Sunday, July 14, 2019

Book Review - Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham

Book Synopsis
For three years, Penny Ercanbeck has been opening other people's mail.

Dead ends are a reality for clerks at the dead letter office, and she dreams of something more--a bit of intrigue, perhaps a taste of romance. When she comes across a letter from a brokenhearted man to his one true love, it becomes her mission to place this lost letter into the hands of its intended recipient.

But when Penny's undertaking leads her to the intriguing man who touched her soul with his words, everything grows more complicated. She wants to find the rightful owner of the letter, and yet . . . she finds herself caring--perhaps too much--for the one who wrote it.


My Review
Penny Ercanbeck's story begins in 1883 in Washington, D.C.  She is working as a clerk at the dead letter office. Her job is to read letters that have not reached their recipient and send them on to their rightful owner if possible.  She finds a letter from a man named Thomas Connor.  He writes to a woman named Clara whom he loved and lost.  There are more letters from Thomas to Clara that follow.  Since Clara's address is nearby Alexandria, Virginia, Penny makes a day trip to try to return the letters.  When that proves impossible, she decides to travel to Azure Springs, the small town where Thomas has relocated.  She realizes her interest has grown beyond the letters to the man who wrote them.

I wanted to read Yours Truly, Thomas from the description.  I have always loved letters and love epistolary novels.  I find the idea of a dead letter office with someone long ago sorting and redirecting mail fascinating.

Penny is a very likeable character.  She's kind and genuinely cares about others (perhaps to the extent of taking her job a bit TOO seriously!).  She has had a difficult time since her father's death, and has tried to turn her life around with her work and friends.  She even has a lovable dog named Honey (short for Honeysuckle).

Thomas is also a very sympathetic character.  He has endured a tragic loss and moved to rebuild his life.  The connection between Penny and Thomas is immediate, and I enjoyed their interactions. That said, I did get a bit frustrated with Penny with her lack of directness.  I wish she would have been more forthcoming with Thomas about her reason for being in Azure Springs.

Which brings me to Azure Springs -- what a delightful little town!  I enjoyed reading about it - the boarding house, the town dance, the caring, small town atmosphere.

Yours Truly, Thomas is inspirational fiction, and fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this novel with a unique setting and premise. 

Author Bio
Rachel Fordham is the author of The Hope of Azure Springs. She started writing when her children began begging her for stories at night. She'd pull a book from the shelf, but they'd insist she make one up. Finally, she paired her love of good stories with her love of writing and hasn't stopped since. She lives with her husband and children on an island in the state of Washington.