Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Book Review: With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin


Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she's never met- even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence-he's been trying to escape his infamous name for years.  As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other's true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?
The reason I picked this book up in the first place was because Mellie was a flight nurse. Nursing is one of my favorite things to read about and my favorite Cherry Ames was the one in which she is a flight nurse. That being the case, I was elated to find a “deeper” book in the same setting. Nursing is still my favorite part of the story, yet as I read I grew to like it for more reasons than that. First, I loved the Christian element Mrs. Sundin put in, but still without being preachy as it flows so naturally in the letters between the pen-pals. Mellie has trouble with being shy and reserved, which I can relate to. Her shyness puts me in mind of another heroine who is shy, but who does not deal with it in such a satisfactory way (Valancy, I'm looking at you ;)). For one thing, Valancy runs away and Mellie deals with it right where she is. Another thing I enjoyed was the way Mrs. Sundin crafted the story with so many parallels between Tom and Mellie's story, etc. The romance was also well balanced with deeper themes. This book also made me “think” more than many books I have read. I picked up this book with high expectations and I am happy to say it did not disappoint!

Around the World in 365 Days: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Italy.

14 comments:

  1. I haven't read this series yet, but I read Sarah Sundin's "Wings of Glory" series and it was awesome! A couple of them had female leads who were nurses too.

    And isn't Cherry Ames awesome? I always loved the one where she was a jungle nurse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hamlette,
      I hope you enjoy it! I haven't read the Cherry Ames jungle nurse one. I'll have to look it up soon!

      Delete
  2. Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I loved the Cherry Ames books when I was young and briefly wanted to be a nurse. Sadly, I have serious squeamish tendencies - so instead I became a pharmacist who WRITES about nurses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mrs. Sundin,
      I was so surprised and thrilled to get your comment! And you're so welcome... It's my pleasure!

      Delete
  3. Glad you enjoyed this novel, Eowyn! I'm looking forward to someday reading the first two books in this series after reading the third book, which was lovely. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rissi,
      Oh, I do hope you can read it soon! :)

      Delete
  4. This sounds so good! The Cherry Ames Flight nurse book is my favorite too! What a lovely coincidence. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Natalie,
      It's really good! ;) And there's something about the mix of flying and nursing that's just perfect. :)

      Delete
    2. I agree with you totally! :) And I requested this book (With Every Letter) from my library. I can't wait to read it!

      Delete
    3. Hi Eowyn!
      I wanted to comment to tell you I read this book! It was fantastic! I'm so glad you recommended it to me. It was so sweet, funny, and I loved how it was more faith based than some supposedly "Christian" books I've read before. It was really suspenseful too. Even though I knew Mellie and Tom would eventually end up together it was still like, "Tell him who you are already!!!" Mellie was SUCH a sweet and relatable character and Tom was absolutely wonderful. :) I also loved his dog, Sesame. :)

      Delete
    4. Natalie,
      The suspense aspect to the romance almost surprised me a little--not though, that that means I didn't like it! And yes, I agree. They are both so great and then as a couple they are just too sweet! :)

      I very much enjoyed hearing your thoughts about it! Thank you for telling me! :)

      Delete
    5. Your welcome! I'm so glad I read your review-I might not have gotten around to reading the book otherwise! :)

      Delete
  5. I really love her writing style! Haven't read this one yet, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,
      Thanks for visiting!

      It is very beautiful. :) And I highly recommend both this and her other two nurse stories (though I do have a few reservations about the third).

      Delete



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...