heart-wrenching historical novel about one woman's sacrifices during WWII--and the effects of her choices on generations to come.
London, 1943. German bombs rain down on London, but Elaine Parker knows her job transcribing letters from far-away prisoners of war is more important than her own safety. As she types, she reminds herself that she will not cry. Poor Sam in Burma doubted whether he would ever see his children again. "Tell them they mean the world to me." Elaine wanted to reach out into the letter, hold his hand. If only he knew that she was half a world away, reading, listening...
At home, Elaine's life isn't so simple--as the main breadwinner for her struggling family, she doesn't have much time to consider her own future hopes and dreams. And then Elaine meets dark-haired and passionate Bobby--a wartime photographer on the dangerous front line--and her world shifts. Will Elaine be forced to choose between following love and providing for her family?
London, Present day. Even the kiss of warm sunshine and the musical call of birds at her family's countryside villa can't make Jen forget the heartbreak she's left behind. That is, until she begins to investigate the origins of a tattered family photograph: two sweet little girls gazing out across a sparkling bay, their eyes clear and hopeful--looking for all the world as if England hadn't just suffered the most horrific war imaginable. What is the story behind the picture, and could it finally be the key to mending the cracks in Jen's own heart?