Letters to Rachel

by R.W. Mitchell

Meet Rachel Williams, a thirty-something, who in desperate need for a change in her life, decides to move from a small village in Southern England to the bustling centre of Barcelona in Spain.

In her attempt to start anew, Rachel decides to quit Facebook, Twitter and all other forms of ‘Social Media’ and instead takes up the dying art of letter writing. Spurred on by letters from her Mother, ‘Madam Chairwoman for the Flower Arranging Club’, Miss. Elaine, the ever so flamboyant director of the Village Pantomime and her best friend Suz, a man-eating Ozzie, Rachel writes about her new life, complete with all of the ups and downs of moving to a new country, starting a new job and meeting Mr. Right!

Filled with a year full of adventures, stories and juicy gossip, 'Letters to Rachel' is the perfect read for those of us that love life, love laughter and love receiving letters!

Genres: Fiction, Amazon

353 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2014

About the author

R.W. Mitchell (Richard William Mitchell) lives in beautiful Barcelona with his husband and alter ego, Lady Red Velvet.
When he’s not writing, he performs as a drag artist and works to promote equality, diversity, and inclusive storytelling in his community.
Mitchell writes across a wide range of genres — from children’s fantasy adventures to romantic comedies for adults. His stories are known for humour, heart, and warmth, and they often explore what it means to find belonging, love, and laughter in everyday life.

Some of his notable works include Letters to Rachel, a favourite among his readers, and The Crystal Adventures series, which begins with Zelda and the Crystal Slippers.

Mitchell draws much of his inspiration from real life — friends, family, the vibrant city life of Barcelona — and blends it with elements of fantasy, fairy tales and humour. Whether creating a magical world for young readers or a warm-hearted rom-com for grownups, he seeks to leave readers smiling.

He is currently working on two new projects:
* A children’s book in The Crystal Adventures series titled Zelda and the Crystal Trident, which revisits beloved fairytale characters in unexpected ways.
* A novel for adults, charting the life of a drag artist like himself.

Reviews

[Rachel]

Lovely book that is an easy read

[Misfits farm]

Loved this! A very different style of writing. As it says- in letters. Rachel moves to Barcelona and decides to give up emails and social media for a year and encourages her friends and family to do that old fashioned thing of putting pen to paper and write to her. Through this medium, the story is told of how her life and that of those around her develops over the next 12 months. The characters are wonderful, I would love to meet her mother!! A realistic story with real characters and emotions. My only criticism is that "bake off" is held on a Wednesday not a Tuesday so "mum's" letter is wrong!!(call me picky).
A feel good book that makes you believe in human goodness whatever the circumstances.

[Elizabeth Nordquest]

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I loved this book! I was surprised to like it so much, actually. I'm a definite Anglophile and felt right at home with the British cultural references and terminology. (I listen to The Archers weekly and some of the characters in this book reminded me of those in the show. Loved it.) It was also lovely to read about Barcelona and I have another destination on my travel wishlist.

Overall, a really fun read. Made me want to write letters and quit social media! :) Highly recommend for other travel lovers and Anglophiles.

[Rachel]

This is one of those books that you finish and think, well, that was really cute. I loved the letter writing format. I was curious to see if the characters would be properly developed in this format, and they were. In fact, it was done really well. It's a light, fun, easy read, but sadly, what I'm likely to remember most is this book's need for a much better editor. It was bogged down with errors, which was a distraction for sure. I don't think it would be all that memorable with or without errors, but if the need for a light read should strike you, this book is worth a try.

[Victoria]

Rachel moves to Spain and decides to eliminate all social media from her diet and to bring back the art of letter writing. There is nothing I miss more than opening the mail box and finding a letter from a friend. Letters are like little jewels. With that being said I enjoyed reading Rachel's letters - those sent and those received. The story was sweet and her relationships enhanced due to the letters? Perhaps. A light, easy read.

[Jordan Stivers]

Letters to Rachel is an entirely delightful read from start to finish. I really enjoyed the letter format and how organically it revealed the characters and their relationships. Each character was distinct and charming with their own tone of writing which is quite the feat to pull off. I read the whole book in under twenty-four hours. It was that fun! Definitely recommend this one for anyone looking to put a smile on their face.

[Claudette]

Good book.

Wasn't sure what to expect from a male writer. Interesting concept with the letter writer aspect. I got very interested in the characters and their letters. Their letters explain the personality, and relationship with Rachel.

Enjoyed it and will keep an eye out for this author.

[Tyler Woods]

A delightful collection of letters that tell the story of a daughter/friend who moves from Brittan to Spain. The antics and unfolding of her life are funny and insightful but I had wished it could have gone further or developed into more of a story. I guess it's true to life however. A very enjoyable read that I couldn't put down.

[Alexa Seaman]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Letters to Rachel. It's a lovely, funny, easy to read book with characters you can relate to and their lives you want to follow. The letter format makes it feel like you're reading someone's secrets! Fab book, can't wait for the next one!

[Ria]

Excellent easy to read tale, enjoyed that it is told thru' the lost art of letter writing....makes me want to write letters to everyone!

[J M]

nice easy read.. recommend it to friends for sure

[Eleanor Fitzgetald]

Absolutely loved this book from the start , so much so have just written letter to my daughter in uni !

[sculady]

Entertaining Read

I really enjoyed this book. I've always liked a book written in epistolary format so this was great fun. Always feels like I'm raiding someone's secrets!

[Samantha]

Refreshing letter format & good story which made you want to go out & do the same & chase your dream into a reality! Good read.

[Alison]

kindle 300

[Margaret]

Loved this one!!

[Shari]

This was a cute book. I laughed out loud several times.

[Karen]

A heart warming easy read, lovely characters and locations.

[Val]

Rachel Williams decides she needs to make some changes in her life. So, she ups sticks and moves to Barcelona. She also leaves behind all forms of social media, instead reverting to the old fashion “snail mail”. The book follows her new lifestyle in a series of letters she both writes and receives and through them the reader keeps up with all that’s happening home in Barcelona and the life she left behind.

One of the most endearing books I’ve read in a long time.

[Rachel]

Letters to Rachel is a funny and inspiring read. Its unique format of telling the story through letters feels fresh and original, and—being a bit nosey myself—it makes it incredibly engaging, as you can’t help but keep wanting to read just one more letter. It’s an easy, enjoyable book to get pulled into, and I’d highly recommend it.

[Fermentum]

3.75-4 rating. I wasn't sure I was liking this book in the beginning, but liked it at the end. The "Letter" format was unique. But at the beginning of each letter, it took me a paragraph or two.. till I knew who was writing it.

At first I thought Rachael was a childish brat maybe 18-22 years old.. untill I realized she was a 30 year old childish brat. Maybe I just don't GET British humor? But I would never call anyone a cow.

Rachael "grows" in her first year in Barcelona and finds .. who she wants to be as a person.

GO "dad" Derek!! his letter to Victoria "Vickie big bum" vindicated him in my eyes. I thought he was just a hen pecked, low key kinda guy!

I had to look up meanings to British colloquialisms: boot sale, kiboshed, cocked it up, pootle around, bits& bobs, rack off... to quote a few.

I have seen and LOVE the movie "Calendar Girls" AND....LOVE the TV series "The Great British Baking Show".

I can understand unplugging from social media. I am .... almost. But I still do email and the rare occasion on Facebook. My preferred choice of contact is by phone.

[R.W. Mitchell]

I loved writing Letters to Rachel. For me it's a book about facing the world and embracing something new but at the same time holding on to the things that are important. Rachel Williams is a character who really faces life with positivity and humour and I think through her letters people will fall in love with this wonderful character and her friends. I chose to use letters as a writing form as my Mum writes to me weekly and I just love receiving a letter in the post (who doesn't?). The feeling of reading a personal letter makes you get to know people and feel you are part of their world. I hope you all enjoy reading Letters to Rachel and feel free to write to me and let me know if Rachel has inspired you to do something new in your lives. Happy reading!

[Chrisel]

I received this books via GOODREADS giveaway. Thank you very much.
I must admit that I am a huge fan of epistolary novels. Doesn’t matter if it is a correspondence between fictional characters, like in the GRIFFIN AND SABINE books, or letters from artists and authors that help us to better understand their art and the era they lived in. I just like the idea of peeping into the inner folds of somebody else’s life and thoughts shamelessly. In this case, the exchange of letters leads us into the lives of the family and friends of Rachel Williams who just moved to Spain to start anew and reinvent herself. It is at time funny, sad and insightful; and due to the very optimistic viewpoint of Rachel, this novel is also uplifting. Leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. I liked it a lot.

[Sarah W]

Nice easy read, simple to pick up now and then. Can't say that it wowed me but pleasant enough.

[Mary Dailey]

What a refreshing book. Fun to read and something I can relate to. The characters are funny and I loved reading their letters. I love finding old letters at estate sales. Hard to believe you could get a letter delivered the same day in your home town back in the day. Thank you for such a good read. A truly feel-good story.