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Dear Evelyn

A Novel

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Dear Evelyn

Written by: Kathy Page
Narrated by: Gemma Dawson
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About this listen

Winner of the 2018 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

A 2018 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
A Globe and Mail Best Book of 2018
A Toronto Star Top Ten Book of the Year
A Winnipeg Free Press Favourite Book of the Year
A Quill & Quire Best Book of 2018

Born between the wars on a working-class London street, Harry Miles wins a scholarship and a chance to escape his station, but discovers instead that poetry is what offers him real direction. While searching for more of it he meets Evelyn Hill on the steps of Battersea Library. The two fall in love as the world prepares once again for war, but their capacity to care for each other over the ensuing decades becomes increasingly tested.

Twisting and startling, harrowing and deeply tender, Dear Evelyn explores how two very different people come together to shape and reshape each other over a lifetime. It is a compelling and unconventional love story that will leave its mark on any listener who has ever loved.

©2018 Kathy Page (P)2019 Audible, Inc. 20th Century Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction War
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I must admit that this story starts slow but I encourage you to persevere as it develops into a beautiful and devastating story of the life of a relationship. It demonstrates how the ghosts of one's past can linger in sinister ways that disrupt one's true intention to be their best self. Some of the characters you will love and others are more complicated and difficult to understand. in the end though, it demonstrates how relationships require continuous work both individually and as a couple. This is not a book of happy endings and romance but rather, a realistic analysis of the parts we chose to share and what we keep hidden.

A Story of Relationship

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This episodic story of a marriage and by default a family fascinated me. The ending was both crushing and very, very real. The seminal episode in a life, as is so often the case, is only seen as such gradually, and its inevitable collateral damage is painful to witness. Still, beautifully written and characters that seem undeveloped at the start organically gain substance over the course of the book. A psychological study that never reads like one, I’d recommend this book highly.

Disturbing and truthful

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It took me a bit to get into it but it wasn’t long before I was hooked.

Wonderful

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I really enjoyed this. Not a genre I generally read but very nice even if it did get melancholy near the end. Very interesting how the characters & personalities form and change, contrast with the perceptions of those surrounding them.

Lovely read

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I am not sure if I would have preferred to maybe read this one. I didn't particularly care for the narration, dialogue was done well, but did not like her approach to the narrative. At times seemed one long sentence.
I was bored at times, and just when I decided I would give it a chance and then could engage with the characters a bit, they would shortly thereafter become either annoying, abrasive, overly passive, or just unlikable.
I had to finish it however, which I don't always do, so it wasn't terrible.
If you have had this book recommended, I would say read, don't listen.

Didn't really enjoy it 2&1/2

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I always complete a book. This one had a promising beginning but in the end I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Dismal characters and a dismal story.

Dismal story

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It was very boring. There was no “event”’or problem in the book. It can be summed up in the following: Exciting WWII love story...then they grow old...live life...become grumpy...and die...

Not worth it...

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Got this book based on the positive reviews I read. Now having read it, I really don’t what these other readers saw in this book. Horrible narration. Couldn’t stand the thick English accent especially the screeching of the main character, the harpy Evelyn, and the attempt at a Polish accent was laughable. Fortunately that part was short. The story was rife with details that I found to be inconsequential to the overall narrative. More character development would have been preferred so that maybe the reader could care somewhat about what made this horrible person Evelyn tick. Just glad it’s over.

If I could rate this a zero, I would.

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A little disappointing. It’s just the predictable
Story of one life.. good if you like stories with war in them? Maybe?

Ethel and Ernest, but sad

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