What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sender
Can an inspirational card from a secret sender really help change your life? For Abby, Kat, Patti and Tessa, it seems to hold that extraordinary quality. The card instructs each woman to hold it in their possession for six months before sending it on, with an invitation to meet the sender two years from the date of its inception.
From Edinburgh to Glasgow, York to Cambridge, the card is sent on a journey to impart its magic.
But who is the sender and what was their motive? And why were they the chosen ones?
From Edinburgh to Glasgow, York to Cambridge, the card is sent on a journey to impart its magic.
But who is the sender and what was their motive? And why were they the chosen ones?
290 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2015
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Toni Jenkins
1 book7 followersI was born in New Zealand in 1970 and moved to the UK in 1995. I have been lucky enough to live in New Zealand, England, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates and Italy.
I write Contemporary Fiction, squeezing this in during my weekends and when taking time off from my real job! I am fascinated by relationships of all kinds – between partners, family members, friends, strangers and colleagues – and these form the basis of my stories.
Inspiration is always at hand. I’m an avid reader and never go anywhere without a notebook, including keeping one by my bed! Ideas and storylines can crop up at the most inopportune moments (from something I read on the side of a bus, overhear in a street conversation, or even an incident in a dream) and the thought of not being able to record them, fills me with fear.
The Sender is my first published novel. I am currently researching for my next novel, Benevolence, and re-working The Gift which I wrote in Italy in 2009.
I write Contemporary Fiction, squeezing this in during my weekends and when taking time off from my real job! I am fascinated by relationships of all kinds – between partners, family members, friends, strangers and colleagues – and these form the basis of my stories.
Inspiration is always at hand. I’m an avid reader and never go anywhere without a notebook, including keeping one by my bed! Ideas and storylines can crop up at the most inopportune moments (from something I read on the side of a bus, overhear in a street conversation, or even an incident in a dream) and the thought of not being able to record them, fills me with fear.
The Sender is my first published novel. I am currently researching for my next novel, Benevolence, and re-working The Gift which I wrote in Italy in 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 13, 2016
The premise of this story is intriguing, and it begins with a Prologue narrated by the anonymous 'sender'. The Sender knows that Abby is facing huge difficulties in her life and wants to let her know that there is love and support for her, but that she herself is strong enough, although at the moment she does not realise it, to overcome anything that life throws at her.
And so, the card is sent, a simple white card with a message on the front: You can overcome anything, and inside Abby is instructed to keep the card for six months and then send it to the next woman in need. From darkness to light. Also included is a four leaf clover, and each woman is instructed to take a leaf from it before sending on the card.
Abby certainly is facing hard times. Her heart is broken and her whole world has been turned upside down. Gone are the expensive cars and the luxury lifestyle, and she is faced with life as a single mother, with no job.
Toni Jenkins has created four very strong female characters who face their problems with strength, with humour and with character. Abby sends the card to Kat, who in turn sends it to Patti, it finally reaches Tessa before the four women meet on a designated date, in Edinburgh, to discover who the mysterious sender actually is.
There are a lot of serious, and quite dark issues dealt with within this story. Each of the women are tested to their limits during their sections of the book, but each one of them takes some comfort from knowing that the card is there, and there is someone out there who cares deeply about them. The story could quite easily have become overwhelmed by the themes of death, betrayal, illness, dysfunctional families and grief, yet the author has cleverly structured the book so that each character has their own individual story to tell, with no padding but exquisitely written.
The stories of each of the women do overlap slightly, and this ties the whole book together very nicely. These characters are strong women, facing some of the most challenging battles, yet each one of them are determined and forceful, yet loving and emotional too. The characters are equal, each one is real, robust and extremely likeable, the reader will shout for them, and egg them on, and be delighted when they conquer their demons and can send the card on to the next woman.
The planned meeting in Edinburgh does take place, and the women meet and it is clear that the card has created the beginning of long-lasting friendships between them. The Epilogue is a message from the Sender, and although I was desperate to know who sent the card, it really doesn't matter in the end who it was, although I didn't guess correctly at all. This is not a mystery story, it's a story of real women and it's life-affirming and quite beautifully written, it delivers tears and laughter and inspiration in equal measures.
The Sender is wonderful, Toni Jenkins is a talented and astute author. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
And so, the card is sent, a simple white card with a message on the front: You can overcome anything, and inside Abby is instructed to keep the card for six months and then send it to the next woman in need. From darkness to light. Also included is a four leaf clover, and each woman is instructed to take a leaf from it before sending on the card.
Abby certainly is facing hard times. Her heart is broken and her whole world has been turned upside down. Gone are the expensive cars and the luxury lifestyle, and she is faced with life as a single mother, with no job.
Toni Jenkins has created four very strong female characters who face their problems with strength, with humour and with character. Abby sends the card to Kat, who in turn sends it to Patti, it finally reaches Tessa before the four women meet on a designated date, in Edinburgh, to discover who the mysterious sender actually is.
There are a lot of serious, and quite dark issues dealt with within this story. Each of the women are tested to their limits during their sections of the book, but each one of them takes some comfort from knowing that the card is there, and there is someone out there who cares deeply about them. The story could quite easily have become overwhelmed by the themes of death, betrayal, illness, dysfunctional families and grief, yet the author has cleverly structured the book so that each character has their own individual story to tell, with no padding but exquisitely written.
The stories of each of the women do overlap slightly, and this ties the whole book together very nicely. These characters are strong women, facing some of the most challenging battles, yet each one of them are determined and forceful, yet loving and emotional too. The characters are equal, each one is real, robust and extremely likeable, the reader will shout for them, and egg them on, and be delighted when they conquer their demons and can send the card on to the next woman.
The planned meeting in Edinburgh does take place, and the women meet and it is clear that the card has created the beginning of long-lasting friendships between them. The Epilogue is a message from the Sender, and although I was desperate to know who sent the card, it really doesn't matter in the end who it was, although I didn't guess correctly at all. This is not a mystery story, it's a story of real women and it's life-affirming and quite beautifully written, it delivers tears and laughter and inspiration in equal measures.
The Sender is wonderful, Toni Jenkins is a talented and astute author. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
April 19, 2017
When the sender realises that Abby is in dire need of support, they send her an anonymous card with a four leaf clover attached and instructions to hold on to the card for six months before sending in it to someone else.
What a lovely concept for a novel. Recipients receive an anonymous card containing a good luck symbol, a four leaf clover, that they retain for six months and then send on so that there is love, hope and support weaving around the world just when those receiving the card need a boost most in their lives. I thought this was such a smashing idea.
In effect The Sender is a series of novellas that are connected through the women sending on the card. Each would stand as a highly entertaining story in its own right but Toni Jenkins cleverly weaves the strands of their stories together until the point the main characters all meet and have a ready made friendship and support group.
There is an eclectic cast of characters so that there is someone for every reader to relate to. I especially liked Rina and Flo, who, whilst at opposite ends of the age range, were women I felt I’d have liked to know in real life.
The themes encompassed are those that we will all have encountered at some point. Those themes of grief and friendship resonated particularly for me and I really felt that The Sender was a book I should have read sooner so that I could have had benefit from its hope and optimism. Other concepts explored include adoption, infidelity, divorce, business, success, illness, childbirth, travel and so on, so that what Toni Jenkins has done is create in microcosm an entire world where readers can identify with something that affects them. The Sender provides a positive experience through an engaging narrative where characters have real-life struggles. I liked too the sense of mystery at wondering who had sent the original card.
The Sender reminds readers that, in an increasingly hostile and violent world, there is still the power of love, hope and friendship. I’m so glad I’ve read it.
https://lindasbookbag.com/2017/04/19/...
What a lovely concept for a novel. Recipients receive an anonymous card containing a good luck symbol, a four leaf clover, that they retain for six months and then send on so that there is love, hope and support weaving around the world just when those receiving the card need a boost most in their lives. I thought this was such a smashing idea.
In effect The Sender is a series of novellas that are connected through the women sending on the card. Each would stand as a highly entertaining story in its own right but Toni Jenkins cleverly weaves the strands of their stories together until the point the main characters all meet and have a ready made friendship and support group.
There is an eclectic cast of characters so that there is someone for every reader to relate to. I especially liked Rina and Flo, who, whilst at opposite ends of the age range, were women I felt I’d have liked to know in real life.
The themes encompassed are those that we will all have encountered at some point. Those themes of grief and friendship resonated particularly for me and I really felt that The Sender was a book I should have read sooner so that I could have had benefit from its hope and optimism. Other concepts explored include adoption, infidelity, divorce, business, success, illness, childbirth, travel and so on, so that what Toni Jenkins has done is create in microcosm an entire world where readers can identify with something that affects them. The Sender provides a positive experience through an engaging narrative where characters have real-life struggles. I liked too the sense of mystery at wondering who had sent the original card.
The Sender reminds readers that, in an increasingly hostile and violent world, there is still the power of love, hope and friendship. I’m so glad I’ve read it.
https://lindasbookbag.com/2017/04/19/...
January 9, 2016
I loved the concept behind this book: a woman is sent an inspirational postcard with instructions to keep it for six months before sending on to another women who will need its encouragement. There are four clover leaves on the card and the instructions tell each woman to take one before sending it on, keep it safe then all meet outside St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on a certain date, two years after the first person received it. Toni Jenkins, a local author, was kind enough to give me a copy of her book and as well as loving the sound of it, I was even more intrigued to be given a white envelope with strict instructions not to open it until after I'd read the book!
This was a book I engaged with right from the start, with a prologue from the mysterious sender. Abby is the first woman to receive the card and she is definitely at a low point in her personal life. Like the others who receive the card with its message "You can overcome anything", she is both intrigued and encouraged by it. I won't say much about the women who receive the card and why as that would really give away too much of the plot. However, I found myself very involved in their lives and really hoping that they could overcome their various problems. I thought it was very realistic that receiving the card didn't mean all their worries went away, far from it. In fact, all the women face challenges and sadnesses as their stories are told but take encouragement from the fact that they know there is someone out there thinking about them. And all are looking forward to the day when they meet each other and the sender.
I thought this was a very original story, very well told. I enjoyed reading about all four of the women and along with them, looked forward to them all meeting each other and finding out who the sender was. Toni Jenkins has portrayed each situation movingly and convincingly and I loved that each woman was in a better place after their six months than when we first met them. It made me think about the ripple effect - you don't know what effect your words and actions have not just directly but also indirectly on people you may never meet. I came across this quote from Dean Koontz when thinking about the way each kindness spread in this story and I think it sums up what Toni Jenkins is saying in her book:
“Each smallest act of kindness, reverberates across great distances and spans of time --affecting lives unknown to the one who’s generous spirit, was the source of this good echo. Because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage, years later, and far away. ”
And as for my white envelope? Well, I did wait until the end to open it and would just say to Toni - thank you, I will carefully consider what is written in it!
This was a book I engaged with right from the start, with a prologue from the mysterious sender. Abby is the first woman to receive the card and she is definitely at a low point in her personal life. Like the others who receive the card with its message "You can overcome anything", she is both intrigued and encouraged by it. I won't say much about the women who receive the card and why as that would really give away too much of the plot. However, I found myself very involved in their lives and really hoping that they could overcome their various problems. I thought it was very realistic that receiving the card didn't mean all their worries went away, far from it. In fact, all the women face challenges and sadnesses as their stories are told but take encouragement from the fact that they know there is someone out there thinking about them. And all are looking forward to the day when they meet each other and the sender.
I thought this was a very original story, very well told. I enjoyed reading about all four of the women and along with them, looked forward to them all meeting each other and finding out who the sender was. Toni Jenkins has portrayed each situation movingly and convincingly and I loved that each woman was in a better place after their six months than when we first met them. It made me think about the ripple effect - you don't know what effect your words and actions have not just directly but also indirectly on people you may never meet. I came across this quote from Dean Koontz when thinking about the way each kindness spread in this story and I think it sums up what Toni Jenkins is saying in her book:
“Each smallest act of kindness, reverberates across great distances and spans of time --affecting lives unknown to the one who’s generous spirit, was the source of this good echo. Because kindness is passed on and grows each time it’s passed until a simple courtesy becomes an act of selfless courage, years later, and far away. ”
And as for my white envelope? Well, I did wait until the end to open it and would just say to Toni - thank you, I will carefully consider what is written in it!
September 4, 2017
Loved this book. It was so nice to read a book that was about people being selfless and empowering other women who are going through a tough time. It would be nice to have more of this in the world.
April 10, 2016
What would you do if you received an anonymous letter asking to meet with someone in two years time? And that this letter could change your life, and the lives of three other women?
Essentially, that's the premise of this book. Abby receives the note from the anonymous 'sender' and uses the emotive generosity to help her through her hard six months. And from there it moves on to three other women 'in need.'
Take 'in need' in very different ways; these women are at different life stages, and their struggles are individual, some might say unequal. But a difficulty is not how it is perceived from the outside, it's how it feels from the inside. So, in this way these four women are equal.
When it says 'in need' it doesn't mean 'damsel in distress.' Thankfully there are no soppy, useless women; in fact, each character is very powerful from the start of their six month spotlight in the novel. We get to see their weaker points, but one thing that struck me particularly was the singularity of each of their strengths, even if they couldn't necessarily recognise them. It's quite a feminist book in a way: it showcases the power of women, and the power of female friendship, female empowerment.
I did wish that the characters had been slightly more 'random.' Abby, our first character, chooses to send the card onto someone she has never met before, simply read about in the newspaper, but the others all choose to hand it on to people in their own lives, which is only natural. Whilst this makes the book more realistic, it might have been more exciting to have totally unknown characters - what a gamble this would have been!
SPOILER:
The women are invited to meet in Edinburgh two years after Abby received the letter, saying that they would meet the mysterious 'sender.' But she never turns up. Some might feel cheated by this, but I felt it was the best ending. It would have ruined the magic for me; all we have is an epilogue and prologue (both short) from the sender's point of view, and that is more than enough. The mystery and magic of this simple letter changing lives feels better without an instigator.
END SPOILER.
This is Jenkins' first published novel, and it is a very sound and encouraging debut - I'd like to see what she has for us next! The generous premise has really inspired me, and I'd like to do something similar myself... we shall see!
Toni Jenkins gave me a copy of this book personally, and I would like to thank her for the privilege.
Essentially, that's the premise of this book. Abby receives the note from the anonymous 'sender' and uses the emotive generosity to help her through her hard six months. And from there it moves on to three other women 'in need.'
Take 'in need' in very different ways; these women are at different life stages, and their struggles are individual, some might say unequal. But a difficulty is not how it is perceived from the outside, it's how it feels from the inside. So, in this way these four women are equal.
When it says 'in need' it doesn't mean 'damsel in distress.' Thankfully there are no soppy, useless women; in fact, each character is very powerful from the start of their six month spotlight in the novel. We get to see their weaker points, but one thing that struck me particularly was the singularity of each of their strengths, even if they couldn't necessarily recognise them. It's quite a feminist book in a way: it showcases the power of women, and the power of female friendship, female empowerment.
I did wish that the characters had been slightly more 'random.' Abby, our first character, chooses to send the card onto someone she has never met before, simply read about in the newspaper, but the others all choose to hand it on to people in their own lives, which is only natural. Whilst this makes the book more realistic, it might have been more exciting to have totally unknown characters - what a gamble this would have been!
SPOILER:
The women are invited to meet in Edinburgh two years after Abby received the letter, saying that they would meet the mysterious 'sender.' But she never turns up. Some might feel cheated by this, but I felt it was the best ending. It would have ruined the magic for me; all we have is an epilogue and prologue (both short) from the sender's point of view, and that is more than enough. The mystery and magic of this simple letter changing lives feels better without an instigator.
END SPOILER.
This is Jenkins' first published novel, and it is a very sound and encouraging debut - I'd like to see what she has for us next! The generous premise has really inspired me, and I'd like to do something similar myself... we shall see!
Toni Jenkins gave me a copy of this book personally, and I would like to thank her for the privilege.
February 7, 2017
The premise of The Sender is excellent and that idea of small connections or acts of kindness making a difference really resonated with me.
It also meant I wanted to keep reading to find out the identity of the anonymous sender of the card – I was kept guessing right to the end!
I fairly raced through the book, reading it in just a couple of afternoons, but that’s also because it’s a well written and engaging read with some memorable descriptions and strong female characters. There’s a nice balance between keeping the story realistic – the women face various tragedies and challenges, as we all do in life – and offering a positive message. Recommended.
It also meant I wanted to keep reading to find out the identity of the anonymous sender of the card – I was kept guessing right to the end!
I fairly raced through the book, reading it in just a couple of afternoons, but that’s also because it’s a well written and engaging read with some memorable descriptions and strong female characters. There’s a nice balance between keeping the story realistic – the women face various tragedies and challenges, as we all do in life – and offering a positive message. Recommended.
September 28, 2016
This is a really lovely story told be a new author with a great knack for describing the challenges faced by modern women.
The book has a positive message based around the premise of four women supporting one another through difficult times with an anonymous card. Their four journeys are believable and interesting.
Another reviewed mentioned that the sender's identity is kept a secret. well I won't spoil it for you but you do definitely get the answer in the last page!
The book has a positive message based around the premise of four women supporting one another through difficult times with an anonymous card. Their four journeys are believable and interesting.
Another reviewed mentioned that the sender's identity is kept a secret. well I won't spoil it for you but you do definitely get the answer in the last page!
December 18, 2016
A lovely story with a pronounced message of hope. It's about the world of difference one small gesture can make ... Toni Jenkins is a new writer and a great storyteller and I'm really looking forward to see what she does next. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews