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Revision as of 12:11, 4 March 2018
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{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=My Dear I Wanted to Tell You
|author=Louisa Young
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780007361434
|pages=336
|publisher=Harper Collins
|date=March 2011
|website=http://http://www.louisayoung.co.uk/
|video=http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVZsNaRMfiU
|summary=A World War One love story but also a hugely moving story about the physical and mental scars of the war, both on those who fought and particularly on those left behind. Military wives in a pre-Gareth Malone world with exceptional characterisation.
|cover=0007361432
|aznuk=0007361432
|aznus=0007361432
}}
It takes a while for the full power of Louisa Young's remarkable ''My Dear I Wanted To Tell YoYou'' to become apparent, but when it does, it can hardly fail to move you. Set just before and during World War One, it's a story of love and human spirit against the odds. The impact of the book is in what happens to the characters, so I don't want to give too much away, but it's worth pointing out that it's not for the overly squeamish reader particularly in some of the descriptions of surgical procedures, which have clearly been meticulously researched by Young. The title itself it taken from the opening words of the standard letters that the wounded were given to send to loved ones back home. The wounded were required to fill in the blanks.
The great strength of the book is the main characters. Young takes time to build them up and this is probably why a third of the way in I was thinking 'it's good, but I don't see what all the fuss is about'. But it means you really care for them when the story develops. By the end, I certainly knew.
There’s a huge choice of excellent literature on this period of history. [[The Children's Book by A S Byatt]] beautifully conveys the pre-war era while the under-rated [[Half of the Human Race by Anthony Quinn]] also addresses the changes in the role of women in society. Both are excellent. And if we may be permitted to make a further, non-literary recommendation, then why not buy Gareth Malone’s Military Wives single to support those who are still dealing with the same issues that Nadine, Rose and Julia faced.
{{amazontext|amazon=0007361432}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=7955241}}{{commenthead0007361432}}
{{toptentext|list=Costa Prize 2011}}
{{commenthead}}
[[Category:General Fiction]]
[[Category:Historical Fiction]]
{{comment
|name=Zoe Kubiak
|verb= said
|comment= Dear Bookbag,
I read this book last year after a helpful shop assistant said it was the best book she had read in a long time so thought it was obviously the book for me! The book delivered everything I had hoped, intelligent writing, an emotional story, with a historical slant that give me an insight into the pains endured by those who bravely fought in the first world war.
Kind Regards
Zoe
}}
