a tad wishy-washy, indecisive and lacking a bit of backbone. Yet, his quest to find Winter is intriguing in that way that we all somehow think the grass is greener on the other side. What would life be like if we’d made other choices or decisions? It’s not just the letters at the Depot that are given a second chance. There is one for William as well but will it be with his wife or with Winter?

This is a very slow-paced novel and I struggle a little with reviewing it. It didn’t quite turn out the way I expected it to. I assumed the story would be about all those lost letters at the Depot with William playing the part of a very different kind of detective than the ones I usually read about. It’s not that I didn’t care about what happened to William but I sometimes felt the focus lay a bit too much on his marriage, whereas I would have quite gladly spent way more time at the Depot reading letters and handing them over to the person they were intended for. Doesn’t this sound like the most wonderful job? There are one or two moments where this happened and they were so delightful that they left me wanting more.

That aside though, this is a wonderfully moving and beautifully written debut novel by Helen Cullen about all sorts of lost communication, love, hope and second chances.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Τα χαμένα γράμματα του Γουίλιαμ Γουλφ ήταν ένα βιβλίο που με μπέρδεψε αρχικά γιατί το περίμενα αλλιώς. Περίμενα η συγγραφέας να πλέξει την πλοκή γύρω από το επάγγελμα του ήρωα και το γεγονός ότι ανακαλύπτει γράμματα χωρίς παραληπτη. Θα είχε τρομερό ενδιαφέρον . Παρόλα αυτά επέλεξε να εστιάσει στην φθαρμένη σχέση ενος ζευγαριού που είναι χρόνια παντρεμένοι και με αργή πλοκή μας μετέφερε τα προβλήματα τους και την πορεία τους ανά τα χρόνια. Το τέλος με μπέρδεψε ακόμα περισσότερο. Αν το έχετε διαβάσει θα καταλάβετε τι εννοώ. Αφήνει πολλές απορίες στον αναγνώστη και δεν ξεκαθαρίζει κάτι πολύ σημαντικό που περίμενα σε ολόκληρο το βιβλίο να το μάθω. Με λίγα λόγια σε φτάνει μέχρι την πηγή αλλά δεν πίνεις νερό. Νομίζω πως αν είχε ένα διαφορετικό τίτλο δεν θα είχα πρόβλημα γιατί ήταν καλογραμμένο. Όμως με αυτόν τον τίτλο περίμενα μια πιο ευφάνταστη ιστορία που σίγουρα θα περιγράφει περισσότερο τα χαμενα γράμματα του Γουίλιαμ Γουλφ.

[Ari]

When Laini Taylor recommends it, how can I say no?
Give it to me!!

[Britta Böhler · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Woolf works in the Dead Letter Depot in East London. He, along with his colleagues, is tasked with reuniting letters and parcels undelivered, due to missing addresses, illegible handwriting, smudged ink and torn packaging, with their intended recipient.

“He now was convinced that some letters found him because only he, with his particular personal collection of experiences and insights, could crack their code. Other letters depended upon different detectives, of that he was sure, but some were searching specifically for him.”

While William generally finds his job eminently satisfying, it’s a point of contention between him and his wife, Clare. A couple since meeting at university, Clare and William were happy for many years, but for some time now their marriage has been faltering, and it’s this struggling relationship which is the focus of Cullen’s novel.

I had, to be honest, been expecting a lighthearted, whimsical novel from Cullen a la The Lost Letter Mysteries aired on the Hallmark channel, but The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a more thoughtful and sober story that questions if love is lost, can it be found again?

Cullen sensitively portrays the inner conflict of both William and Clare as they contemplate the state of their marriage, and wonder if it can be, or even should be, salvaged. The author explores issues faced by those in many long term relationships such as domestic drudgery, family planning, unmet expectations, and differing ambitions. The Dead Letter Office is in part a metaphor for the breakdown of communication, and connection, between William and Clare.

“Was it a million little incremental changes over a long period of time? Or something obvious he had missed? If their essential selves were still the same, couldn’t they find each other again?”

Though I found the pacing to perhaps be a little slow, it does befit the meditative tone of the novel. The writing is lovely, and there is a nostalgic quality that reaches beyond the ‘old fashioned’ charm of letter writing.

A poignant, ruminative novel The Lost Letters of William Woolf is an engaging debut from Helen Cullen.

[Elizabeth]

DNF for me on this one. I thought it would be about William and his work within the "dead letter" division of the postal system. Instead, The Lost Letters of William Woolf was largely about William and Claire's marriage and its problems.

But more than anything else, what made The Lost Letters of William Woolf a DNF for me was the writing. It's so occupied with trying to be interesting and clever that it forgets to be either of those things.

No stars because I couldn't even maintain enough interest to finish it.

[bookish_emmxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is so beautifully written and I just love the characters so much that I didn't want it to end. Fairly certain that Helen Cullen has now become an auto buy author.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book had so much promise but sadly the ending felt as though it was rushed but did enjoy it even though its not a fasted paced read

[Anastasia Ts. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Μ’ αρέσει όταν διαβάζω το πρώτο έργο ενός συγγραφέως για πολλούς λόγους. Ένας λόγος είναι γιατί μπορώ να παρακολουθήσω την εξέλιξή του στην γραφή, τις ιδέες του, τις τάσεις του κτλ. Η Cullen μας συστήνεται με ένα κοινωνικό μυθιστόρημα. Το θέμα της στο μυθιστόρημα είναι οι σχέσεις των ανθρώπων και η πίστη τους στον σύντροφό τους. Μέσω της αλληλογραφίας ξεκινά ένα παιχνίδι ανάπτυξης συναισθημάτων και δοκιμασίας των σχέσεων. Ο Γουίλιαμ παρουσιάζεται ευαίσθητος, περίεργος, παρορμητικός. Τα γράμματα αποτελούν την αφορμή για να έρθουν στην επιφάνεια προβλήματα που κρύβονται στην σχέση του με την Κλερ. Το μυθιστόρημα αυτό είναι ρομαντικό, νοσταλγικό, ενώ σου δίνει δύναμη για ζωή. Η απλότητα της γραφής της Cullen σε βοηθά να απολαύσεις κάθε λέξη.

[OLT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm torn about my rating for this book. On the one hand, I found it to be very well written and thoughtful, with a realistic look at everyday people and their everyday lives and everyday problems. On the other hand, I wasn't expecting such a limited story based on its plot description of the Dead Letters Depot and the "letter detectives" working there.

Instead, this is mainly a quiet, well-written story of the atrophying, dying 14-year-old marriage of a stagnated husband and a frustrated wife. Once full of enthusiasm for their life together, stimulating each other intellectually, communicating with each other about their hopes and dreams and interests, now they barely manage to talk at the end of the day about even the humdrum.

Ever practical, wife Clare stifled her artistic dreams of being a painter to become a lawyer and is now the main breadwinner of the childless couple. Ever impractical, husband William, once with hopes of becoming a writer, suffers writer's block and has settled into a life of routine at his low-paying job at the Dead Letters Depot.

This was not as much about the Dead Letters Depot as I had expected. What there was I did enjoy. The employees or "letter detectives" there have the task of reuniting lost letters and packages with either the intended recipient or, if not possible, with the original sender. Quite the task at times, often with illegible or missing names and addresses. The office atmosphere and work methods proved interesting and the few examples of letters and other gone-astray items were in some cases amusing and in others very emotionally moving.

But the main story here is really that of William and Clare's failing marriage. Is their disintegrating relationship salvageable? Can the lost love of the early years be recovered or is it time for them to move on from each other?

Complicating their frustrations with each other are an ardent admirer for Clare at her law office and for William it's the mysterious letters found at the Dead Letters Depot addressed only to "My Great Love" and signed "Winter". As William reads these letters, he begins to feel that they have been written to him and he becomes obsessed with Winter and the possibilities of a new and fresh love as expressed in her letters.

So we readers go on the journey with William and Clare to find out if they can find their lost selves and their lost relationship. Both have settled in their lives. Claire giving up painting in pursuit of financial security, with a husband who has disappointed her by giving up his (and her) dream of him becoming a published writer. William, stuck in the rut of his job, feels her disappointment and bitterness. When the letters from an ideal love come along they have the power to distract him from the business of making things right with his wife. And perhaps this can't be made right. Perhaps to find themselves, they must lose each other.

Lost letters, lost closeness in a relationship, lost hopes, lost dreams. This is a nicely-written debut novel from Cullen. I was not, however, in the mood for this slightly depressing (to me) story and made several initial attempts to read it before finally settling in to finish. Perhaps that's why I'm settling on three stars for the story. There's some 5-star writing in here, great observations on the human condition, but ultimately I was in the need of more hope and joy. And the ending was not enlarged upon enough to give me the feeling of relief and happiness I was hoping for. The author allowed us into William's head plenty throughout the book, so why not give us more of the thought process at the end that led him to his ultimate decision? Granted the ending was artistic and crafted nicely, just not completely satisfying to prosaic me.

[Evi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Τα χαμένα γράμματα του Γουίλιαμ Γουλφ.

Ο Γουίλιαμ Γουλφ είναι υπάλληλος σε μια ασυνήθιστη θέση μιας συνηθισμένης υπηρεσίας. Εργάζεται στο ταχυδρομείο του Λονδίνου στο Τμήμα της Αζήτητης Αλληλογραφίας. Αυτό που κάνει κάποιος θα το θεωρούσε βαρετό, ενώ κάποιος άλλος θα το παρομοίαζε με επίλυση γρίφων υψηλών προδιαγραφών. Μυστήρια όπως φάκελοι με ανύπαρκτους ταχυδρομικούς κώδικες, μουτζουρωμένα γράμματα και διευθύνσεις από τη βροχή, προσευχές, εξομολογήσεις, αλλά και επιστολές προς άγνωστα άτομα αποτελούν την καθημερινότητα του.

Κάποια μέρα καταφτάνει μια επιστολή σε μπλε φάκελο που απευθύνονται στον "Μεγάλο έρωτα" της γυναίκας που το γράφει. Αποστολέας είναι η Γουίντερ και μέσα στο γράμμα αυτό μιλά για τη ζωή της, τις ανησυχίες της, τις προτιμήσεις της. Ανά τακτά χρονικά διαστήματα καταφτάνουν κι άλλες αποστολές από αυτή τη γυναίκα. Οι μπλε φάκελοι γίνονται η εμμονή του Γουίλιαμ. Αναρωτιέται αν ο ίδιος αποτελεί το μεγάλο έρωτα της Γουίντερ και αποφασίζει να διερευνήσει την αποστολέα αυτών των επιστολών ακολουθώντας τα στοιχεία που η ίδια δίνει μέσα στα γράμματα της. Παράλληλα όμως ο Γουίλιαμ είναι παντρεμένος. Ο ήδη κατά τα φαινόμενα αποτυχημένος γάμος του μπαίνει σε ρίσκο από τον ίδιο τον Γουίλιαμ ενώ αυτός αποφασίζει να ριχτεί στο κυνήγι μιας χίμαιρας λύνοντας τον μεγαλύτερο γρίφο που έχει συναντήσει στη ζωή του, αυτόν της αγάπης.

Μια πραγματικά πρωτότυπη ιστορία που παρασέρνει τον κάθε αναγνώστη σε ένα ταξίδι αναζήτησης χαμένων επιστολών, ονείρων και ελπίδων. Ένα μυθιστόρημα που στη σημερινή εποχή του γρήγορου ίντερνετ και του ηλεκτρονικού ταχυδρομείου έρχεται να ξυπνήσει ευχάριστες αναμνήσεις. Για θυμηθείτε τότε που γράφαμε γράμματα σε χαρτί και χρησιμοποιούσαμε μολύβι.. Πόση δύναμη κρύβουν οι λέξεις..! Πόσο συναίσθημα υπάρχει στο γραφικό χαρακτήρα ενός ανθρώπου..! Πόση μαγεία υπάρχει σε ένα γράμμα που είναι λίγο γυριστο, πόσο όμορφη είναι η καλλιγραφία και τι ένταση διαφαίνεται στο πάτημα του μολυβιού..

Ένα βιβλίο που αποτελεί φόρο τιμής για τις χαμένες αγάπες, για τις σχέσεις που βούλιαξαν στην καθημερινότητα, που προκαλεί νοσταλγία για τους ρομαντικους δεσμούς που τείνουν να εκλείψουν στην εποχή μας.

Και κλείνοντας για σκεφτείτε πως τα γράμματα που έχουμε περισσότερο ανάγκη τελικά μας βρίσκουν κ ενώνουν τις ψυχές μας! Διάβαστε το!

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this book. The idea that there are people who are hired to get lost post back to the rightful owners and it would be wonderful if there really were a Dead Letters depot somewhere. Some of the personal stories behind the letters and packages were beautiful and emotional. With the world using email and text to communicate today, it was beautiful to read these letters, many from the past. When there was a connection made, it was sweet and emotional to hear the reactions of the intended recipient. My big complaint is that I would have liked more letters, more mysteries being solved.

William is an interesting character. He is a bit of a loner and a dreamer. He is also a bit of a geek and quite happy with his job. He wants to write a book and that is a motivator for him. He loves the happy endings when he can return a letter to its proper recipient and learn a bit more. He is a bit closed off with his emotions in real life though and that causes problems in his personal life. His obsession with finding Winter when he has a wife who loves him was also a bit frustrating for me, especially since that might have exacerbated the situation at home. I enjoyed getting to know William, his wife and her sister Florence. The secondary characters added much to the story and I loved their stories. The inner turmoil that William struggled with slowed the story quite a bit. All in all, I enjoyed this story, but it moved slowly and meandered a bit more than I would have liked.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Rupert Penry-Jones. His narration fit the story perfectly. It was a slow, quiet voice that fit my idea of William perfectly. Helen Cullen narrated the female voices and it is always nice to have the author perform a story as they know exactly where the expression should go and the intonation of the text. I received a copy of this audio book from Harlequin Audio upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

[Don Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a truly heartwarming tale about William and his wife Clare. Their marriage is going through a rough patch and we get a view of both sides of the marriage in this tale.

This is going to be a very quick review because I feel if I say too much I’ll give the game away.

This is a wonderfully structured tale of love and loss and I honestly couldn’t put it down (clichéd I know, but it is the truth). The mystery of the lost letters really adds to the story here and has me searching online for Dead Letter Office stories. This is a very entertaining read, and a truly striking debut from Helen. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley / The Publishers for providing me with a review copy

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so intrigued by the premise of Helen Cullen's debut novel, The Lost Letters of William Woolf. The novel is filled with interesting characters, and plausible relationships and situations. It could have proved far too sugary and sentimental, but it felt very human. I found Cullen's writing and story incredibly engaging, and found it a great and enjoyable choice to read whilst on holiday. It is easy to read, but there is definitely some bite to it. I also found that the novel was not at all predictable, apart from with regard to the epilogue.