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The Letters
A great narrator for The Letters
5 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2008
17 people are currently reading
987 people want to read
About the author
Luanne Rice
109 books3,146 followersLuanne Rice is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-eight novels, translated into thirty languages. Rice often writes about love, family, nature, and the sea. Most recently she has written thrillers, including one based on a murder that affected her family. She received the 2014 Connecticut Governor’s Arts Award for excellence and lifetime achievement in the Literary Arts category.
Connecticut College awarded Rice an honorary degree and invited her to donate her papers to the College’s Special Collections Library. They are archived in the Luanne Rice Collection.
Rice has also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from St. Joseph University in West Hartford, Conn.
Several of Rice's novels have been adapted for television. Her monologue for the play Motherhood Out Loud premiered at Hartford Stage and has been performed Off-Broadway in NYC and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Rice is a Creative Affiliate of the Safina Center. She lives in southeastern Connecticut.
Connecticut College awarded Rice an honorary degree and invited her to donate her papers to the College’s Special Collections Library. They are archived in the Luanne Rice Collection.
Rice has also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from St. Joseph University in West Hartford, Conn.
Several of Rice's novels have been adapted for television. Her monologue for the play Motherhood Out Loud premiered at Hartford Stage and has been performed Off-Broadway in NYC and at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.
Rice is a Creative Affiliate of the Safina Center. She lives in southeastern Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
June 29, 2022
This was short, sweet, and sad. My grandmother lent it to me and it was a really quick read. Not something I'd usually pick out for myself, but it wasn't too bad, and I did kind of enjoy it, even though it was quite depressing at times.
January 27, 2009
I wouldn't normally choose to read fiction written by two authors but in this case I figured the gimmick would work, since it's letters written back and forth between a divorcing husband and wife. I expected a chronicling of a dissolving marriage, and to avoid giving away too much I'll just say it wasn't that depressing and that the gimmick does work over all.
It's nitpicky of me to rag on this but it didn't ring true to me that the husband and wife are both beautiful writers considering he's supposed to be a professional writer and she a painter. I read this in a weekend, it made me cry. It was a little too sentimental for my taste, but still I liked it.
It's nitpicky of me to rag on this but it didn't ring true to me that the husband and wife are both beautiful writers considering he's supposed to be a professional writer and she a painter. I read this in a weekend, it made me cry. It was a little too sentimental for my taste, but still I liked it.
June 11, 2014
Um livro sobre o qual tinha algumas expectativas pois era sobre uma troca de cartas entre um casal e o ultimo livro que li deste género foi uma agradável surpresa. Infelizmente não foi este o caso. A história em si é triste, fala-nos do pior pesadelo que uns pais podem viver, ou seja, a perda de um filho, situação que vivi recentemente relacionada com uma colega e amiga. No entanto o livro não me prendeu, apesar de pequeno e de leitura fácil, esperava mais, até porque tinha gostado de outros livros que li desta autora.
February 29, 2020
I devoured this little book! It was so well done, and totally captured my interest from the very first page! The worst has happened to Sam and Hadley. Their 20 year old son, their only child, has been killed in a plane crash in rural Alaska. Sam and Hadley, who were so in love, had a wonderful marriage until their son died, are now estranged and trying to live without one another. Hadley has moved to a little cottage on an island off the coast of Maine to paint and deal with her impending divorce and unbearable loss. Sam has ventured to Alaska to find out exactly where his son died and where he was going. The young man was going to spend a year or 2 there to teach. Sam starts writing letters, REAL letters, on paper, with ink (!!!!!) to Hadley. This opens up communication between them as they share all their experiences while Sam is in Alaska. They are able to "talk" this way and learn things about themselves and each other. I don't want to give away any of the twists or the ending. I will just say that despite the tragedy that has separated Sam and Hadley there are moments of joy and hope.
This novel was actually written by 2 people, Luanne Rice AND Joseph Monninger. I wonder if Monninger wrote the letters from Sam, while Rice wrote the ones from Hadley. It was all well written and well thought out and quite different from Rice's usual novels, which I enjoy, but are nothing like this book of letters. I could not put this down!
This novel was actually written by 2 people, Luanne Rice AND Joseph Monninger. I wonder if Monninger wrote the letters from Sam, while Rice wrote the ones from Hadley. It was all well written and well thought out and quite different from Rice's usual novels, which I enjoy, but are nothing like this book of letters. I could not put this down!
October 24, 2012
I'm not generally a fan of romance novels; however, found the premise of this book interesting enough to at least start reading it.
Sam & Radley's son dies in a plane crash in Alaska. He'd gone there for personal reasons. Sam and Radley are devastated and in the midst of their grief, they lose touch with each other and their marriage is headed to divorce court.
As the book opens, Sam is on a quest to go to the site of the plane crash and Radley is staying in some rustic cabin getting in touch with her long-forgotten artistic side and grieving the death of her son and her marriage. Sam begins writing letters to Radley in an attempt to explain why he feels compelled to do what he's doing by dog-sledding to the site of this remote Alaskan plane crash. He is also wanting to describe to Radley his emotions as he makes this venture to "find closure" with his son and hopefully find an open door with his soon to be ex-wife.
This is a very touching and thought provoking book. I could identify with how it was easier for each of the characters to "speak" the truths that needed to be spoken, through letters than it was to do face-to-face.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially to fans of romance novels! ;)
Sam & Radley's son dies in a plane crash in Alaska. He'd gone there for personal reasons. Sam and Radley are devastated and in the midst of their grief, they lose touch with each other and their marriage is headed to divorce court.
As the book opens, Sam is on a quest to go to the site of the plane crash and Radley is staying in some rustic cabin getting in touch with her long-forgotten artistic side and grieving the death of her son and her marriage. Sam begins writing letters to Radley in an attempt to explain why he feels compelled to do what he's doing by dog-sledding to the site of this remote Alaskan plane crash. He is also wanting to describe to Radley his emotions as he makes this venture to "find closure" with his son and hopefully find an open door with his soon to be ex-wife.
This is a very touching and thought provoking book. I could identify with how it was easier for each of the characters to "speak" the truths that needed to be spoken, through letters than it was to do face-to-face.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially to fans of romance novels! ;)
December 8, 2017
3,5*
Achei o livro bastante original, todo ele é desenvolvido através de cartas.
É uma história triste, muito triste mesmo, pois fala da perda de um filho, o que originou a ruptura do casamento dos pais, que por mais que se amassem não conseguiram enfrentar juntos o desgosto. O facto de estarem no limite do sofrimentos levou-os a magoarem-se mutuamente, a afastarem-se e por fim, ao processo de divórcio. No entanto, são as cartas que vão escrevendo um ao outro que os vai reaproximar e acabam ambos por perceber que não suportariam perder mais um grande amor...
Achei o livro bastante original, todo ele é desenvolvido através de cartas.
É uma história triste, muito triste mesmo, pois fala da perda de um filho, o que originou a ruptura do casamento dos pais, que por mais que se amassem não conseguiram enfrentar juntos o desgosto. O facto de estarem no limite do sofrimentos levou-os a magoarem-se mutuamente, a afastarem-se e por fim, ao processo de divórcio. No entanto, são as cartas que vão escrevendo um ao outro que os vai reaproximar e acabam ambos por perceber que não suportariam perder mais um grande amor...
November 23, 2017
Gostei, mas não adorei...
Opinião aqui: http://baudatanocas.blogs.sapo.pt/tua...
Opinião aqui: http://baudatanocas.blogs.sapo.pt/tua...
March 3, 2014
The story is about a marriage torn apart by their son's untimely death and how the couple tries to get back their sanity in their own way. The husband decides to visit the place in Alaska where their son breathed his last. The journey is long and difficult. The wife retires to a lonely house and tries to go back to painting. Bonded by their grief they write letters to each other. They discover their lost love through their letters.
The story is touching. It moves fast and touches the heart.
The story is touching. It moves fast and touches the heart.
August 28, 2014
Two authors have co-written this novel, and yet it is seamless. It is a mature story about an estranged couple who are moving towards rediscovering each other all over again. Loss of their only child changes everything they had together, love and happiness. Full review at Natasha'z Words
April 30, 2014
This was a very moving story. It's just a very little story of how losing a child can separate a marriage. Your heart will be shattered, as a mother of just one child the story made me to want to make another child but again it's all in God's hand. You can have 10 kids and still outlive them..
September 3, 2017
This is quite a unique little book. One that most certainly caught me off guard. I checked the library audio out for this book because I needed a short book at the time. Much to my surprise, I really found this book to be a wonderful experience. It's the first book I have ever read OR listened to in this format. It's simply letters back and forth between a husband and wife during a difficult time in their lives. I must admit that I was thinking about this book when I was away from it, and I loved the quiet time I spent with it in my car. Relationships are Hard. Life is Hard. Listening to this book was Not Hard. It's full of deep thoughts and emotions, and it made me miss the days of good old letter writing!
February 28, 2018
I wanted to read an Epistolary novel for a reading challenge. Researching titles was fun, and I finally settled on this one. I thought their letters to each other about their relationship were sweet and sappy but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would because of the little twists and turns towards the end.
April 25, 2023
A loving couple loses their 20 year old son to a plane crash in the wilds of Alaska. He was going there to work with Inuit people. They are on the edge of divorce. The husband has turned to work, and the wife to alcohol. The husband decides he must travel to the site of the plane crash. The wife, a painter until the son’s death, goes to the far reaches of Maine, to paint again. The book is the letters they wrote to each during this time apart. They really did love each other and their letters revealed that fact to each other.
September 15, 2011
An epistle is a letter sent to a person or group of people that is generally elegant, formal and didactic in nature. This is the form of Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger’s collaborative novel, The Letters.
Sam and Hadley West have lost their only child, Paul, in a plane crash in Alaska, where he had gone to teach. The loss of their son throws their marriage into turmoil and they are now on opposite sides of continent waiting for their divorce to become final. Hadley, an artist, is holed up in a little cottage on an island off the coast of Maine. Sam, a sports journalist, has gone to Alaska in an effort to recreate Paul’s last days and see the site of the plane crash. The Letters (no surprise here) is the shared correspondence between the two as they work through their individual grief and slowly make their way back to each other.
In theory, this sort of novel is fraught with problems from the get-go. First of all, it’s all tell. Dear Hadley, today I did this. Dear Sam, today I thought this. I mean, people don’t write this sort of letter anymore, do they? Geesh, I don’t think people write letters at all anymore and I say this as a life-long letter writer who might write a half dozen letters a year now- most of them scribbled notes. So, as a reader, if you can get past the conceit, you then have to decide whether the novel has the emotional resonance the topic deserves.
I liked The Letters. Hadley and Sam were two people faced with an unbearable tragedy. Their letters allow them to work through their grief, unload some of their anxiety and face up to past mistakes. It also allows them the opportunity (and the reader, too) to trace the trajectory of their lives – from the moment they met to this place they now find themselves…where they need each other more than anything and yet make the very human mistake of pushing each other away.
In less competent hands, The Letters might have been a hot mess, but Rice and Monninger do an admirable job of making Sam and Hadley people with real flaws and their story should be relatable to anyone who has ever lost a child or almost walked away from the very person they need most.
Sam and Hadley West have lost their only child, Paul, in a plane crash in Alaska, where he had gone to teach. The loss of their son throws their marriage into turmoil and they are now on opposite sides of continent waiting for their divorce to become final. Hadley, an artist, is holed up in a little cottage on an island off the coast of Maine. Sam, a sports journalist, has gone to Alaska in an effort to recreate Paul’s last days and see the site of the plane crash. The Letters (no surprise here) is the shared correspondence between the two as they work through their individual grief and slowly make their way back to each other.
In theory, this sort of novel is fraught with problems from the get-go. First of all, it’s all tell. Dear Hadley, today I did this. Dear Sam, today I thought this. I mean, people don’t write this sort of letter anymore, do they? Geesh, I don’t think people write letters at all anymore and I say this as a life-long letter writer who might write a half dozen letters a year now- most of them scribbled notes. So, as a reader, if you can get past the conceit, you then have to decide whether the novel has the emotional resonance the topic deserves.
I liked The Letters. Hadley and Sam were two people faced with an unbearable tragedy. Their letters allow them to work through their grief, unload some of their anxiety and face up to past mistakes. It also allows them the opportunity (and the reader, too) to trace the trajectory of their lives – from the moment they met to this place they now find themselves…where they need each other more than anything and yet make the very human mistake of pushing each other away.
In less competent hands, The Letters might have been a hot mess, but Rice and Monninger do an admirable job of making Sam and Hadley people with real flaws and their story should be relatable to anyone who has ever lost a child or almost walked away from the very person they need most.
January 31, 2009
Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger have created a charming book in The Letters. Although in reading, one feels like they've stumbled upon a couples' private collection of letters to one another, the book is touching and sincere.
Sam and Hadley have lost their only son in a terrible plane accident. Years later, they separate on their own journeys and soul searches in order to figure things out. Sam takes off to Alaska where their son's plane had crashed, and Hadley finds herself a cottage in Maine and begins to paint again. During their time apart, they write one another letters with brutal honesty and compassion that they thought was lost. Will their letters bring them back together, or will they continue to drift apart from one another and the love they once shared?
Sam and Hadley have lost their only son in a terrible plane accident. Years later, they separate on their own journeys and soul searches in order to figure things out. Sam takes off to Alaska where their son's plane had crashed, and Hadley finds herself a cottage in Maine and begins to paint again. During their time apart, they write one another letters with brutal honesty and compassion that they thought was lost. Will their letters bring them back together, or will they continue to drift apart from one another and the love they once shared?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2008
Having owned 2 Siberian Huskies, I have always had a romantic feeling for sled dog racing and Alaska. This was a book of letters between an estranged husband and wife who were struggling with the loss of their son in an airplane crash in the wilds of Alaska. Sam, the father, felt compelled to travel by dog sled to the site of the plane crash. Hadley, the mother, took refuge in Maine to paint, get sober, and heal. The letters were detailed about the scenery, the happenings and their feelings. The loss of their son, Paul, was the beginning of the end of their marriage but it was saved by the letters. Paul had some secrets that were reveiled at the end of the book. This is not the type of book that I normally read; but I trusted Luanne Rice not to let me down. This was a well done journey for Sam and Hadley and for me, the reader. Thank you Luanne Rice and Joseph Monninger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2009
I enjoyed the format as it was just letters back and forth to husband and wife but the plot was stupid. I didnt like the charachters and it was just over all a dumb book.
January 23, 2013
Thank you, Megan for this recommendation. I really enjoyed reading it:)
October 1, 2014
A correspondence between an estranged husband and wife as the husband heads off to Alaska to investigate the death of their son. Heart wrenching and thought provoking.
December 29, 2016
Este livro desiludiu-me imenso. Apesar de ser um tema que toca o coração a forma como é abordado não transmite nada e no fim fica um vazio.
November 20, 2016
In Luann Rice's The Letters, she told us a gripping and moving story about love, life and loss in one powerful woman's fiction novel. For Hadley and Sam West, they had split up after their own child, Paul, died in a plane crash in Alaska. They went their separate ways and filed for divorce, when their love went wrong. For Sam, he had sent her the first letters, when he was set out to go to Alaska to see where the plane crashed and learned about dog mushing in his first Alaskan adventures. For Hadley, she wrote him back about how she needed time to herself in Mohegan Island, Maine, and how she painted again. Later on, they talk about how they first met each other, how they loved each other, and the sore spot about the reason for their divorce. Hadley became concerned on Sam's health out there, and enlightened him about her haunted cabin with a friendly ghost. Both of them didn't want to sell their home and their orchard on their land. While they discussed Paul and what he went through with his relationship with Julie, before the plane died, they mourned his loss in their profound way. They both sought out to get answers in Alaska and found their way back to each other in the end, when their love never died in spite of things.
May 6, 2025
Well, that was interesting. How does a parent deal with the death of an adult child? In this book, two authors write letters as if they are the parents. The mother has become withdrawn and the father is on a mission to go where his son died. The distance between these two parents is immense as they deal with their own grief in their own way but the distance and time has driven a wedge between them. They are in the throes of a divorce. As the two parents begin writing to each other and trying to explain their grief/actions to heal, the reader senses the animosity, the hurt, and the depth of each of their pain...and through the letters and their actions, maybe they'll learn to live...and love again.
August 22, 2017
Dealing with a loss can pull two people closer together or completely break them apart. In this story of love and loss and breaking points, Sam and Hendly are tested to the limit. They each need to figure out their own ways to overcome grief and find their way.
Their journey will bring you to tears and pierce your heart, while getting to know them personally through letter form. I've always believed that words and feelings are best expressed through writing and this story is embedded in so many aspects of real life. To have hope stoked, snuffed then stoked again is a grueling chain of events. And in the end they are left with choices, " break or On-by!"
Their journey will bring you to tears and pierce your heart, while getting to know them personally through letter form. I've always believed that words and feelings are best expressed through writing and this story is embedded in so many aspects of real life. To have hope stoked, snuffed then stoked again is a grueling chain of events. And in the end they are left with choices, " break or On-by!"
January 28, 2021
Not the kind of book I usually buy for myself, which I didn’t because this one somehow found its way to my shelf unbeknownst to me. Read it anyway! I did like the perspective of the writing, letters back and forth between a husband and wife navigating a failing marriage after a huge loss. It was an easy read nonetheless, but not the most interesting or enlightening. I found it odd for the letters to be so perfect, seemed unnatural considering if this were to occur in real time. I enjoyed the ending of it though, not for the sheer fact that they ended up back together but for instead the moral of the story.
November 22, 2020
What a beautiful story and written in such a perfect way. Intimate Letters written as parents try to deal with the loss of there 22 yr old son. Written like a memoir this fictional story is hard to believe that you are not just eavesdropping on someone’s personal correspondence. A powerful story to be read right now as the story ends on Christmas Eve!
Looking forward to reading another Luanne Rice novel.
Looking forward to reading another Luanne Rice novel.
August 15, 2023
I loved this book and I needed this book. My husband and I lost our daughter (our only child) when she was killed in a car accident while riding with a find. It’s been 14 yrs now. It doesn’t ever get better only different. I could relate to the emotions of both the mother and the father (the husband and the wife). The wiring was superb as I was right there living the story with them some in Alaska and some in Maine.
January 14, 2019
Heartbreaking story about dealing with the loss of a son.
The pain the parents went thru trying to accept their loss, dealing with their grief and the guilt.
I love how the story was written... how they spent months letting their marriage fall apart, not communicating and end up putting all this emotion and truth in their letters to each other to find their way back to themselves again.
The pain the parents went thru trying to accept their loss, dealing with their grief and the guilt.
I love how the story was written... how they spent months letting their marriage fall apart, not communicating and end up putting all this emotion and truth in their letters to each other to find their way back to themselves again.
July 8, 2019
This book is written in the form of letters between an estranged husband and wife. The couple’s only son died in a plane crash, and through the course of these letters, the couple comes to terms with the loss of their son and the impact on their marriage.
The main setting is in Alaska, which I really enjoyed reading about.
The main setting is in Alaska, which I really enjoyed reading about.
May 15, 2021
The story of a couple who lost their only child in a plane crash. In the process, they lose each other and are in the process of a divorce. The story is told in letters to each other. because of the lag in delivery, sometimes there are several letters from one person before there are any letters from the other.
Very poignant and believable.
Very poignant and believable.
May 31, 2022
A poignant story of love lost and recaptured. This is a highly emotional story of what really builds a family and keeps it together. The reader could predict how the story would end but it is told through heartfelt letters that keep you reading through in a short amount of time. I recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews