What do you think?
Rate this book
The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright
You’ve met Mrs Bright. She’s that nice woman who lives three doors down and always smiles at you in the mornings. She’s planning her thirtieth wedding anniversary with her husband. She wants to travel, read endless books and take beautiful pictures. She’s been waiting for this forever.
For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula, and Ursula replies. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat.
Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. Ursula has always been the person Kay relies on. Knowing she will hear from Ursula is like being sure the sun will rise tomorrow.
And now Ursula has stopped writing. Three missing letters doesn’t sound like a lot, but Kay gets out her shoebox of notes from her best friend, in case there’s something she overlooked. Ursula seems fine, but the further back she goes, the more Kay begins to question every choice she has made in her life. Which might be why, at ten o’clock one morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with a just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table...
An emotional and heart-warming novel for anyone who knows it’s never too late to look for happiness. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will fall in love with this feel-good and moving story that shows you that the best friendships truly last forever.
For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula, and Ursula replies. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat.
Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. Ursula has always been the person Kay relies on. Knowing she will hear from Ursula is like being sure the sun will rise tomorrow.
And now Ursula has stopped writing. Three missing letters doesn’t sound like a lot, but Kay gets out her shoebox of notes from her best friend, in case there’s something she overlooked. Ursula seems fine, but the further back she goes, the more Kay begins to question every choice she has made in her life. Which might be why, at ten o’clock one morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with a just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table...
An emotional and heart-warming novel for anyone who knows it’s never too late to look for happiness. Fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will fall in love with this feel-good and moving story that shows you that the best friendships truly last forever.
338 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2020
869 people are currently reading
4242 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews
January 13, 2020
EXCERPT: The photo was a little crumpled around the edges, but - please excuse my lack of modesty - there was no denying the quality. It was a tight headshot in black and white of three pretty young women: Rose on the left, smiling and looking sideways at Bear next to her; me on Bear's right, looking simultaneously pleased and harassed. Setting up the camera timer and making sure everyone stayed in the right place was a bit stressful. With film, you couldn't keep trying again and again until you got it right. You had to get everything in place, then hold your breath and hope.
The photo was from the one visit to Australia that Rose and I took together, during our gap year, when we were still in our teens. When everything in life was there to be looked forward to, and it was too early for us to have made any mistakes. Before I met Richard, or David; before I got pregnant and crashed out of my degree. I looked again at our unlined, hopeful faces. So beautiful, so young.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: You’ve met Mrs Bright. She’s that nice woman who lives three doors down and always smiles at you in the mornings. She’s planning her thirtieth wedding anniversary with her husband. She wants to travel, read endless books and take beautiful pictures. She’s been waiting for this forever.
For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula, and Ursula replies. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat.
Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. Ursula has always been the person Kay relies on. Knowing she will hear from Ursula is like being sure the sun will rise tomorrow.
And now Ursula has stopped writing. Three missing letters doesn’t sound like a lot, but Kay gets out her shoebox of notes from her best friend, in case there’s something she overlooked. Ursula seems fine, but the further back she goes, the more Kay begins to question every choice she has made in her life. Which might be why, at ten o’clock one morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with a just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table...
MY THOUGHTS: This was an enjoyable read. I laughed, and I shed a few tears. And I remembered a similar exit from my first marriage to my 'practice husband' as I now affectionately call him. So yes, this read brought back memories, some good, some bad, but the thing that struck me most was how well Beth Miller has captured the emotions, how she has transferred them onto paper without, at any point, making them seem trite or hackneyed. She has written with flair and humour, unafraid to dissect a marriage, to examine the relationships between a mother and daughter, between lifelong friends.
She had me wondering, at times, if Kay really knew what she was doing, what she ultimately wanted, if she had really thought this through.
Ultimately this is a story about love, about friendship, about loss, and about not losing sight of the things that matter to you. It is beautifully written; sad, funny and inspiring.
This is the second book I have read by this author, and I am developing a real liking for her work.
😢❤😂.5
#TheMissingLettersOfMrsBright #NetGalley
Some of my favourite lines from The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright:
'You go through life, you make choices they lead to other choices, and before you know it, you're in a place you wouldn't have started from.'
'I enjoy speaking English very much, but sometimes it is too English. Italian is the language of romance.'
THE AUTHOR: have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.
I've published three novels, with one more about to be born, in January 2020. I've also published two non-fiction books. I work as a book coach and creative writing tutor.
Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.
Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright by Beth Miller for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
The photo was from the one visit to Australia that Rose and I took together, during our gap year, when we were still in our teens. When everything in life was there to be looked forward to, and it was too early for us to have made any mistakes. Before I met Richard, or David; before I got pregnant and crashed out of my degree. I looked again at our unlined, hopeful faces. So beautiful, so young.
ABOUT THIS BOOK: You’ve met Mrs Bright. She’s that nice woman who lives three doors down and always smiles at you in the mornings. She’s planning her thirtieth wedding anniversary with her husband. She wants to travel, read endless books and take beautiful pictures. She’s been waiting for this forever.
For the past twenty-nine years, Kay Bright’s days have had a familiar rhythm: she works in her husband’s stationery shop, cooks for her family, tries to remember to practice yoga, and every other month she writes to her best friend, Ursula, and Ursula replies. Kay could set her calendar by their letters: her heart lifts when the blue airmail envelope, addressed in Ursula’s slanting handwriting, falls gently onto the mat.
Ursula is the only one who knows Kay’s deepest secret, something that happened decades ago that could tear Kay’s life apart today. Ursula has always been the person Kay relies on. Knowing she will hear from Ursula is like being sure the sun will rise tomorrow.
And now Ursula has stopped writing. Three missing letters doesn’t sound like a lot, but Kay gets out her shoebox of notes from her best friend, in case there’s something she overlooked. Ursula seems fine, but the further back she goes, the more Kay begins to question every choice she has made in her life. Which might be why, at ten o’clock one morning, Kay walks out of her yellow front door with a just a rucksack, leaving her wedding ring on the table...
MY THOUGHTS: This was an enjoyable read. I laughed, and I shed a few tears. And I remembered a similar exit from my first marriage to my 'practice husband' as I now affectionately call him. So yes, this read brought back memories, some good, some bad, but the thing that struck me most was how well Beth Miller has captured the emotions, how she has transferred them onto paper without, at any point, making them seem trite or hackneyed. She has written with flair and humour, unafraid to dissect a marriage, to examine the relationships between a mother and daughter, between lifelong friends.
She had me wondering, at times, if Kay really knew what she was doing, what she ultimately wanted, if she had really thought this through.
Ultimately this is a story about love, about friendship, about loss, and about not losing sight of the things that matter to you. It is beautifully written; sad, funny and inspiring.
This is the second book I have read by this author, and I am developing a real liking for her work.
😢❤😂.5
#TheMissingLettersOfMrsBright #NetGalley
Some of my favourite lines from The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright:
'You go through life, you make choices they lead to other choices, and before you know it, you're in a place you wouldn't have started from.'
'I enjoy speaking English very much, but sometimes it is too English. Italian is the language of romance.'
THE AUTHOR: have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.
I've published three novels, with one more about to be born, in January 2020. I've also published two non-fiction books. I work as a book coach and creative writing tutor.
Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.
Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright by Beth Miller for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
January 11, 2020
This was a heart warming story about the power of friendship and the mother daughter relationship. Kay is fed up! Now that the nest is empty she has packed up and is leaving her husband Richard who is never wanting to do anything or go anywhere. Everyone is shocked most of all Richard and her children Stella and Edward. Kay’s first destination is Australia where she plans to check in on her longtime penpal friend Bear, Who she unexplainably has not heard from in months. A heartwarming occasionally humorous journey of discovery that takes Kay from the UK to Australia to Venice and then back again.
This was a feel-good story filled with likable somewhat quirky characters. The story was told from the perspectives of both Kay and her daughter Stella, this was clever it really added another layer to the story that would not have been there had the story been only from Kay’s point of view. We were also privy to the correspondence between Kay and Bear through the years. I liked and cared about both these characters and really wanted nothing but the best for them. I also liked how the author subtly implied that daughters tend to mirror their mothers (whether they want to or not). The book also really touched on the strength of friendship and the power of standing up for one’s self.The book also had me asking myself some questions. Does a woman need to leave her husband in order to find her self? I’d like to think not, and I am saying this as a happily divorced woman. How strongly did Kay express to her husband that she wanted to go and do these things, could they have possibly gone to Australia together? Or maybe she didn’t want to go with him? I mean she could’ve gone by herself and not left him? And then there is a question as to why Kay didn’t just give Bear a phone call? I mean I know that’s not how they communicated,but.... still. This book has also been compared to Eleanor, Ove, and Harold Fry. I loved all three of these books. While I think this book could probably be pigeonholed into the same category I didn’t think it was as quirky or as emotional. Having said this I did think this was a good book that can stand on its own 2 feet or on its own spine if you will.
This book in emojis. 👭 ✉️ 🐨 🍝 💪🏻
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
For more of my reviews and bookish thoughts please visit my blog
This was a feel-good story filled with likable somewhat quirky characters. The story was told from the perspectives of both Kay and her daughter Stella, this was clever it really added another layer to the story that would not have been there had the story been only from Kay’s point of view. We were also privy to the correspondence between Kay and Bear through the years. I liked and cared about both these characters and really wanted nothing but the best for them. I also liked how the author subtly implied that daughters tend to mirror their mothers (whether they want to or not). The book also really touched on the strength of friendship and the power of standing up for one’s self.The book also had me asking myself some questions. Does a woman need to leave her husband in order to find her self? I’d like to think not, and I am saying this as a happily divorced woman. How strongly did Kay express to her husband that she wanted to go and do these things, could they have possibly gone to Australia together? Or maybe she didn’t want to go with him? I mean she could’ve gone by herself and not left him? And then there is a question as to why Kay didn’t just give Bear a phone call? I mean I know that’s not how they communicated,but.... still. This book has also been compared to Eleanor, Ove, and Harold Fry. I loved all three of these books. While I think this book could probably be pigeonholed into the same category I didn’t think it was as quirky or as emotional. Having said this I did think this was a good book that can stand on its own 2 feet or on its own spine if you will.
This book in emojis. 👭 ✉️ 🐨 🍝 💪🏻
*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
For more of my reviews and bookish thoughts please visit my blog
April 25, 2020
3★
“I’d had a safety net my whole life; first with my parents, then for almost thirty years with Richard. Safe, knowable, no surprises. I wanted to try whatever life I had left without that net. Close my eyes and take a leap of faith.”
Kay has had enough. Enough of curtailed or cancelled holidays because she and Richard are always needed at the shop. He’s just opened his fourth one and reckons he’s going to read books. But of course, she is always needed for something, so she’s going to pack her bag and go – somewhere, somehow. Get out of England, anyway.
It’s all very amicable and civilised and almost pleasant. He says ok – take a little break and come back. She’s adamant she’s striking out on her own. Their two kids have grown and left home and she’s fed up. No fights or anything, just fed up.
“‘I’m such an idiot. You’ve been so distant lately, I assumed it was something to do with the menopause.’
‘I haven’t started the menopause, Richard.’
‘Who is he, then? Do I know him? Christ!’ He banged his hand on the table.”
He knows her so well, doesn’t he? Mid-life crisis? Could be. She does have a favourite bolt-hole in Wales. A delightful little cottage. She has friends, good friends. And everyone shares many mugs of tea.
The main ones are the the two friends from her childood, Rose, (in love again) and “Bear”, (who now lives in Australia). Kay and Bear had a pact to write letters every other month, and many chapters are introduced with a letter, working their way back in time, so that bit by bit, events are revealed.
I have a kind of saying about situations where someone complains that “if it hadn’t been for you (or some misfortune), I could have been the world’s greatest opera singer.” I don’t know where the opera singer came from – perhaps someone else’s phrase overheard in my childhood. In many ways, this is one of those books. Unfulfilled dreams, opportunities lost, paths not taken.
I’m sure there’s a market for this, and it may be a very popular book. I would never call it Literary Fiction (or not unputdownable, for that matter). I imagine many will classify it as Chick-Lit or Women’s Fiction (whatever that’s supposed to be). There are plenty of popular novels that don’t push my buttons, but likewise, there are plenty of intellectually challenging, literary prize-winners that leave me cold. So what’s a reader to do? Just keep on reading everything, of course!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
“I’d had a safety net my whole life; first with my parents, then for almost thirty years with Richard. Safe, knowable, no surprises. I wanted to try whatever life I had left without that net. Close my eyes and take a leap of faith.”
Kay has had enough. Enough of curtailed or cancelled holidays because she and Richard are always needed at the shop. He’s just opened his fourth one and reckons he’s going to read books. But of course, she is always needed for something, so she’s going to pack her bag and go – somewhere, somehow. Get out of England, anyway.
It’s all very amicable and civilised and almost pleasant. He says ok – take a little break and come back. She’s adamant she’s striking out on her own. Their two kids have grown and left home and she’s fed up. No fights or anything, just fed up.
“‘I’m such an idiot. You’ve been so distant lately, I assumed it was something to do with the menopause.’
‘I haven’t started the menopause, Richard.’
‘Who is he, then? Do I know him? Christ!’ He banged his hand on the table.”
He knows her so well, doesn’t he? Mid-life crisis? Could be. She does have a favourite bolt-hole in Wales. A delightful little cottage. She has friends, good friends. And everyone shares many mugs of tea.
The main ones are the the two friends from her childood, Rose, (in love again) and “Bear”, (who now lives in Australia). Kay and Bear had a pact to write letters every other month, and many chapters are introduced with a letter, working their way back in time, so that bit by bit, events are revealed.
I have a kind of saying about situations where someone complains that “if it hadn’t been for you (or some misfortune), I could have been the world’s greatest opera singer.” I don’t know where the opera singer came from – perhaps someone else’s phrase overheard in my childhood. In many ways, this is one of those books. Unfulfilled dreams, opportunities lost, paths not taken.
I’m sure there’s a market for this, and it may be a very popular book. I would never call it Literary Fiction (or not unputdownable, for that matter). I imagine many will classify it as Chick-Lit or Women’s Fiction (whatever that’s supposed to be). There are plenty of popular novels that don’t push my buttons, but likewise, there are plenty of intellectually challenging, literary prize-winners that leave me cold. So what’s a reader to do? Just keep on reading everything, of course!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the review copy from which I’ve quoted.
November 24, 2019
Book synopsis: “You’ve met Mrs. Bright. She’s that nice woman who lives three doors down and always smiles at you in the mornings. She’s planning her thirtieth wedding anniversary with her husband. She wants to travel, read endless books and take beautiful pictures. She’s been waiting for this forever.”
At least, that is what you thought she was doing.
In reality, Kay Bright has been going through the motions of being a happy wife and mother, while wondering what her life might’ve been like if she had made some different decisions along the way. The only friend who knows what decision she questions most, is Ursula (Bear), the friend she confides in through an “old fashioned” handwritten letter sent every other month.
She counts on Ursula’s reply.
So, when Ursula’s letters stop arriving, Kay decides to leave behind her husband(for good!) and a life that feels stagnant, and go talk with Ursula in person, instead of by Airmail, to sort it all out.
Told in the alternating perspectives of Kay, a woman wanting to REDISCOVER her younger self, and her daughter, Stella, a young woman JUST discovering her adult self, the story is one filled with wry humor and observations. I enjoyed both women equally.
Both handled their challenges with much more maturity and diplomacy than anyone I know would!
Perhaps that is why everything worked out so neat and tidy? 🤔
Or, maybe it’s just because this is fiction!
Recommended by the publisher for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (three of my favorites in the literary fiction genre) I just HAD to request this!
Would I agree with the comparison?
Well, ALL three of THOSE books made me cry and this one did NOT.
So, yes that is the right audience for the book, and yes, I can recommend it, but, this book, though enjoyable, did not pack the same emotional punch for me, as those it was compared to.
4 stars, but probably not one I will be talking about for years to come, which is what it takes from me, in this genre, to earn 5 stars...
Another buddy read with DeAnn! Thanks for reading this one with me!
Thank You to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Beth Miller for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! This book will be released on Jan. 9, 2020.
At least, that is what you thought she was doing.
In reality, Kay Bright has been going through the motions of being a happy wife and mother, while wondering what her life might’ve been like if she had made some different decisions along the way. The only friend who knows what decision she questions most, is Ursula (Bear), the friend she confides in through an “old fashioned” handwritten letter sent every other month.
She counts on Ursula’s reply.
So, when Ursula’s letters stop arriving, Kay decides to leave behind her husband(for good!) and a life that feels stagnant, and go talk with Ursula in person, instead of by Airmail, to sort it all out.
Told in the alternating perspectives of Kay, a woman wanting to REDISCOVER her younger self, and her daughter, Stella, a young woman JUST discovering her adult self, the story is one filled with wry humor and observations. I enjoyed both women equally.
Both handled their challenges with much more maturity and diplomacy than anyone I know would!
Perhaps that is why everything worked out so neat and tidy? 🤔
Or, maybe it’s just because this is fiction!
Recommended by the publisher for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (three of my favorites in the literary fiction genre) I just HAD to request this!
Would I agree with the comparison?
Well, ALL three of THOSE books made me cry and this one did NOT.
So, yes that is the right audience for the book, and yes, I can recommend it, but, this book, though enjoyable, did not pack the same emotional punch for me, as those it was compared to.
4 stars, but probably not one I will be talking about for years to come, which is what it takes from me, in this genre, to earn 5 stars...
Another buddy read with DeAnn! Thanks for reading this one with me!
Thank You to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Beth Miller for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review! This book will be released on Jan. 9, 2020.
January 12, 2020
Favorite Quotes:
My rational brain pointed out that this was kind of irrational, and my irrational brain said, ‘Yeah, so?’
It was a folded piece of yellowing paper, and in my childish writing, with hearts dotting the i’s, I had written at the top: ‘Things to do by the time I am thirty.’ This was underlined twice in red biro. The date: 5 June 1982… Teenage Kay must have assumed she’d better get everything done by thirty; for afterwards, there’d be nothing but senility and the grave.
Once again, I’d have to amend my mental list of the top ten things I wished I’d never seen.
I looked at him, appraising him with an objective eye. There were always little things one didn’t like about one’s boyfriends. You tended to overlook them, prioritise other things as more important. Leon, for instance, had patches of awful acne on each cheek, and treated any mild suggestion that he speak to a pharmacist as an infringement of his human rights. Now, with Theo standing in front of me, fake-beaming, I realised that with his thin face and shifty eyes, he looked exactly like a weasel.
I had a bath and did all the woman -going-on-a-date things I hadn’t done for years… and had a little trim of the old lady-garden, not that I was planning to sleep with him, obviously not, he was clearly a café-lothario, but just in case… In case what? I heard Rose say. In case there was a freak accident that involved your pants coming off in public?
My Review:
This was my introduction to the stellar stylings of Beth Miller and I was an instant fan. Forgive my exuberance and probable abuse of exclamation marks but I reveled in this book! The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright was thoughtfully written and gently chronicled and may be best suited for those of us more mature beauties on the other side of fifty, but being on that side of the age stick I found it flawless. The writing was as profoundly insightful and perceptive as it was cleverly entertaining. I was fully engaged from page one and adored Beth Miller’s witty prose, seamless writing style, enticing and quirky characters, and ample servings of clever levity that were skillfully woven in all the way through. The storylines and writing were easy to follow and continually poked and prickled my curiosity. I was enjoying the tale so much I would have gleefully continued on for several hundred more pages. Beth Miller has a new fangirl and I have a new favorite author at the top of my list.
My rational brain pointed out that this was kind of irrational, and my irrational brain said, ‘Yeah, so?’
It was a folded piece of yellowing paper, and in my childish writing, with hearts dotting the i’s, I had written at the top: ‘Things to do by the time I am thirty.’ This was underlined twice in red biro. The date: 5 June 1982… Teenage Kay must have assumed she’d better get everything done by thirty; for afterwards, there’d be nothing but senility and the grave.
Once again, I’d have to amend my mental list of the top ten things I wished I’d never seen.
I looked at him, appraising him with an objective eye. There were always little things one didn’t like about one’s boyfriends. You tended to overlook them, prioritise other things as more important. Leon, for instance, had patches of awful acne on each cheek, and treated any mild suggestion that he speak to a pharmacist as an infringement of his human rights. Now, with Theo standing in front of me, fake-beaming, I realised that with his thin face and shifty eyes, he looked exactly like a weasel.
I had a bath and did all the woman -going-on-a-date things I hadn’t done for years… and had a little trim of the old lady-garden, not that I was planning to sleep with him, obviously not, he was clearly a café-lothario, but just in case… In case what? I heard Rose say. In case there was a freak accident that involved your pants coming off in public?
My Review:
This was my introduction to the stellar stylings of Beth Miller and I was an instant fan. Forgive my exuberance and probable abuse of exclamation marks but I reveled in this book! The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright was thoughtfully written and gently chronicled and may be best suited for those of us more mature beauties on the other side of fifty, but being on that side of the age stick I found it flawless. The writing was as profoundly insightful and perceptive as it was cleverly entertaining. I was fully engaged from page one and adored Beth Miller’s witty prose, seamless writing style, enticing and quirky characters, and ample servings of clever levity that were skillfully woven in all the way through. The storylines and writing were easy to follow and continually poked and prickled my curiosity. I was enjoying the tale so much I would have gleefully continued on for several hundred more pages. Beth Miller has a new fangirl and I have a new favorite author at the top of my list.
December 11, 2019
Fifty one year old Kay Bright who has spent the last twenty nine years married to her husband Richard, raising their two children and working in his stationery store, wakes up one morning and decides she has had enough of living with a man who never wants to do anything interesting. She decides to leave Richard and do some of the things she has always wanted to do, such as visiting her dear friend Bear in Australia. Since Bear's family emigrated to Australia when she and Kay were teenagers, they have exchanged letters regularly so Kay is concerned that Bear hasn't answered her letters for the last six months.
This is a lovely, beautifully written book about women's friendships, mother-daughter relationships and finding yourself, no matter how late in life. Sad in places, it was also heart warming and a reminder that it's never too late for a new beginning.
With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a digital copy to read
This is a lovely, beautifully written book about women's friendships, mother-daughter relationships and finding yourself, no matter how late in life. Sad in places, it was also heart warming and a reminder that it's never too late for a new beginning.
With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a digital copy to read
August 28, 2020
Kay Bright is married with two grown up children. She has worked in her husbands chain of stationary shops, paid her bills on time and writes to her best friend in Australia. She leads a quiet life. But then she shocks her husband when she tells him she's leaving him. The letters from her best friend have stopped so she decides Australia is where she will visit first.
Kay has been married for twenty nine years and shes fed up with the same mundane routine day in, day out. The story is full of humor and love but it's also tinged with a little sadness. There are some great characters. The letters give us snippets of what Kay's life was like since she became a mother, giving us an insight leading up to her departure. I throughly enjoyed this moving but entertaining story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Beth Miller for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kay has been married for twenty nine years and shes fed up with the same mundane routine day in, day out. The story is full of humor and love but it's also tinged with a little sadness. There are some great characters. The letters give us snippets of what Kay's life was like since she became a mother, giving us an insight leading up to her departure. I throughly enjoyed this moving but entertaining story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Beth Miller for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2021
Kay Bright works in her husband’s Richard’s stationary shop called Quiller Queen in Winchester, they own four shops and Richards’s life revolves around his businesses. The couple have two grown up children Edward and Stella. Edward’s married to Georgia, they have twin boys and Stella’s dating Theo and runs a catering business with a friend.
Kay wrote a list as a teenager, all things she wanted to do before she turned thirty, so far she’s achieved only one of her goals, that’s have children and she’s in her early fifties. Kay loves Richard, but the shops have always come first, and she feels unhappy and trapped. Rose and Ursula (Bear) have been Kay's best friends since they were teenagers in the 1980’s, Ursula's family left England when she was sixteen and emigrated to Australia. Every other month she writes to Ursula, she replies, but she hasn’t written in three months and Kay’s worried. Ursula’s the only one who knows Kay’s big secret, in her letters to her, she shares her inner most thoughts and feelings and it’s very cathartic. Kay goes through the boxes of Ursula’s previous letters, to see if she has missed anything and everything seems fine.
One morning Kay packs her rucksack, walks downstairs, eventually gets Richards attention, and tells him she’s leaving him, puts her wedding ring on the table, walks out her yellow front door and Richard’s left behind totally confused. The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is a story about Kay rediscovering herself, deciding what she wants out of life, how this effects all of her relationships, especially with her husband, children and friends. Kay's tired of waiting, putting others first, when is the right time, she want's to travel, see more of the world and dust off her camera.
I absolutely loved the book, it made me think about life, how short it is, I laughed and I cried.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and five stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
Kay wrote a list as a teenager, all things she wanted to do before she turned thirty, so far she’s achieved only one of her goals, that’s have children and she’s in her early fifties. Kay loves Richard, but the shops have always come first, and she feels unhappy and trapped. Rose and Ursula (Bear) have been Kay's best friends since they were teenagers in the 1980’s, Ursula's family left England when she was sixteen and emigrated to Australia. Every other month she writes to Ursula, she replies, but she hasn’t written in three months and Kay’s worried. Ursula’s the only one who knows Kay’s big secret, in her letters to her, she shares her inner most thoughts and feelings and it’s very cathartic. Kay goes through the boxes of Ursula’s previous letters, to see if she has missed anything and everything seems fine.
One morning Kay packs her rucksack, walks downstairs, eventually gets Richards attention, and tells him she’s leaving him, puts her wedding ring on the table, walks out her yellow front door and Richard’s left behind totally confused. The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is a story about Kay rediscovering herself, deciding what she wants out of life, how this effects all of her relationships, especially with her husband, children and friends. Kay's tired of waiting, putting others first, when is the right time, she want's to travel, see more of the world and dust off her camera.
I absolutely loved the book, it made me think about life, how short it is, I laughed and I cried.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and five stars from me. https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
November 14, 2019
Kay has been writing to her friend Bear is Australia for more than thirty years. When the letters from Bear stop she decides to go there to find out why. She also decides that now the children have grown up its time to leave her husband and start out on her own.
A story of family, friendship and new beginnings.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be looking out for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
A story of family, friendship and new beginnings.
This is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be looking out for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 22, 2024
Kay’s friend Ursula hasn’t written her back.
And...They have been writing to each other consistently for years. This has triggered her to look back and contemplate her life, which leads her to leave her husband of 29 years.
Although... This decision is shocking to her adult children, and of course her husband Richard. The reasons for this decision become clear as we as readers become engaged in Kay’s impulsive “adventure” to find her true self. We meet her friends, and her children, and can’t help but fall in love with Kay’s journey.
In many ways, this was a page turner. A joyful, moving, emotional and yet uplifting family story. Not a typical one, but one with a heart.
There is a bit of a mystery, that readers will kind of anticipate, but we can also be happy to watch it open itself up and be resolved in the way that it did.
I do hope you have a chance to read this one. It is a lovely story. Well worth your time.
And...They have been writing to each other consistently for years. This has triggered her to look back and contemplate her life, which leads her to leave her husband of 29 years.
Although... This decision is shocking to her adult children, and of course her husband Richard. The reasons for this decision become clear as we as readers become engaged in Kay’s impulsive “adventure” to find her true self. We meet her friends, and her children, and can’t help but fall in love with Kay’s journey.
In many ways, this was a page turner. A joyful, moving, emotional and yet uplifting family story. Not a typical one, but one with a heart.
There is a bit of a mystery, that readers will kind of anticipate, but we can also be happy to watch it open itself up and be resolved in the way that it did.
I do hope you have a chance to read this one. It is a lovely story. Well worth your time.
February 12, 2020
“Life is a strange and complicated journey that does not follow a straight path.”
The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is the fourth novel by British author, Beth Miller. When fifty-one-year-old Kayla Bright tells her husband of twenty-nine years that she is leaving him, Richard is bewildered. Their adult children, Edward and Stella, and Richard’s mother, Alice are similarly puzzled. But after a few days retreat in Wales, Kay is off to Australia, saying only that she no longer loves Richard and hasn’t been happy. In Sydney, she’ll visit her friend, Bear, whose last three (unfailingly regular) letters have been conspicuous by their absence.
Stella Bright has not long settled into a share house in Romford, Essex with Gabby and Piet, and works in Gabby’s catering business, Yummi Scrummi Authentic Sri Lankan Street Food. When Richard rings in tears to tell her Kay has left him, what can she do but go down and be there for him, run the shop in her mother’s absence, and hope it will be very temporary? Her brother, Edward isn’t stepping up. Stella’s boyfriend Theo offers (rather too readily?) to stand in at Yummi Scrummi for her.
As Stella comes to terms with her parents’ separation, she finds her own life subject to a major upheaval. It’s clear Richard is not yet convinced that Kay won’t return, but Alice surprises everyone by stepping into the breach in their stationery business. Meanwhile, Kay discovers that her Australian friend has a strong and unexpected opinion about her marital troubles, and her perspective is perhaps one worth considering.
Miller’s characters are wonderfully real, with both flaws and redeeming qualities. Their dialogue is witty and clever, and often laugh-out-loud funny (although some readers may take exception to their generous use of expletives). As well as examining a marriage from which the romance has departed, Miller touches on the hurdles that single life presents for the unwary, such as loneliness and facing illness unaided, on top of the pragmatic issues of earning a living and finding a place to live. The effect of parental separation on adult children also features. Very entertaining!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture
The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is the fourth novel by British author, Beth Miller. When fifty-one-year-old Kayla Bright tells her husband of twenty-nine years that she is leaving him, Richard is bewildered. Their adult children, Edward and Stella, and Richard’s mother, Alice are similarly puzzled. But after a few days retreat in Wales, Kay is off to Australia, saying only that she no longer loves Richard and hasn’t been happy. In Sydney, she’ll visit her friend, Bear, whose last three (unfailingly regular) letters have been conspicuous by their absence.
Stella Bright has not long settled into a share house in Romford, Essex with Gabby and Piet, and works in Gabby’s catering business, Yummi Scrummi Authentic Sri Lankan Street Food. When Richard rings in tears to tell her Kay has left him, what can she do but go down and be there for him, run the shop in her mother’s absence, and hope it will be very temporary? Her brother, Edward isn’t stepping up. Stella’s boyfriend Theo offers (rather too readily?) to stand in at Yummi Scrummi for her.
As Stella comes to terms with her parents’ separation, she finds her own life subject to a major upheaval. It’s clear Richard is not yet convinced that Kay won’t return, but Alice surprises everyone by stepping into the breach in their stationery business. Meanwhile, Kay discovers that her Australian friend has a strong and unexpected opinion about her marital troubles, and her perspective is perhaps one worth considering.
Miller’s characters are wonderfully real, with both flaws and redeeming qualities. Their dialogue is witty and clever, and often laugh-out-loud funny (although some readers may take exception to their generous use of expletives). As well as examining a marriage from which the romance has departed, Miller touches on the hurdles that single life presents for the unwary, such as loneliness and facing illness unaided, on top of the pragmatic issues of earning a living and finding a place to live. The effect of parental separation on adult children also features. Very entertaining!
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture
April 12, 2020
This is a story that alternates between Kay and her daughter Stella as well as letters written from Kay to her best friend in Australia. Through Kay’s chapters as well as the letters, we get to know her better as an adult as well as her younger life.
I wasn’t sure if Kay was a little bit crazy to start with. Upping and walking out of a relationship of twenty nine years. In a way I admired her but on the other hand I thought she was mad to walk out without trying to at least talk things through. I really enjoyed being taken on a journey with Kay though as she rediscovers herself.
The storyline to do with Kay and Ursula really tugs on the heart strings. Their friendship has stood the test of time over the years and whilst they haven’t seen each other, they have always taken it in turns to write letters to each other. It brought up memories of my childhood writing to pen friends and the excitement of receiving a letter in the post. Emails, texts, sorry but technology can never replace a good old fashioned letter.
The Missing Letters Of Mrs Bright was a whole bag of emotions kind of read. Overall it is a light hearted read but there are some really emotional parts where I found myself overwhelmed with tears rolling down my face. It is a reminder to live life to the fullest and to take chances. Devouring it in one afternoon, the author had me fully engrossed in this wonderful story of friendships. Definitely worthy of five stars.
I wasn’t sure if Kay was a little bit crazy to start with. Upping and walking out of a relationship of twenty nine years. In a way I admired her but on the other hand I thought she was mad to walk out without trying to at least talk things through. I really enjoyed being taken on a journey with Kay though as she rediscovers herself.
The storyline to do with Kay and Ursula really tugs on the heart strings. Their friendship has stood the test of time over the years and whilst they haven’t seen each other, they have always taken it in turns to write letters to each other. It brought up memories of my childhood writing to pen friends and the excitement of receiving a letter in the post. Emails, texts, sorry but technology can never replace a good old fashioned letter.
The Missing Letters Of Mrs Bright was a whole bag of emotions kind of read. Overall it is a light hearted read but there are some really emotional parts where I found myself overwhelmed with tears rolling down my face. It is a reminder to live life to the fullest and to take chances. Devouring it in one afternoon, the author had me fully engrossed in this wonderful story of friendships. Definitely worthy of five stars.
January 9, 2020
Absolutely beautiful! A wonderful, heartwarming, life affirming tale from this fantastic author. This story was not only entertaining and addictive but it also made me think, to realise that life doesn't stop for you. It served as reminder to live life to the fullest. Every one should be reading this book and this author. Outstanding. Five stars do not do this book justice. Read this beautiful book and get 2020 off to a brilliant start! Thank you Beth Miller for this exquisite treasure of a book!
December 1, 2019
3.75 friendship stars, rounded up to 4
What happens when your childhood friend (who moved to Australia) stops writing monthly letters to you? Kay and Bear have been friends for ages, but now Bear isn’t writing back. What I didn’t expect is that Kay would walk out on her 29-year marriage, her job, and head to Australia at long last.
There’s quite a bit of drama around how Kay could just leave her marriage, all those around her expect the usual suspects – infidelity or escaping a violent situation. I think Kay finds herself just wondering about everything in her life and decides she doesn’t want to be married.
This book has a great pattern of mother-daughter alternating narration. I enjoyed both Kay’s part and her daughter Stella’s part. They both are trying to figure out what life has in store for them. I definitely rooted for them both to find happiness in their love lives and careers. There are some fun adventures in Venice and I’m dying to eat at the Gritti Palace now. Stella was a fun character and I wanted to remind her to stay strong!
I did enjoy this one, but I was not completely drawn into in emotionally. It has been compared to “Eleanor Oliphant” and “A Man Called Ove” – I agree that if you like those, you would enjoy this one, it just didn’t pack the emotional punch of those in my opinion. It’s definitely filled with friendship, secrets and drama, and even a few moments when I laughed out loud (especially with Kay’s mother-in-law and Stella’s friend Piet).
This one made for another fun buddy read with Jayme. Thank you to NetGalley, Beth Miller, and Bookoutre for an early copy of this one to read and review. Watch for this one on January 9, 2020.
What happens when your childhood friend (who moved to Australia) stops writing monthly letters to you? Kay and Bear have been friends for ages, but now Bear isn’t writing back. What I didn’t expect is that Kay would walk out on her 29-year marriage, her job, and head to Australia at long last.
There’s quite a bit of drama around how Kay could just leave her marriage, all those around her expect the usual suspects – infidelity or escaping a violent situation. I think Kay finds herself just wondering about everything in her life and decides she doesn’t want to be married.
This book has a great pattern of mother-daughter alternating narration. I enjoyed both Kay’s part and her daughter Stella’s part. They both are trying to figure out what life has in store for them. I definitely rooted for them both to find happiness in their love lives and careers. There are some fun adventures in Venice and I’m dying to eat at the Gritti Palace now. Stella was a fun character and I wanted to remind her to stay strong!
I did enjoy this one, but I was not completely drawn into in emotionally. It has been compared to “Eleanor Oliphant” and “A Man Called Ove” – I agree that if you like those, you would enjoy this one, it just didn’t pack the emotional punch of those in my opinion. It’s definitely filled with friendship, secrets and drama, and even a few moments when I laughed out loud (especially with Kay’s mother-in-law and Stella’s friend Piet).
This one made for another fun buddy read with Jayme. Thank you to NetGalley, Beth Miller, and Bookoutre for an early copy of this one to read and review. Watch for this one on January 9, 2020.
November 24, 2019
Wow, well that was a hugely enjoyable read. A bit off piste for me. Having spent the last three years or so reading almost exclusively thrillers and horror stories, this was a real departure and, as a middle aged man a bit of risk as it’s described as “women’s fiction”.
Kay has been married for 29 years. In her early 50s with two grown up children she has been unhappy for a long time.
When her best friend Bear moved to Australia 30 years ago they wrote to each other religiously. One month Bear to Kay, the next Kay to Bear. When Kay doesn’t hear from Bear for three months in a row she becomes concerned and it makes her make a life changing decision. Not only is she going to travel to Australia to see what is up with Bear, she decides to leave her husband for good.
This is just an incredibly readable book. A beautifully told story of life, love, regret, secrets, friendship, self discovery. I could go on. The story is told from two view points, Our main protagonist Kay and her daughter Stella.
Both worlds are equally as intriguing and entertaining as each other and the changing between the two throughout is beautifully judged.
I laughed out loud, I cried, I stayed up well into the night reading just a little bit more. I just loved this book so much.
I’m marking this 4.5 stars. I was so close to marking this 5 stars but there was one thing that happened in one of the characters lives about half way through the book that just didn’t sit right with me and felt a bit clumsy, a device to move the story along. It seemed quite out of place. I won’t say what it was of course as it would be a spoiler.
Despite that I really really loved this book. Maybe it was the change from my usual genre that made it stand out or maybe “women’s fiction” is a genre that was made for me!
Either way, the book in itself was an absolute joy to read. So many of the characters are so vividly sitting in my mind a day after finishing it.
Highly highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Beth Miller for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kay has been married for 29 years. In her early 50s with two grown up children she has been unhappy for a long time.
When her best friend Bear moved to Australia 30 years ago they wrote to each other religiously. One month Bear to Kay, the next Kay to Bear. When Kay doesn’t hear from Bear for three months in a row she becomes concerned and it makes her make a life changing decision. Not only is she going to travel to Australia to see what is up with Bear, she decides to leave her husband for good.
This is just an incredibly readable book. A beautifully told story of life, love, regret, secrets, friendship, self discovery. I could go on. The story is told from two view points, Our main protagonist Kay and her daughter Stella.
Both worlds are equally as intriguing and entertaining as each other and the changing between the two throughout is beautifully judged.
I laughed out loud, I cried, I stayed up well into the night reading just a little bit more. I just loved this book so much.
I’m marking this 4.5 stars. I was so close to marking this 5 stars but there was one thing that happened in one of the characters lives about half way through the book that just didn’t sit right with me and felt a bit clumsy, a device to move the story along. It seemed quite out of place. I won’t say what it was of course as it would be a spoiler.
Despite that I really really loved this book. Maybe it was the change from my usual genre that made it stand out or maybe “women’s fiction” is a genre that was made for me!
Either way, the book in itself was an absolute joy to read. So many of the characters are so vividly sitting in my mind a day after finishing it.
Highly highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Beth Miller for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 21, 2020
Beth Miller writes in a way where I feel I can actually hear her reading the words to me. It's so involved and personal and real. This is a gorgeous tale of a middle-aged woman - Kay Bright - who finally, well... finds herself. By addressing her past, and taking hold of the now, she plans for a new future. This is touching, deftly written and full of warmth. I loved it.
December 4, 2019
This has been my first five star read for about six months. I loved this dual pov story about a woman in her 50's making a break for freedom and the effect this has on her family. Empowering and she knows how to evoke emotions like a master. I had tears in my eyes for the last 10%.
January 24, 2020
I listened to this on audio book.
Well this has been a truly lovely story from start to finish, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I found myself lost within the story pretty much straight away. The characters were very well written and truly felt real.
As for the story itself, again it was well written and flowed perfectly from one chapter to the next. There was plenty of emotions to be felt from joyous moments, tense moments, funny moments, emotional and sad moments.
My favourite character throughout would have to be Stella, the daughter.
Well this has been a truly lovely story from start to finish, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I found myself lost within the story pretty much straight away. The characters were very well written and truly felt real.
As for the story itself, again it was well written and flowed perfectly from one chapter to the next. There was plenty of emotions to be felt from joyous moments, tense moments, funny moments, emotional and sad moments.
My favourite character throughout would have to be Stella, the daughter.
December 5, 2019
Finished reading: December 4th 2019
"I wanted to try whatever life I had left without that net. Close my eyes and take a leap of faith."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
January 6, 2020
If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of relationships, imperfection, hope, secrets and friendships then The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright by Beth Miller is a must-read for you! This book is substantially about family, love, mother-daughter relationships, women's friendships and starting-over, and the synopsis also implies a soupçon of mystery, which was exactly the reading experience I had.
Beth Miller has an admirable writing style: it is seamless, flows well, and is wonderfully expressive. The characterisation is impressive with an unforgettable cast of people that are complex and determined, though difficult and flawed to somewhat varying degrees. The character-driven plot uses a perfect blend of narrative, letters, and multiple points of view to help the reader understand the different reactions to Kay's decision to leave her husband after twenty-nine years of marriage.
This was an exceptionally compulsive story and the ending was bittersweet. I really hoped that things worked out well for all of the characters, having lived in their pockets throughout their respective journeys. Very highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my request, from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
Beth Miller has an admirable writing style: it is seamless, flows well, and is wonderfully expressive. The characterisation is impressive with an unforgettable cast of people that are complex and determined, though difficult and flawed to somewhat varying degrees. The character-driven plot uses a perfect blend of narrative, letters, and multiple points of view to help the reader understand the different reactions to Kay's decision to leave her husband after twenty-nine years of marriage.
This was an exceptionally compulsive story and the ending was bittersweet. I really hoped that things worked out well for all of the characters, having lived in their pockets throughout their respective journeys. Very highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my request, from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
December 30, 2019
Ah, this book was a journey. It told me the story of Mrs Bright and daughter Stella along with the letters to and from her best friend Ursula (Bear), who had migrated to Australia.
One day, after 29 years of marriage when letters from Bear stopped coming since the past 6 months, Kay decided to walk out of her marriage. She went to Sydney to meet Bear, then to Venice then came back home with new realizations.
My first book by author Beth Miller, the story told me their lives in the present and past. Both Kay and Ursula were adorable, but I liked Stella once she decided to stand up for herself. Strength personified these women and I lived how the bold strikes of the author made them real.
The depth of emotions were missing, I couldn't cry at any of the scene. That was a good thing for me as I didn't want an overly emotional book. The story had humor interspersed with truths and facts of life. Friendship between the best friends made me smile. They sure went through the rigmaroles of life.
Overall, a sweet read filled with strength and bittersweet moments of friendship and family.
One day, after 29 years of marriage when letters from Bear stopped coming since the past 6 months, Kay decided to walk out of her marriage. She went to Sydney to meet Bear, then to Venice then came back home with new realizations.
My first book by author Beth Miller, the story told me their lives in the present and past. Both Kay and Ursula were adorable, but I liked Stella once she decided to stand up for herself. Strength personified these women and I lived how the bold strikes of the author made them real.
The depth of emotions were missing, I couldn't cry at any of the scene. That was a good thing for me as I didn't want an overly emotional book. The story had humor interspersed with truths and facts of life. Friendship between the best friends made me smile. They sure went through the rigmaroles of life.
Overall, a sweet read filled with strength and bittersweet moments of friendship and family.
December 24, 2019
The letters from her best friend Ursula arrived like clockwork. Actually, Kay Bright's life was the same - day in, day out. All of a sudden, the letters have stopped. This is exactly the catalyst Kay needed to take a hold of her life. She informs her husband Richard that she is leaving, and she does just that. Her husband is shocked and panics.
Simply put, Kay does not care. Her husband stopped paying attention and she has stopped caring. She takes a very long flight and is now in Australia, having traveled for hours and hours - plenty of time for her to feel confident in her decision. Richard and their daughter Stella are both shocked with Kay's decision. This is especially so because it becomes clear that Kay's concern over the missing letters is only part of why she left.
Not only is Kay's relationship with Ursula examined, but that of Kay and Stella as well. I was rooting for Kay all the while I patiently waited for a reason as to why Ursula stopped writing.
This warm story by Beth Miller is touching and often heartbreaking. However, it is also one borne of lifelong friendship and that of a woman taking hold of her own life. This takes what could be a tragic novel into one of hope and starting over.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Simply put, Kay does not care. Her husband stopped paying attention and she has stopped caring. She takes a very long flight and is now in Australia, having traveled for hours and hours - plenty of time for her to feel confident in her decision. Richard and their daughter Stella are both shocked with Kay's decision. This is especially so because it becomes clear that Kay's concern over the missing letters is only part of why she left.
Not only is Kay's relationship with Ursula examined, but that of Kay and Stella as well. I was rooting for Kay all the while I patiently waited for a reason as to why Ursula stopped writing.
This warm story by Beth Miller is touching and often heartbreaking. However, it is also one borne of lifelong friendship and that of a woman taking hold of her own life. This takes what could be a tragic novel into one of hope and starting over.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
November 8, 2020
I finished this because it was chosen for my book club, otherwise I’d probably have left it. The writing is basic and feels conversational throughout.
The blurb implies a mystery within the letters; if this is what you are looking for then I wouldn’t bother with this book. If you want a holiday read, where you don’t have to think, then this is great but I wouldn’t recommend otherwise.
The blurb implies a mystery within the letters; if this is what you are looking for then I wouldn’t bother with this book. If you want a holiday read, where you don’t have to think, then this is great but I wouldn’t recommend otherwise.
November 14, 2019
Thanks to the publisher for an early release of this book for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book and loved the friendships in it. My first book by this author and looking forward to many more.
January 11, 2020
The phrase that keeps coming into my mind about The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is "a charming little book". That's exactly what it is. Things come together, families experience joys and dramas, secrets are revealed. It deals with some weighty personal issues, but is overall a light novel. Sometimes light is good.
The novel starts as Kay Bright, a British woman in her early fifties, suddenly packs up a backpack, puts her wedding ring on the table, and tells her husband she's leaving for good as if it's the same as going to the supermarket. This comes entirely out of the blue to her husband of 29 years. Nobody is having an affair, being abusive or abused, or battling an addiction. Kay is simply sick of her life. The title comes from her regular correspondence with an old friend in Australia. Kay wonders why her friend has suddenly stopped sending letters. Almost the first thing she does after she leaves is go to Australia to find out.
Of course, there are repercussions. Everyone around Kay is as bewildered and upset as her husband, including her young adult daughter Stella. Stella gets several chapters devoted to her as she attempts to process what her mother has done. She, too, is at a turning point in her life.
The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is about the heavy weight of secrets, the finite nature of time, and the ways time should be spent. Some readers may find it maddening, but others will find it relatable, even inspiring. It is a perfect novel for any woman who has considered running away from home as an adult.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review..
The novel starts as Kay Bright, a British woman in her early fifties, suddenly packs up a backpack, puts her wedding ring on the table, and tells her husband she's leaving for good as if it's the same as going to the supermarket. This comes entirely out of the blue to her husband of 29 years. Nobody is having an affair, being abusive or abused, or battling an addiction. Kay is simply sick of her life. The title comes from her regular correspondence with an old friend in Australia. Kay wonders why her friend has suddenly stopped sending letters. Almost the first thing she does after she leaves is go to Australia to find out.
Of course, there are repercussions. Everyone around Kay is as bewildered and upset as her husband, including her young adult daughter Stella. Stella gets several chapters devoted to her as she attempts to process what her mother has done. She, too, is at a turning point in her life.
The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright is about the heavy weight of secrets, the finite nature of time, and the ways time should be spent. Some readers may find it maddening, but others will find it relatable, even inspiring. It is a perfect novel for any woman who has considered running away from home as an adult.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review..
January 30, 2020
I enjoyed this book very much. It was more of listening to an old friend than listening to a story. I think because of my age, this could have easily been someone in my life. I found my self totally understanding her reasons for her life decisions and all the reactions to them.
I found it to be a good paced, very satisfying read.
I found it to be a good paced, very satisfying read.
January 27, 2020
4.5 stars - I love stories like this. Stories simply about life. Sometimes beautiful, oftentimes painful and complicated. Good choices, bad choices, no choices. Love, friendship, hurt, joy, regrets, missed opportunities, introspection, self-discovery. These are the things I can easily insert myself into and let the writing surround me. I am always entertained, but so many times I learn something I can take out into the world with me.
December 13, 2019
This book was a slow starter for me but then all of a sudden it was really good and I enjoyed it. Kay decides to leave her husband, Richard, after almost 30 years of marriage and two grown children. Kay has a good friend, Bear (Ursula) who she has exchanged letters with for years up until about six months ago. The story is told from different POVs to go along with the different story lines within this book. This is a very poignant story of love, loss and hope. Thank you NetGally and Bookouture for the ARC of this very touching book in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2019
When fifty-something Kay Bright announces she won't be celebrating her thirtieth wedding anniversary, it's not only husband Richard left reeling. The repercussions of her decision reverberate through her family, leading to shocking revelations and life-changing events.
Oh, what an absolute gem of a book. Right from the start, I was rooting for Kay, yet found much sympathy for her struggling daughter, Stella, difficult mother-in-law, Alice (OK, I secretly adored her) and even the rather dull but essentially kind Richard. As for the three-way relationship between Kay and school friends Rose and Bear, well … for me that was the beating heart of the story. The letters from Kay to Bear (Ursula), were a skilful blend of humour and sadness and carried the plot along effortlessly.
So many lines stood out for me. Too many to mention, but here are a couple of examples –
'You don't need a husband at all,' Rose said. 'You can cook and fix things. You are basically a hermaphrodite.'
'And there, wearing the sort of anthropologically intrepid expression patented by the Queen during 1960s' tours of exotic countries, was Alice Bright.'
At several points I definitely had something in my eye, and towards the end, well … All I can say is that it takes a lot for a book to simultaneously make me laugh and need to clear a lump in my throat. This one did it in spades. Highly recommended. My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.
Oh, what an absolute gem of a book. Right from the start, I was rooting for Kay, yet found much sympathy for her struggling daughter, Stella, difficult mother-in-law, Alice (OK, I secretly adored her) and even the rather dull but essentially kind Richard. As for the three-way relationship between Kay and school friends Rose and Bear, well … for me that was the beating heart of the story. The letters from Kay to Bear (Ursula), were a skilful blend of humour and sadness and carried the plot along effortlessly.
So many lines stood out for me. Too many to mention, but here are a couple of examples –
'You don't need a husband at all,' Rose said. 'You can cook and fix things. You are basically a hermaphrodite.'
'And there, wearing the sort of anthropologically intrepid expression patented by the Queen during 1960s' tours of exotic countries, was Alice Bright.'
At several points I definitely had something in my eye, and towards the end, well … All I can say is that it takes a lot for a book to simultaneously make me laugh and need to clear a lump in my throat. This one did it in spades. Highly recommended. My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.
January 5, 2020
I loved this book for its unpredictability and a different perspective. Even if you are not a 50 years old woman married for 29 years you can still relate to many issues raised here. It is not a love story but it has a happy ending. A hopeful ending, to be more precise, which is so much better and real.
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy I received in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on Jan. 9, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy I received in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released on Jan. 9, 2020
Displaying 1 - 30 of 340 reviews