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Dear Leo
“I used to think that we were the worst kind of poetry, the kind that spoke of future promises never kept and dreams never fulfilled. I’m starting to see the beauty of it, and I would not change it.”
“I lied. Going to war meant losing everything you hold dear. But I hope and pray he does not grow up to figure that out.”
Nell has seen a world without war and now she lives in one ravaged by it. But life moves on, and that is something she tries very hard to accept. The children still play in their favourite meadow and read the same books. Her friends fall in love again and marry. And the bakery still sells the same muffins and bread.
But life without her best friend by her side is a hard pill to swallow. And she can’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe he will come home…
“I lied. Going to war meant losing everything you hold dear. But I hope and pray he does not grow up to figure that out.”
Nell has seen a world without war and now she lives in one ravaged by it. But life moves on, and that is something she tries very hard to accept. The children still play in their favourite meadow and read the same books. Her friends fall in love again and marry. And the bakery still sells the same muffins and bread.
But life without her best friend by her side is a hard pill to swallow. And she can’t help but hope that maybe, just maybe he will come home…
110 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 16, 2026
Dear Leo is one of those books you just cannot put down from the word go. Absolutely loved it.
A beautifully crafted, heart-wrenching book. Loved every word. A well-deserved State Literary Awards nomination. Feel so grateful for peace... we so flippantly take for granted.
Shannel's writing has the ability to connect with the emotions of the reader, planting a sense of deep sadness which settles in the bones and stays there as the book reaches its end.
It isn't the kind that screams out loudly. It's the kind that quietly stays with you somehow enriching your life in spite of the indescribable sadness.
I felt like I was in the story experiencing every bit of it. The use of language too is highly commendable.
This is a MUST READ!
A beautifully crafted, heart-wrenching book. Loved every word. A well-deserved State Literary Awards nomination. Feel so grateful for peace... we so flippantly take for granted.
Shannel's writing has the ability to connect with the emotions of the reader, planting a sense of deep sadness which settles in the bones and stays there as the book reaches its end.
It isn't the kind that screams out loudly. It's the kind that quietly stays with you somehow enriching your life in spite of the indescribable sadness.
I felt like I was in the story experiencing every bit of it. The use of language too is highly commendable.
This is a MUST READ!
January 21, 2026
There is something devastating about how gently this story moves. "Dear Leo," is a tender novella that is hopeful and incredibly human. The author has beautifully portrayed how war seeps into ordinary life, and how it makes you wait forever.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews