The Last Letter from Your Lover: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

The year is 1960. Jennifer Stirling awakes in the hospital, suffering from amnesia after a car crash. Though she returns to her life as a wealthy industrialist's wife, she feels like a stranger in her own skin until she stumbles across a letter signed "B" that suggests she'd been having an affair. In flashbacks, Moyes (The Peacock Emporium, 2005) reveals the mystery man's identity as well as the missed connections that have drastic consequences for the lovers. Fast forward to 2003, when reporter Ellie Haworth also discovers letters from "B" to Jennifer in her newspaper's archives. Drawn to the missives' passionate language, which starkly contrasts with the terse texts she receives from her married lover, Ellie becomes obsessed with learning what happened to the star-crossed duo. Toggling between two eras, Moyes cleverly juxtaposes the conventions of old-fashioned and thoroughly modern romance. Readers will be tempted to flip to the final page to see whether Jennifer and Ellie earn their happy endings but should resist. Moyes' surprising plot twists and revelations are worth savoring. Copyright 2011 Booklist Reviews.

S.J. Watson's Before I Got To Sleep. Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind. Protagonists with failed or fading memories are all the rage. In this latest from British novelist/journalist Moyes, Jennifer Stirling awakens with no memory from a terrible accident. Then she finds a letter fervently begging her to abandon her husband and run away with the writer, identified only as "B." Decades later, a journalist named Ellie discovers the letter in her newspaper's file and determines to solve the mystery and bring together the long-lost lovers—all while landing a front-page story. The word unputdownable figures prominently in the British raves.

Jennifer Stirling, recovering from a car crash that almost killed her, suffers from amnesia. Nothing feels familiar, her friends seem like strangers, and as she begins to suspect that her marriage is a sham, she discovers a mysterious letter from a lover whose identity she can't remember. She knows him only as "B." What follows is an engrossing saga of love found then lost, crossed paths, and missed opportunities. This romantic tale bounces between the present and the past, examining the depths of love and the decisions made while in its throes. Although portions of the plot are somewhat predictable (the loyal secretary secretly in love with her boss) and the premise a tad unlikely, none of this matters because the reader will be drawn in by the characters, the time period (the early 1960s), and the multilayered story. VERDICT British journalist/novelist Moyes's (Horsedancer) latest book is the perfect read for those who enjoy a more serious romance as well as a British turn of phrase ("darling, be a dear and fetch me another drink"). Reminiscent of Janice Y.K. Lee's The Piano Teacher (but with more likable characters) or Jamie Ford's The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, it will appeal to fans of those titles. [See Prepub Alert, 1/17/11.]—Julie K. Pierce, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL

Elegiac yet emotionally ablaze, what could have been merely another love story is instead a graceful examination of grand events. In 1960s England, 27-year-old Jennifer Stirling awakens in the hospital after a terrible accident, suffering acute memory loss. As the past makes its too-slow return, Jennifer employs the skillful deception of an actress in order to cope, but soon realizes that she doesn't love her husband, a man of great wealth from mining operations in the Congo. Stumbling across a haunting love letter sent to her by a man identified only as "B," Jennifer tries to reconcile what is clearly a great passion with the crippling social mores of her day and class. As she examines her heart and mind, the story skips from London to the French Riviera and the Congo in the midst of an anticolonial war. In 2003, English journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles across one of B's letters to Jennifer while researching a story, dragging her into ancient passions and sparking her to examine her own heart. With poetic prose and affecting characters, Moyes's (Night Music) genuinely captivating tale resonates deeply in today's fast-paced, less gracious world. (July)