WITH EVERY LETTER (WINGS OF THE NIGHTINGALE) by Sarah Sundin

This is going to be the first time that I will review a book that
I did not like at all. But this was a joint reading organized for Isi, and I promised myself to review the book. I am so sorry for this, but here you have my review.

The plot was promising: II World War, the point of view of women and nurses. A story developed not only in the war camps but far away.

I like epistolary literature. Even in literature it seems to be a style that allows both parts to be completely honest, and at the same time it is like diving in the lives of others, and getting to know them more intimately.

But I couldn’t feel any connection with the two main characters. I don’t have problems with religious people. I think that everyone deserve respect for their beliefs, but in this book in each paragraph God or Lord appears, until I wanted to say: Please, stop!”

Back to the two main characters. They are feeling self-pity for themselves the whole time for their bad luck. Mellie provokes the rejection of the people around her continuously, with her attitude. She completely lacks of empathy for others’ feeling. She is that kind of person that always opens her mouth without thinking of the consequences. It was impossible for me to feel any connection, nor sadness for her bad luck or even comprehension. She is an insufferable person.

Tom was slightly better, but too obsessed with a father that he never knew.

The permanent reference to their parents is boring. I am sure that a lot of people love their parents, but they are not on their minds 24 hours a day all of their lives, sharing space with God.

Afterwards, the conclusion of their friendless situation is: she without a mother to teach her, and he without a father to follow his example ruined their lives. If other readers have read this story with a little attention, they must be as indignant as I am for this idea that children with only one of their parents are more likely to have problems. I guess that Melli is the alter ego of Sarah Sundin, who writes opinions without thinking.

Nothing else about these two characters, and only one more comment about characters. The only character that seems to be a little interesting, Kay, is criticized permanently, and we will never know what happen to her.

To sum up, this is a good book to discuss in a book club. At least for me this book gave me a lot to say (Yes, all negative, I know), but certainly not a book to recommend.

Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the author of the upcoming Waves of Freedom series (THROUGH WATERS DEEP, August 2015), theWings of the Nightingale series (WITH EVERY LETTER, 2012, ON DISTANT SHORES, August 2013, and IN PERFECT TIME, 2014), and the Wings of Glory series (A DISTANT MELODY, A MEMORY BETWEEN US, and BLUE SKIES TOMORROW).

A mother of three, Sundin lives in northern California. She works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Her novella in WHERE TREETOPS GLISTEN is a finalist in the 2015 Carol Awards, and her novel ON DISTANT SHORES was a double finalist for the 2014 Golden Scroll Awards. In 2011 she received the Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference.