The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant

December 16, 2019
In Nunn’s beautifully written but uneven latest (after The Botanist’s Daughter), a nosy marine scientist leads an old woman to connect with her past via a cache of love letters. In 1951, Esther Durrant’s husband, John, sends her to the remote English island of Little Embers, entrusting his old school friend, psychiatrist Richard Creswell, to treat her postpartum depression. Richard is immediately transfixed by Esther’s “startling violet-grey eyes,” while she feels a new sense of being “thrillingly alive” in his presence. Richard’s passionate declarations to Esther are uncovered decades later by a researcher named Rachel Parker who is studying clams on the islands surrounding Little Embers. After Rachel nearly drowns in a storm and is rescued by reclusive painter Leah, she rummages through an old suitcase left in Leah’s attic by previous tenants, in which she finds love letters written from “R” to “E. Durrant.” Meanwhile, in London, Esther now works on her memoirs with help from her granddaughter Eve, whose own curiosity is piqued when Esther reveals she has something important to share. Rachel locates Esther and gives her the chance to reveal her long-held secret. While Nunn’s descriptions of Esther and Richard’s emotional bond are heavy-handed and a late plot twist is predictable, the bond between Esther and Eve is natural and affecting. This drawn-out love story misses the mark.

March 1, 2020

Rachel Parker, whose work as a marine researcher allows her to change jobs and locations frequently, embarks on a new assignment that takes her to the Isles of Scilly off the coast of England. On her first venture out on the water, she becomes engrossed in her research and gets caught in a storm. In her attempt to reach shore, she lodges her wrist in a rock formation and is rescued by a recluse who lives in a mansion on an otherwise uninhabited island. While recuperating there, Rachel finds clues about the previous inhabitants of the mansion as well as its secretive current resident. Among her findings are beautiful love letters written more than 50 years prior. Rachel is soon engrossed in solving the mystery of the love letters even though she is skeptical about true love. If she can reunite these two lost lovers, she may be able to change her own views on love. VERDICT Vivid descriptions highlight intertwining plot lines that seamlessly build to a satisfying climax. For fans of the author's other works (The Botanist's Daughter) and fiction by authors such as Lauren Willig and Kate Morton.--Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2020
Since the sudden and unexpected death of her youngest son, Esther Durrant has suffered from a deep depression. When her husband brings her to Little Embers, an isolated island off the coast of England, she thinks it's a vacation. Instead, she is placed in the care of the compassionate Dr. Richard Creswell, who has helped veterans recover from the trauma of war. Sixty-seven years later, in 2018, marine biologist Rachel Parker is shipwrecked on Little Embers, where she is rescued by the island's sole inhabitant, a painter whose personal torment has derailed her career. At Little Embers, Rachel discovers a cache of deeply romantic letters in a suitcase filled with vintage clothing, and her quest to learn more about the letters brings her into Esther's tragic?yet ultimately redemptive?story. Nunn's U.S. debut is an engaging, dual-period narrative that unravels slowly, tracing Esther's journey toward healing and wholeness as well as Rachel's attempts to move beyond her wanderlust and unwillingness to commit to a home, job, or relationship. The romance is unexpected yet authentic, and the ending highlights the enduring power of love and forgiveness. Ideal for readers of Lucinda Riley and Sarah Jio.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)