Letter from a Stranger

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Justine Nolan is a documentary film maker who lost her beloved grandmother a decade ago - the person who was the only source of love and comfort in her life. Her own mother Deborah had always been distant and uninvolved, following her own agenda in pursuit of her career as an interior designer. But when Justine inadvertently opens a letter addressed to her mother, she discovers that not only is her grandmother Gabri alive, but that Deborah has deliberately estranged the family from her for all these years. Justine’s search for her grandmother takes her to Istanbul where she begins to uncover the family’s secrets that stretch all the way back to World War II. As the layers of deception peel away, Justine begins to understand a woman she never really knew - and she begins to ask questions about the true desires of her own heart.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Chick Lit, Historical, Audiobook

432 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American novelist whose dramatic family sagas and stories of ambitious women made her one of the most commercially successful authors of modern popular fiction. Raised in Leeds, she developed an early love of reading and decided as a child that she would become a writer. After leaving school at sixteen, she began her career in journalism, first working in the typing pool of the Yorkshire Evening Post before becoming a reporter. In her early twenties she moved to London, where she built a successful career as a fashion editor for Woman's Own magazine and later wrote widely syndicated newspaper columns. Although she experimented with suspense fiction, her breakthrough came with the novel A Woman of Substance in 1979, a sweeping story of a determined young woman rising from poverty to great success. The novel became an international bestseller and launched a long series of novels featuring strong female protagonists who achieve success through perseverance, ambition, and business skill. Over the following decades she wrote forty novels translated into dozens of languages and sold in tens of millions of copies worldwide. Several of her books were adapted for television miniseries and films, further expanding her readership. Her work earned numerous honors, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her contribution to literature.

Reviews

[Kitti Boesel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book negative stars if I could...
The premise is good. The writing is horrid. The story is choppy, at best and feels forced. The conversation between Americans keeps grabbing English phrases, for no apparent reason. There are random comments thrown in to the story that just feel like an afterthought. I usually only give a book 40 pages, but I really wanted to enjoy this story. I gave it 150 pages and they were painful and never once made me care about a single character in the story.
There are so many great books out there. This is not one of them, so skip it.

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this, and I am very glad I did. While some parts did not appeal to me, the memoirs of Justine and Richard's grandmother, Gabriele were very moving and at times heartbreaking.

I can't quite give this four stars because it was too slow moving initially, but it's definitely worth 3.5 stars, just for the WW2 narrative.

Reviewed for Affaire de Coeur Magazine. http://affairedecoeur.com.

[Eve Hardin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story sounded so good, I really wanted to like it! The writing was so terrible, tons of extra words just thrown in, it felt like high school when you added words to just make the paper longer. The characters were just not real, too rich, too dramatic, too perfect. Constantly reminded sentence after sentence of teh same thing, traits that were already established. (Twin Bond to name one) I stuck with it for several chapters hoping that once it got going it would get better as the story line really did seem very interesting. I finally gave up and I almost never do that. I just couldn't keep reading. I am used to reading where I don't even know I'm reading, I'm so lost in the book, that never happened, too broken. :(

[Noella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik had wel meer van dit boek (eigenlijk van deze schrijfster) verwacht. Het verhaal uit het heden zou ik twee sterren geven. Ik vond dit echt melig, erg voorspelbaar, vele onnodige herhalingen, en ik denk dat de schrijfster erg veel van mode houdt, want bij elke nieuwe ontmoeting tussen de personages wordt uitvoerig beschreven wat ze dragen, zowel vrouwen, mannen als kinderen. Ik heb mij echt verveeld bij het eerste deel van het boek, het was pas toen ik bij het gedeelte 'Het geheim' kwam, dat het interessanter werd, en ik de emotionele beschrijvingen wel kon waarderen, die maakten dat je je in dit deel van het boek beter kon inleven. Daarom drie sterren, omdat dit gedeelte toch wel zeer indringend was en het boek de moeite waard maakte om te lezen.

[Bayneeta · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is Bradford's 27th book. I know she has a loyal following, so I expected better. I thought the dialogue was frequently awful; the plotlines were frequently over the top or added nothing; and the reader, while sometimes spot on, was more often annoying. Why did I finish? Reading for a genre study.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dialogue was really unbelievable, why do people write the way no normal person would speak. The story a little on the fluffy side.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok so this was my first read from this author. Must admit a little too cheesy for me.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - I won this from FirstReads after entering because the description captured my attention. When I received the book I got a little nervous. It looked more like an older Delinsky book than I would have liked. More romance-y/chick-lit-y if you will. Not my thing.
I read an ARC in early March so I don't know if the cover of the ARC is the same as an actual edition cover but I don't feel it's right for this story. It's not that it doesn't fit - it's just too generic. It gives no real feel for the story.
Luckily, my good luck with FR wins held and this was pretty damn close to amazing. So many blurbs say a story is "intriguing" and "page turning" and then they fall short - this doesn't.
There were a few parts, and only a few, that I thought were just a tad too long winded but not by much and it didn't happen often. Besides that I was in love with the main characters. Grandmothers included.
I honestly don't know who I'd recommend this to but if it calls to you I'd suggest giving it a try. I don't regret it. I'm going to take a look for any others Bradford might have that might interest me.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justine Nolan is a Film Director, she lives in Manhattan she has a twin
brother Richard (who is grieving his wife’s death) and a niece Daisy. 8
years ago their mother (Deborah) moved to Californian therefore Justine
and Richard have use of her house. Deborah is away for 6 weeks in China
so when Justine is going through the mail she finds a letter addressed
to Deborah with an Istanbul postmark she opens it and is speechless and
shocked to learn that Deborah lied to them 10 years ago by telling them
their Grandmother had been killed in a plane crash, she is still alive.
Justine goes to Istanbul to find her Grandmother but does she succeed?
Lots of family secrets come out of the closet can there relationship
with Deborah ever be the same again? This is my first book by this
Author, I really enjoyed it, and this book was recommended in a
magazine, it must be a popular book as I have waited for it from the
Library for some time, it was easy to read and follow, I would
definitely recommend and will look out for more by this Author in the
future.

[Esther Bos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book two stars only because the WWII section was interesting. Even that wasn't compelling, but at least it was more believable than the story line of wealthy jet-setters, who fall in love (and into bed) at first sight and have servants to care for all their needs. The author uses several expressions (e.g. "It was a fluke", "she was a flake") and descriptions (e.g. the tulip gardens, the evil mother) over and over as if there were limited words in the English language. Finding the grandmother by accident in Istanbul was contrived, as was the Antisemitism (which was "bred in the bone") and sudden embrace of a new identity as Jewish.

[Katie Huber · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only finished this book because the library is closed in quarantine and it’s one of two books I had left. Disappointing elementary writing style, predictable and surface level plot. I should have stopped reading after the hundredth “she murmured” was used in dialogue. Or the repeated plot summary in dialogue, as if we didn’t read the prior page. I skimmed much of it just to see it through...and because I assumed a 27th book would indicate quality.

The best part was the short diary account within of Berlin in WWII which would have been a decent book itself.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to confess - after reading the first 50 pages of this book, I could read no further. I lost patience with the characters, and was unable to relate to any of them. But, what I did was to skip ahead to the stories of Justine's grandmother during WW2, which was fascinating. I also read the ending, which was just a bit too tidy for my liking. Not recommended.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a bit embarrassed to admit I read this book and more astonished that the author has written 26 other books and received the OBE. While the story is original in many ways the prose is terrible. Obviously I am not on the same planet as many other people who seem love this type of writing.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her better books. Much repetition of dialogue, etc.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I know I'm going to sound like an old grouch, but the downgrade was because the romance was a distraction from the historical fiction part of the book. I found it overly saccharine and irritating, while the historical parts of the book were great. I loved Gabri's backstory, even though it was tough to read at times. I'm not sure whether the narration was off (one of my favorites, Nicola Barber, but not on her game) or the writing was stilted, but that was annoying at times too.
I knowwwww BTB is well known for romantic novels, but I chose this book for the historical notes. That part of the book did not disappoint.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memorable work of historical fiction that spans from the 1930's to 2004 in such diverse locations as New York City, London, Istanbul, Berlin and Connecticut.

While I have read a great deal about the Holocaust of WW II, I knew very little about Istanbul. It was fascinating to learn about the city and its rich culture and history.

I especially enjoyed learning about tulips and the fact that they originated in Asia. Tulips have also been my favorite flowers, and I have always associated them with Holland. Quite a surprise to learn about their true origins.

It was also very interesting to learn about the international business of export/importing fine goods for both the interior design and fashion industry.

However, I must say that there is much more to this book than what I would consider such trivialities. The book is full of great meaning on many levels.

Do not miss this title if you are a follower of historical fiction.

[Sagevaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's my first time finishing a 400 page book! A big milestone for me as a baby reader hahaha.

Now about the book, when I first bought the book I thought it was somewhat romantic basing from the title only lol. Then when I started reading it, it took me some time to continue since it felt dragging hahaha. At the middle part of the book, that's when things got interesting. Then at the 3rd quarter of the book, that's when my whole perspective of the book changed. My attachment grew with the characters especially Gabri. I'm glad that this book was my first lengthy read.

The story tackles strong family ties, the wicked Holocaust, Istanbul's culture, estrangement and reconnection. It's quite simple yet moving.

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved all of Barbara Taylor Bradford's books and Letter From A Stranger is no exception. The book was nothing like I expected but it drew you in from the beginning. The memoir written by Gabri/Gran was unbelievably vivid and you felt every emotion. Throughout the book there was laughter and tears, romance and strong female characters. I would love to see a continuation of this story. While there is closure due to the epilogue there is so much story to tell of the reunion, the new family dynamics, how Justine and Richard's lives would change with their beloved Gran back in their fold. I recommend this book and all the other books written by this author!

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to it. And to begin I hated the romance, Ive never read such tasteless romance before in my life. You could actually see me grimacing while going through it. I plodded on only because it was a recommendation from my sister in law who promised me that the end would be rewarding. And it was! The 2 stars are only for Gabri The grandmother and her story. As for Justine the heroine better things left unsaid. The book requires a lot of editing too as the same information is repeated by different characters

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posso vos dizer que tenho este livro há pelo menos um ano e que já tinha começado a ler, mas outras literaturas meteram-se pelo meio e acabou sempre por ficar para o fim. Mas lá decidi acabar com ele e arrependo-me de não ter começado mais cedo. Um livro que fala do tempo do Holocausto e que acaba por nos tocar, pelo menos para quem possa ter um coração mais sensível claro.

http://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.pt/...

[Diane Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book... This is the second book that I have read in the last month that had to do with the holocaust.. While the book was fiction, the holocaust wasn't and it is always a heartwrenching story.. I cried buckets through this one but it had a wonderful ending so all is well... Loved, loved, loved this book...

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tepid and treacly spring to mind. Very disappointing treatment of what might have been much more interesting if the author had been able to write her few conflict scenes with some thought. (Spoiler alert) One of the characters is raped and the author described her state afterwards as very sad, or words to that effect. And that was it. Maybe I'm not in her target audience.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hooked at the first line, with the description of tying together the family's stories from the past and present... Then it all fell apart. Every promise of a twist or turn in the plot was just cut short with a poorly-conceived solution. The stories were not intertwined but rather one and then the other. A bummer overall.

[Éponine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Se la vita fosse semplice come in questo romanzo saremmo davvero tutti a posto...

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. There is arel surprise turn of events, and without giving away too much, WW2 events are recorded.

[Norm Lionberger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up after applying my "100 page" rule. Not even interesting enough to pursue.

[Abby Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book- has a little of everything- mystery, drama, history and romance.

[Fionna Cairney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I managed to finally get into theirs book I found it a really good read but it seemed very slow at the start would definitely recommend sticking with it tho

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

As primeiras 200 páginas deste livro foram, na minha opinião, muito aborrecidas! Cheguei a ponderar largar esta leitura. O enredo não me estava a cativar e a escrita era um pouco monótona e repetitiva. Até que chegamos à parte da história em que temos a perspectiva da avó de Justine, e o tempo recua até à juventude desta, na Alemanha Nazi (ou terceiro Reich) entre os períodos de 1933 e 1945 (quando Hitler detinha o poder). Aqui sim já fiquei mais curiosa e a história começou a ganhar relevância e substância para mim!
Opinião completa aqui: https://momentosdemagia.wordpress.com...

[Linda Louch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Justine and her twin brother Richard were told ten years ago by their mother that their grandmother had been killed in a plane crash. Then she reads a letter from her grandmother's best friend that her grandmother isn't well. Knowing that the letter comes from Istanbul Justine travels there to find her grandmother, which she does and finds out the history of her family. I enjoyed the revealing of her grandmother's life story, but the rest not so much.