I am convinced that The Postmistress by Sarah Blake will be made into a movie sometime this century. Not only do I think this novel is interesting enough to be a film, but I think it could win Best Adapted Screenplay or maybe even Best Picture at the Oscars if placed into the right hands. I read the book in one sitting, closed it, and sort of gasped Wow! Even days later, I am having trouble finding the words to describe exactly how good The Postmistress is to convince you to go out into this horrible snowstorm and buy this book immediately. I read this book during a highly stressful and busy week in my life, but despite all my distractions, this book instantly took me out of my life 2010 and put me in 1940. I can’t quite put my experience and enjoyment into the right words, but I can give you an idea of what I felt while reading this book by telling the follow story.
In 2005 my husband and I traveled to Europe to travel to 15 cities in 8 countries in 14 days. It sounded good on paper, but never having traveled to Europe, we had no idea what to expect, no matter how much research I did or how many travel guides I studied. After traveling sixteen hours straight (due to my compulsive need to arrive at all airports way too early, as being a former flight attendant has taught me it is imperative you must) and having to switch flights due to an airline strike, we arrived in London a day late completely frazzled. I had been awake for nearly two days, especially since I was forced to sit behind eight of the most annoying and shockingly drunk people on a red eye international flight. After arriving at the wrong airport and being forced to take the same tube trip just one month after the London bombings occurred, I stepped into the bright sunlight nearly in tears and utterly exhausted. I was starving and stressed out, but I suddenly stopped, dropped my suitcase, and gasped Wow! when I had my first look into the streets of London. Unfortunately for me, I was crossing a busy street at the time while looking the wrong way, and I had dropped my suitcase on my foot, which sent my shoe flying into traffic, causing it to get run over. I was literally stuck in the middle of two-way traffic while standing on one foot, and yet lost in experiencing the first moment I ever saw London, my favorite city in the world. It was such a Wow! moment in time, and it had nothing to do with my shoe or near-death experience.
I tell you the above story for two reasons. One, it is very hard for me to put into words the way I feel when I read fabulous books, especially during hard times in my life. The Postmistress is one of those fabulous books, so I’m just trying to come up with a way to get you to understand how darn good the book really is. My other reason is that I think it is hopefully more entertaining for you to read a different type of book review than you can find by other wordpress bloggers, or even EW Magazine which gave it a great review this week. Instead of me saying that this book takes place in Cape Cod and London during WWII and it is historical fiction novel written by Sarah Blake, I can tell you my own way to make it more appealing to those who get scared off by historical fiction or WWII stories. Plus I am not the type of blogger who writes things like “this book is in the vein of The Help by Kathryn Stockett or Atonement by Ian McEwan.” If I can get just one of you to look past your dislike of historical fiction or WWII stories by explaining what I felt while reading a book of this magnitude, then I’ve done my job.
I want all of you to read The Postmistress because it is such an interesting story about three women and how their lives become intertwined during war-time. The war, while important and quite interesting to those of us who already enjoy reading WWII stories, isn’t all that those of you who don’t like reading about wars will be thinking about. The story of The Postmistress really is about what happens to these women during the war and the consequences these ladies have to live with are the true heart and soul of this novel. There are so many other things I learned from this book that I never knew about, which was a major bonus. Anytime I find a book that can take me out of a hard week, and it overwhelms me so much that I forget what I was dealing with back in reality, well… I think that is the type of book worthy enough of your attention. I’m simply telling you that The Postmistress is a must read of 2010. Go get it, love it, and come back and talk about it!
To learn a little more about The Postmistress, watch the following YouTube video and see Sarah Blake talk about her novel and how she was inspired to write it.
To buy The Postmistress, click here.
To visit Sarah Blake’s website, click here.
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