What do you think?
Rate this book
Postcards From the Past
Can you ever escape your family ties?
Siblings Billa and Ed share their beautiful, grand old childhood home in rural Cornwall. Their lives are uncomplicated. With family and friends nearby and their free and easy living arrangements, life seems as content as can be.
But when postcards start arriving from a sinister figure they thought belonged well and truly in their pasts, old memories are stirred. Why is he contacting them now? And what has he been hiding all these years?
Siblings Billa and Ed share their beautiful, grand old childhood home in rural Cornwall. Their lives are uncomplicated. With family and friends nearby and their free and easy living arrangements, life seems as content as can be.
But when postcards start arriving from a sinister figure they thought belonged well and truly in their pasts, old memories are stirred. Why is he contacting them now? And what has he been hiding all these years?
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2013
33 people are currently reading
558 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Willett
66 books358 followersMarcia Willett began her career as a novelist when she was fifty years old. Since that first novel Marcia has written twenty more under her own name as well as a number of short stories. She has also written four books under the pseudonym "Willa Marsh", and is published in more than sixteen countries.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
November 28, 2013
I had high hopes for this one but was disappointed in the read. Whether it was the writing, the character development, the general story, I can't put my finger on it. I felt it dragged a bit but at the heart of it was a good idea. I just think the author should have kept to the main characters rather than filling in lengthy bits with those not at all relevant to the drama that was unfolding. The suspense could have been better that way without the distractions of these minor characters - I fast forwarded a lot of pages because I found them boring and not essential to the story. Focus on what works and what keeps our attention. That would have been a tighter storyline..,,
January 21, 2020
actually a 3 1/2. It got better towards the end.
July 18, 2024
There are two moons tonight. The round white shining disc, brittle and sharp-edged as glass, stares down at its reflection lying on its back in the black water of the lake. Nothing stirs. No whisper of wind ruffles the surface. At the lake's edge the wild cherry tree leans like an elegant ghost, its delicate bare branches silver with ice, yearning towards the past warmth of summer days. Tall stands of dogwood, their bright wands of colour blotted into monochrome by the cold brilliant light, guard the northern shore of the lake and cast spiked shadows across the frosty grass.
I recently re-read Looking Forward , the first book in Marcia Willett’s series about the Chadwick family, and as I don’t have the next book in the series—though I hope to soon remedy this—I picked up the only book of hers I have left on my shelves unread. I’m so thankful I read Postcards from the Past up when I did. If it hadn’t been for the timing of having just left the comfort and safety of The Keep, I might have failed to notice the one aspect I didn’t like about this book. But thank goodness there was plenty left I did enjoy!
When the books opens, Billa St Enedoc has received a postcard in the mail addressed to her and her brother, Ed. The postcard is from their stepbrother, Tris, and we immediately know that the prospect of Tris paying a visit to them is not only unwelcome, it's a threat. It’s been fifty years since they last saw Tris, when her stepfather ran out on her mother and took Tris with him. Her mother has since died, and after Billa’s husband died and Ed’s marriage ended in divorce, the two siblings are once again living in their childhood home, often referred to as “the old butter factory”, though its proper name is Mellinpons.
As the story moves forward with a multitude of side characters—a few of which I recognized from The Christmas Angel *—and various subplots, which are interspersed with scenes from there past, there is this underlying tension. What is Tris going to do? Because it’s clear that even as a ten-year-old boy, there is no end to the trouble and pain Tris was willing to cause.
It is this main plot that I didn’t enjoy as much. It made me feel anxious for Billa and Ed. Enjoying the other characters, I read on with this feeling of dread, because you just know that inevitably Tris is going to spring out of the past to rear his ugly head.
Let’s talk about the characters I loved. Dom, who is Billa and Ed’s father’s son from an affair he had before he married their mother, lives nearby and acts almost as a father figure to his younger half-siblings. Staying with him is his goddaughter, Tilly, who is working for her friend Sarah as a tech support, doing house calls for older people who need help getting online. Dom’s grandson, Harry, comes for a visit too. Meanwhile, Tilly gets a crush on the local curate, Clem, who is a widower with a seven-year-old son, Jakey. I loved catching up with Clem and Jakey, and some of the nuns from Chi-Meur, who we come to know in The Christmas Angel. There are other characters I haven’t mentioned, who were a delight to read about. Each with their own trials and opportunities for moment of grace.
This book hinges on forgiveness, on letting go and moving on, while not denying one’s self of the necessary time to grieve and go through all the multitude of emotions that come both from losing someone you love or being wronged. One of the nuns, the inimitable Sister Emily, gives up self-pity for Lent, which one of the other characters comments on being something they wouldn’t think Sister Emily would suffer from. It seems like a throwaway detail, but in the wider view of the novel it makes the perfect point. Even Sister Emily finds not allowing herself to regress into self-pity a challenge. This is going to be the big test for Billa. The novel isn’t so much about the Tris’s of this world, but about how we react when a wrong is done to us, which provides the true test of character.
Postcards from the Past starts with frost and snowdrops, the warmth of summer a distant memory, and ends in March with the promise of spring. Special mention goes out to the three dogs that feature throughout this book, but most wonderfully at the “dogs' tea party”, Hercules, Bear, and Bessie, and the promise of another beloved dog to come, Bells. I love a book with dogs and Marcia Willett’s books always feature them with good effect.
Despite not being a huge fan of the tension in this book, I really loved the characters, and the underlying message. It’s not going to dethrone the Chadwick series from its special place in my heart anytime soon, but I will definitely be revisiting this one in the future.
*Published as Christmas in Cornwall in North America.
December 4, 2014
I always feel I'm with old friends when I read a Marcia Willett book and this one was no exception. A delightful read with a set of splendid characters who I came to love.!
July 22, 2015
Enjoyed this story better than most of hers!
May 11, 2019
I was thinking about giving three or four stars for this book, and eventually ended up with a four. I have been a fan of family story, whether it's a movie or a book. Postcards from the Past presents a family drama which reveals emotions that feel so real and relatable. I can feel the anger, disappointment, sadness as well as excitement and happiness throughout the story.
The main characters -- Billa, Ed and Dom -- have dealt with unfavorable experience in their childhood. It's all long been left behind and almost forgotten until a number of postcards arrived. They are from their stepbrother, Tris. It opened the scars and created curiosity at the same time since they are no longer in contact for the past fifty years.
I am aware that some readers regarded the story as not focused enough. I agree that it has side story of some other characters and surely the portion of their story is quite huge. However, in the end of the story, I conclude that it is to give sufficient context to the overall conflict. Also, the side story still overlaps with the main characters so it doesn't go anyway far actually.
All in all, the book has left me some space to reflect about acceptance and forgiveness. Some bonus: get to know a place called Cornwall in England and add a number of British vocabs.
The main characters -- Billa, Ed and Dom -- have dealt with unfavorable experience in their childhood. It's all long been left behind and almost forgotten until a number of postcards arrived. They are from their stepbrother, Tris. It opened the scars and created curiosity at the same time since they are no longer in contact for the past fifty years.
I am aware that some readers regarded the story as not focused enough. I agree that it has side story of some other characters and surely the portion of their story is quite huge. However, in the end of the story, I conclude that it is to give sufficient context to the overall conflict. Also, the side story still overlaps with the main characters so it doesn't go anyway far actually.
All in all, the book has left me some space to reflect about acceptance and forgiveness. Some bonus: get to know a place called Cornwall in England and add a number of British vocabs.
January 14, 2019
This was my first Marcia Willett book, and it won't be my last. She obviously has a great affection for all of her characters, and a true gift for making their relationships vibrant and often enviable. What makes this book special for me is the way it rises above so many dramas by layering in suspense. It was definitely enough to keep me turning pages, anxious to know what would happen next.
February 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, especially the brother-sister bond between Billa and Ed. However, I did have a little trouble understanding references to places or products in England. The book was published in Britain first, so I see how readers from other countries may be puzzled.
May 8, 2020
Mooi verhaal, absoluut... Alleen ik vond het soms niet lekker weglezen. Ging vaak op 1blz over verschillende personages. Vloeide minder goed in elkaar over... Ik was dan meteen de draad kwijt over welke personage ik aan het lezen was.
October 21, 2018
Loved this book, one more left to read from the library, will define ordering more
November 4, 2013
I have also posted this review and more on my blog -booktrail to Cornwall
Set in Cornwall – in an old and lovingly converted mill
This is about the past and how it can come back to haunt us. Bella and Ed are brother and sister who have been shocked to receive a postcard, which quickly turns into a series from their step – brother Tristan.
Tristan came to live with them following the death of their father and their mother’s unwise marriage to another man. When Tristan showed his true colours on their first meeting, they had no idea just how bad he would turn out to be.
One day Tristan and his father disappear but he is far from out of their lives.
Years later and the past has come back not just in the form of postcards but messages and phone calls from their childhood nightmare. Just what does he want with them after all this time? where is he now? Why these messages? What does he want with Bella and Ed? Is there unfinished business between the three of them? What about the man called Dom? where does he fit in?
What do the postcards represent?
The building sense of doom and the desperate search for ‘why?’ is in direct and stark contrast to the beautiful setting of Cornwall. It is a setting of a homely and warm place to be, of a rest after a long days’s walk, of a vase of fresh flowers picked from the garden, clothes blowing in the wind and the smell of smoke from the open fire. This is not the setting for heartache and a tormentor from the past – which makes it all the more thrilling when events take on a darker turn.
Wood pigeons cooed comfortably amongst the high leafy canopy that dappled their camp with trembling patterns of sunlight and shade; tall foxgloves clung in the stony crevices of the old footbridge that spanned the stream where tiny fish darted in the clear blue shallows
Something uncomfortable from your past will undoubtedly mean that people start to turn inwardly and think of what it makes them feel like now. How do Bella and Ed feel about this reminder of the past they wished to forget? What does it bring back to them? How do they deal with this intrusion into their pain?
What are the hidden messages in the postcards?
This book is a slow burn but a very satisfying one and captures the calm, idyllic life in a cornish farmhouse. Dogs, sheep and the rural life are the prefect means for an escape. For the reader that is. For the characters in the book there is no such thing.
Set in Cornwall – in an old and lovingly converted mill
This is about the past and how it can come back to haunt us. Bella and Ed are brother and sister who have been shocked to receive a postcard, which quickly turns into a series from their step – brother Tristan.
Tristan came to live with them following the death of their father and their mother’s unwise marriage to another man. When Tristan showed his true colours on their first meeting, they had no idea just how bad he would turn out to be.
One day Tristan and his father disappear but he is far from out of their lives.
Years later and the past has come back not just in the form of postcards but messages and phone calls from their childhood nightmare. Just what does he want with them after all this time? where is he now? Why these messages? What does he want with Bella and Ed? Is there unfinished business between the three of them? What about the man called Dom? where does he fit in?
What do the postcards represent?
The building sense of doom and the desperate search for ‘why?’ is in direct and stark contrast to the beautiful setting of Cornwall. It is a setting of a homely and warm place to be, of a rest after a long days’s walk, of a vase of fresh flowers picked from the garden, clothes blowing in the wind and the smell of smoke from the open fire. This is not the setting for heartache and a tormentor from the past – which makes it all the more thrilling when events take on a darker turn.
Wood pigeons cooed comfortably amongst the high leafy canopy that dappled their camp with trembling patterns of sunlight and shade; tall foxgloves clung in the stony crevices of the old footbridge that spanned the stream where tiny fish darted in the clear blue shallows
Something uncomfortable from your past will undoubtedly mean that people start to turn inwardly and think of what it makes them feel like now. How do Bella and Ed feel about this reminder of the past they wished to forget? What does it bring back to them? How do they deal with this intrusion into their pain?
What are the hidden messages in the postcards?
This book is a slow burn but a very satisfying one and captures the calm, idyllic life in a cornish farmhouse. Dogs, sheep and the rural life are the prefect means for an escape. For the reader that is. For the characters in the book there is no such thing.
December 12, 2013
Billa is enjoying life living in a small community with her brother Edward in their Cornish childhood home. Although she occasionally mourns the children she never had, on the whole life with Edward and Dom, who lives nearby, is almost too good to be true. All that peace of mind changes when a picture postcard of a bicycle arrives. The words are innocuous so why does she hide it away? What harm can someone she has not had news of or set eyes on for over fifty years do?
This book is one of those that has multiple stories skilfully handled. The landscape, people, dogs and life in a small community is descriptive without being laboured so that I had a clear picture of each character, what their hopes and dreams were, what sadness they'd suffered and what their homes look like; all of these were vivid and clearly defined.
All of the scene setting makes the point when the past collides with the present, in the form of an unwelcome visitor, more dramatic. What does he want and how much of the tale he tells them can they believe? Can someone really destroy all the beauty and love that surrounds Billa and Edward? Both siblings deal with the visit in their own way and as ever Dom is looking out for both of them.
There is something for all types of readers within these pages; a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery a book that allows the reader to examine how actions in the past can have consequences in the future but most of all this is a book about people which Marcia Willett has bought to life with her expert layering of their stories.
I received my copy of this book from the publisher in return for this honest review.
This book is one of those that has multiple stories skilfully handled. The landscape, people, dogs and life in a small community is descriptive without being laboured so that I had a clear picture of each character, what their hopes and dreams were, what sadness they'd suffered and what their homes look like; all of these were vivid and clearly defined.
All of the scene setting makes the point when the past collides with the present, in the form of an unwelcome visitor, more dramatic. What does he want and how much of the tale he tells them can they believe? Can someone really destroy all the beauty and love that surrounds Billa and Edward? Both siblings deal with the visit in their own way and as ever Dom is looking out for both of them.
There is something for all types of readers within these pages; a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery a book that allows the reader to examine how actions in the past can have consequences in the future but most of all this is a book about people which Marcia Willett has bought to life with her expert layering of their stories.
I received my copy of this book from the publisher in return for this honest review.
May 12, 2015
"Why is it so difficult to let it all go and move on?"
What a lovely book, mixed with mystery, suspense and the love of family and friends. Ms. Willett's way of making each character with raw human qualities MADE this story. Some characters, I loved instantly and some had to grow on me, but each was unique and wise. Even if they used their wits to hurt others.
Billa and Ed, "such foolishly decent people", are siblings who had a rough past with their step brother, Tris. Suddenly, heart breaking postcards from Tris show up at their home and they are forced to re-open old wounds.
Even though I knew he was up to something more than he appeared, I was really mixed with emotion for Tris. He channeled his childhood suffering into hurting others before they could hurt him. Such a true action taken by many. This was a story that made me think about the past and present choices we all make. How it effects everyone, not just us.
"It is easier to hate than to understand: to judge rather than to allow compassion a foothold."
It was intriguing and suspenseful to find out how all the characters would be intertwined in the end. Turning the last page, I found it sad and left me wanting a story full of Clem and Tilly. Those two were adorable and felt like a real pair. A sweet, homey feeling was present through all the drama with the adorable, memorable dogs! They were a perfect addition to their life and story, along with the beautifully descriptive setting and lifestyle.
This is my first read by this author and I am looking forward to my next! ~ Krissy, 4 stars
What a lovely book, mixed with mystery, suspense and the love of family and friends. Ms. Willett's way of making each character with raw human qualities MADE this story. Some characters, I loved instantly and some had to grow on me, but each was unique and wise. Even if they used their wits to hurt others.
Billa and Ed, "such foolishly decent people", are siblings who had a rough past with their step brother, Tris. Suddenly, heart breaking postcards from Tris show up at their home and they are forced to re-open old wounds.
Even though I knew he was up to something more than he appeared, I was really mixed with emotion for Tris. He channeled his childhood suffering into hurting others before they could hurt him. Such a true action taken by many. This was a story that made me think about the past and present choices we all make. How it effects everyone, not just us.
"It is easier to hate than to understand: to judge rather than to allow compassion a foothold."
It was intriguing and suspenseful to find out how all the characters would be intertwined in the end. Turning the last page, I found it sad and left me wanting a story full of Clem and Tilly. Those two were adorable and felt like a real pair. A sweet, homey feeling was present through all the drama with the adorable, memorable dogs! They were a perfect addition to their life and story, along with the beautifully descriptive setting and lifestyle.
This is my first read by this author and I am looking forward to my next! ~ Krissy, 4 stars
March 15, 2015
Postcards From The Past
By
Marcia Willet
Key characters...and what is going down with them...
There are a number of characters in this book but key and central characters are Billa, her brother Ed, Dom and Tris. They all have a bond from childhood...they have all had dealings with Tris...a not so nice step brother to Ed and Billa. Billa and Ed have not seen Tris for many many years and all of a sudden he is sending weird postcards and implying that he will see them soon. There could be possible issues with the will that left Billa and Ed their family home...so no one is looking forward to the reappearance of Tris. He has done enough damage to cause real pain for this family. He is not a nice person. He wasn't nice as a boy and he is not nice as a man.
What I thought about this book...
Ok...my thoughts...I haven't read a book by Marcia Willet in a long long time and this was a sweet one to read. The beautiful country home that Ed and Billa share, the gardens, the funny dog stories...all are key to making this book a lovely one. The characters were interesting, their issues kind of unique and it was a very enjoyable book.
Why you might want to read it, too...
Readers who books set in beautiful English country settings and filled to the brim with interesting characters...should really enjoy this book.
By
Marcia Willet
Key characters...and what is going down with them...
There are a number of characters in this book but key and central characters are Billa, her brother Ed, Dom and Tris. They all have a bond from childhood...they have all had dealings with Tris...a not so nice step brother to Ed and Billa. Billa and Ed have not seen Tris for many many years and all of a sudden he is sending weird postcards and implying that he will see them soon. There could be possible issues with the will that left Billa and Ed their family home...so no one is looking forward to the reappearance of Tris. He has done enough damage to cause real pain for this family. He is not a nice person. He wasn't nice as a boy and he is not nice as a man.
What I thought about this book...
Ok...my thoughts...I haven't read a book by Marcia Willet in a long long time and this was a sweet one to read. The beautiful country home that Ed and Billa share, the gardens, the funny dog stories...all are key to making this book a lovely one. The characters were interesting, their issues kind of unique and it was a very enjoyable book.
Why you might want to read it, too...
Readers who books set in beautiful English country settings and filled to the brim with interesting characters...should really enjoy this book.
March 16, 2016
I would like to give this book three and a half stars. The postcards mystery drew me in. Why would Tris their step-brother who the two pensioners, Ed and Billa haven't seen since they were children want to revive acquaintanceship? There was no love lost between them in the past. There is something rather sinister about Tris. The postcards disturb their equilibrium and the knowledge that he is planning to visit is distressing.
The setting, Cornwall in early spring, is beautifully described. We are introduced to other members of the family, a well-loved half-brother, Dom, his grandson Harry, a god-daughter Tilly and quite importantly, several dogs.
The sub-plot of Tilly's developing friendship with Clem, is nicely handled. Clem is a widower with a young son Jakey and also an Anglican clergyman, something Tilly must come to terms with.
One complaint however, there are times when books written in the present tense can become confusing and then I yearn for the more usual way of telling a story.
The setting, Cornwall in early spring, is beautifully described. We are introduced to other members of the family, a well-loved half-brother, Dom, his grandson Harry, a god-daughter Tilly and quite importantly, several dogs.
The sub-plot of Tilly's developing friendship with Clem, is nicely handled. Clem is a widower with a young son Jakey and also an Anglican clergyman, something Tilly must come to terms with.
One complaint however, there are times when books written in the present tense can become confusing and then I yearn for the more usual way of telling a story.
September 8, 2014
Marcia Willett books are always a treat to read. I find her writing mellow, in a good way, soft and engrossing for a nice Sunday relaxing afternoon.
Middle aged Billa and Ed are siblings, they are enjoying a lovely relaxing stressful time in their lives in a scenic ideal spot.
Past has a way of catching up with you though, and this book really shows you how things not dealt with can come back and smash all the walls you built up.
Bit by bit we get to unravel the story.
I don't think this was one of her better books, but I still enjoyed it.
Middle aged Billa and Ed are siblings, they are enjoying a lovely relaxing stressful time in their lives in a scenic ideal spot.
Past has a way of catching up with you though, and this book really shows you how things not dealt with can come back and smash all the walls you built up.
Bit by bit we get to unravel the story.
I don't think this was one of her better books, but I still enjoyed it.
October 16, 2022
ah so boring, didnt like it at all
July 23, 2017
There are certain things in our childhood, however large or small that will affect our thoughts, our reactions most likely till the day we die. Whether it be a falsehood we were told, or the lost of someone or something we held dear, it created a wound in our make up. Do we let that wound continue to fester throughout our lives, or do we let it heal, and are only reminded of what was by the scar it left behind?
In this novel that is what the postcards serve as. Images that stir old wounds within our soul.
The novel starts off, a bit slow as it introduces the characters of the story, some times interesting and other times just tiresome (maybe the introduction of too many "bit" players). This made me feel indifferent as to whether or not I continued to read further. Yet, I am glad I did! It was like a very slowly unraveling mystery and that propelled me on. Clearly this was one book that only got better as it continued.
Here is my favorite quote from the novel:
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?"
I received this novel through a First Reads promotion. Overall, I'm giving it a 3.9 only because of the slow start, however in stars I did increase it to 4.
For a discussion group, I believe this could be a great book to stir conversations as to how do we overcome our childhood "wounds", and to the subject of bullying overall. Given the thought, is a bully always a bully?.
In this novel that is what the postcards serve as. Images that stir old wounds within our soul.
The novel starts off, a bit slow as it introduces the characters of the story, some times interesting and other times just tiresome (maybe the introduction of too many "bit" players). This made me feel indifferent as to whether or not I continued to read further. Yet, I am glad I did! It was like a very slowly unraveling mystery and that propelled me on. Clearly this was one book that only got better as it continued.
Here is my favorite quote from the novel:
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?"
I received this novel through a First Reads promotion. Overall, I'm giving it a 3.9 only because of the slow start, however in stars I did increase it to 4.
For a discussion group, I believe this could be a great book to stir conversations as to how do we overcome our childhood "wounds", and to the subject of bullying overall. Given the thought, is a bully always a bully?.
April 30, 2021
Story set in peaceful Cornwall of widowed mother, som , daughter and nearby half brother form a close bond. In,contrast, conflict ensues when their mother brings home a secretive authoritarian step father and bullying step brother into their family with painful Consequences -only to have them disappear suddenly. As adults, the threesome return and retire to Cornwall resuming their close childhood bonds. Postcards alluding to childhood losses from their vindictive Stepbrother foreshadow him re-entering their lives. What could he possibly want after all these years? How will they find peace again?
+ interesting and diverse characters + Beautiful descriptions of the Cornish countryside especially the coast
+ Close knit nontraditional family
+ several Dogs who play in important role in all of their lives
+ Vitali Komarov beautiful cover art
Quotes: 129 Dom pics of the postcard, couples it in his fist and then just suddenly smooth it out again. He thinks of his anger, his shame; rejection by his father that lies like a canker beneath everything he has achieved, waiting to destroy it. And he thinks: I wonder what happened to tryst to make him like he is? He turns his head away as if rejecting the thought; it is easier to hear them to understand to judge rather than then to allow compassion of it all secretly he is shocked at his level of rage. After all 50 years has passed: why should this postcard, this foolish message, generates such a terrible Fury? Of course, there is something uncomplicated about such a reaction; something oddly pure and virtuous, almost self righteous. Trish is insulting his, Dom’s, mother; he is making that simple, innocent act of lovemaking into something disgusting and evil and he is smearing Dom at the same time; he is a implying that Dom is less of a man, less worthy, less lovable because of it. Dom faces this implication. He believes it because it is of how his father saw him; not good enough for his love or public acknowledgement. He snd his mother were cast out because they were beneath his contempt.
289 we often allow ourselves to be confined like that, don’t you think? Cling to past hurts, rejections, cruel words. Hugging them to us, rooting around in them, and it reigniting our anger and self-pity at regular intervals rather than casting them away from us. All those angrier conversations we have in our heads that we choose to engage in.
+ interesting and diverse characters + Beautiful descriptions of the Cornish countryside especially the coast
+ Close knit nontraditional family
+ several Dogs who play in important role in all of their lives
+ Vitali Komarov beautiful cover art
Quotes: 129 Dom pics of the postcard, couples it in his fist and then just suddenly smooth it out again. He thinks of his anger, his shame; rejection by his father that lies like a canker beneath everything he has achieved, waiting to destroy it. And he thinks: I wonder what happened to tryst to make him like he is? He turns his head away as if rejecting the thought; it is easier to hear them to understand to judge rather than then to allow compassion of it all secretly he is shocked at his level of rage. After all 50 years has passed: why should this postcard, this foolish message, generates such a terrible Fury? Of course, there is something uncomplicated about such a reaction; something oddly pure and virtuous, almost self righteous. Trish is insulting his, Dom’s, mother; he is making that simple, innocent act of lovemaking into something disgusting and evil and he is smearing Dom at the same time; he is a implying that Dom is less of a man, less worthy, less lovable because of it. Dom faces this implication. He believes it because it is of how his father saw him; not good enough for his love or public acknowledgement. He snd his mother were cast out because they were beneath his contempt.
289 we often allow ourselves to be confined like that, don’t you think? Cling to past hurts, rejections, cruel words. Hugging them to us, rooting around in them, and it reigniting our anger and self-pity at regular intervals rather than casting them away from us. All those angrier conversations we have in our heads that we choose to engage in.
June 7, 2021
A lovely story, setting, and scene. Characters you wish for neighbors and friends, their lives rooted in the beautiful, Cornwall countryside and sea. Gardens with rambling green and splashes of yellow, cornflower blue crockery atop stalwart walnut tabletops, and the trust and love of some very special four-legged friends.
A visitor from the past sets the cast a-kilter, resurfacing troubles of youth that appear different to their wiser minds. Old reckonings left adrift remind as their hearts wish for a simpler score.
Trish, the teenage step-brother with a wicked side returns with the bite of the past. Loose ends dangle intermingling the past and present.
The young seek the passions of love, while those at the sunset of life, contentment, in a charming story about life, it's storms and splendor, painted in prose, like Postcards from the Past.
A visitor from the past sets the cast a-kilter, resurfacing troubles of youth that appear different to their wiser minds. Old reckonings left adrift remind as their hearts wish for a simpler score.
Trish, the teenage step-brother with a wicked side returns with the bite of the past. Loose ends dangle intermingling the past and present.
The young seek the passions of love, while those at the sunset of life, contentment, in a charming story about life, it's storms and splendor, painted in prose, like Postcards from the Past.
September 23, 2017
Well, you ask me, is this crime fiction or not? A crime was committed way back in the past, but that is not really the focus of the story, although it does explain why one of the characters is as he is.
The focus is the mystery behind why their mother's step-son Tris, whom they haven't seen for 50 years, is coming to visit Billa and Ed. The postcards he sends them in the weeks before he arrives have obviously been carefully selected, to remind them of things they would rather forget. And they anticipate his visit with great dread.
It felt a bit gentler than the books I usually read but I read it with great pleasure. The characterisation was excellent, and the suspense generated by the impending visit was well done.
The focus is the mystery behind why their mother's step-son Tris, whom they haven't seen for 50 years, is coming to visit Billa and Ed. The postcards he sends them in the weeks before he arrives have obviously been carefully selected, to remind them of things they would rather forget. And they anticipate his visit with great dread.
It felt a bit gentler than the books I usually read but I read it with great pleasure. The characterisation was excellent, and the suspense generated by the impending visit was well done.
April 5, 2018
This is not the best of the stories from this author but follows the same theme.
Country living, old buildings that have belonged to the family for generations with historical value, siblings that live together (is that a country English thing?), some young nieces / nephews / cousins into the mix, lots of dogs etc
There is a definite sameness to all of this author's books but I do enjoy them for their simplicity.
This book however is a tad blah as in not a lot happens really and the big mystery / upset is really not such a drama after all.
It's an easy read and a quick one in typical english style with a lovely voice as narrator who gives it all the authenticity it needs.
Country living, old buildings that have belonged to the family for generations with historical value, siblings that live together (is that a country English thing?), some young nieces / nephews / cousins into the mix, lots of dogs etc
There is a definite sameness to all of this author's books but I do enjoy them for their simplicity.
This book however is a tad blah as in not a lot happens really and the big mystery / upset is really not such a drama after all.
It's an easy read and a quick one in typical english style with a lovely voice as narrator who gives it all the authenticity it needs.
August 2, 2020
I was coasting along quite easily with this undemanding read (listen) until I got to the denouement where I had to rewind to see if I'd misunderstood. We'd had a gentle (kind of) mystery involving nice, well-brought up OAPS and a Baddie upsetting their comfortable lives when …… PFFT! ….. (SPOILER) something amazingly fortuitous happens and all is fine again. I couldn't believe the book had just ended so conveniently. What a let-down! This book never claims to be a high-powered, fast-moving piece of action (lots of dogs and religion) but I think the author could have put a bit more suspense and tension into it. My first book by Ms Willett and I was disappointed.
September 29, 2020
Somehow this book got lost in the shuffle and I only got around to reading it now. I'm glad, too, because I think I enjoyed it much more today, when things are so much darker and confused, than they were in 2015. Sometimes I just need a cosy mystery, with good people and strong bonds of friends and families at its heart. Also, I think Willett does a masterful job of showing us the sights and atmosphere of a coastal Cornish village. I've visited the UK many times, including Cornwall and other parts of the west, so I really enjoyed revisiting on the written page. I will look for other titles from Marcia Willett in the future, when I need this kind of read. Thanks Goodreads!
March 17, 2018
I have always loved Marcia Willet's books, and when I saw this one at my local library I pounced on it with joy. I like the gentle vibe of family harmony until..... the postcards start to arrive. I always love stories with dogs, and a budding romance makes it even better. I hope there is another book that tells us more about Clem and Tillie. The ending was kind of ehhh... we don't really know what all Tris was hoping to accomplish. If you like books dealing with family, romance, and the English (Cornish) countryside, you will like this book
March 4, 2022
Moest ik dit boek tegenkomen in de winkel of de bib, ik zou het laten liggen hebben. Nu kwam het toevallig op mijn pad en wou ik het zeker een kans geven.
De eerste 50blz vond ik niet zo fijn om te lezen. Wennen om te weten wie nu juist wie is, hoe ze zich verhouden tegen elkaar en in welke 'tijd' het heden nu eigenlijk is. Maar eens ik daar door was, was ik vertrokken en wou ik ook echt weten hoe het boek nu ging eindigen.
Ik weet het nu :) en het einde is oke.
Maar ik ben ook niet getriggerd om meer boeken van deze schrijfster te lezen
De eerste 50blz vond ik niet zo fijn om te lezen. Wennen om te weten wie nu juist wie is, hoe ze zich verhouden tegen elkaar en in welke 'tijd' het heden nu eigenlijk is. Maar eens ik daar door was, was ik vertrokken en wou ik ook echt weten hoe het boek nu ging eindigen.
Ik weet het nu :) en het einde is oke.
Maar ik ben ook niet getriggerd om meer boeken van deze schrijfster te lezen
September 3, 2023
Billa and Ed and their half brother Dom are all living in Cornwall. Billa and Ed share the home they grew up in and Dom lives nearby. One day a postcard arrives for Billa which takes her back to her childhood and the step brother Tris who lived with them for a couple years. Ed and Dom also receive postcards. It has been 50 years since there was any contact with Tris and they all wonder why now and what does he want. Tris drags it out to keep them on their toes.
Another good one. Since she has characters recur, it's fun to see them develop.
Another good one. Since she has characters recur, it's fun to see them develop.
December 30, 2017
Really enjoyed this story and they way the past and present are woven through. Marcia Willett's style of writing is deceptively easy reading. The story of a malicious man from the past revisiting those he tormented had enough 'bite' to keep me interested. The way the author depicts people neither wholly good or bad makes her characters far more believable
January 16, 2019
I was "sucked in" by the story, unfortunately it all came together in a very neat package and I found this a bit disappointing. There is a reason I don't read these romance/mystery genre books very often. Fortunately listening to the book was fun as I knit, the narrator was definitely a "plus" in this situation.
March 5, 2018
Good, but clearly follows one of her other books. Don't remember which one. I kept referring back mentally to the prior book(s) when references were made. Not sure how necessary it would be to be familiar with the earlier book(s). Maybe the story would have been just fine and clear without.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews