My Dear I Wanted to Tell You

My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is one of those books that doesn't leave you, and probably never will. So deep was the place it touched in my heart, that I wanted to keep the book itself close by; as if I could comfort each character and keep them tightly held. Many writers have set out to describe war's dark, lingering shadow, though few have truly succeeded. In this story of lives torn apart by the horror of the Great War, where even the soul struggles to rise amid the detritus of battle, Louisa Young proves herself to be one of those writers, and she has told this story very, very well.

At the heart of My Dear I Wanted To Tell You are an irresistible hero and heroine: the passionate, ambitious, strong-minded Riley and Nadine. How their lives are transformed-literally and figuratively-by World War I makes for a surprisingly suspenseful and tender novel. I was enraptured by these pages.

Every once in a while comes a novel that generates its own success, simply by being loved. Louisa Young's My Dear I Wanted to Tell You inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls' One Day.

Known to children around the world for the bestselling Lionboy series, Louisa Young makes use of her abundant storytelling gifts in her first novel for adults: My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, a moving tale of men and women tested to their limits by World War I.

Singular in quality...[A] thoughtful story of English class, world war, and that universal constant-love.

With well-written, mesmerizing prose reminiscent of an earlier era, this novel will be enjoyed by any fan of romance or historical fiction. The level of detail and description is sometimes shocking but always poignant and relevant.

A literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair.

This novel is a triumph.

A month after reading this book it is still on my mind, its characters as clear and their dilemmas still playing themselves out in my mind. I'd thought there was nothing more for fiction to do with the Great War, but Louisa Young has discovered the startlingly modern questions of that great catastrophe.