I picked up The last letter from your lover from the library mainly because I saw the movie featured on Netflix’s new movie list a couple of weeks ago. I generally think that if someone made a film out of a book, it must be worth a read; hence, this book (which I had never heard of before) made it to my TBR list. And I decided to read the book side-by-side, watching the movie.
The last letter from your lover
It’s 1960. When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing-not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is. She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon an impassioned letter, signed simply “B,” asking her to leave her husband.
Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives. She becomes obsessed with the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career. Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending, she would find one in her own complicated love life, too. Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
Book Thoughts
I”ll be upfront with my biases here. I am not fond of books with extramarital affairs featuring so strongly. In addition, one of the main heroes is a serial cheater, alcoholic, and a deadbeat dad – not the man of my dreams. The main heroine is a dumb socialite.
With these two unpromising characters, Jojo Moyes attempts to fashion a sappy romance that transcends all barriers.
So, yes, the story is strictly for the ultra-romantic, which I am not. But it is a testament to Moyes’ writing that I could get through the book and end up enjoying it.
I liked how Moyes explores the romance of the 1960s with the humdrum hooking up of the present day. She does this mainly through letters – lovely hand-written notes vs. texts. I liked the back-and-forth between the past and the present and even enjoyed the mild twist at the end.
I was not too fond of the characters, and their motivations were pretty shady, but once I accepted that this was the story, I had no problems with how Moyes executed it.
Well-written. Picks up after a slow start. Surprisingly touching in the end.
Movie Thoughts
Sadly, I was not fond of the movie as much. It was a DNF for me. I think the main reason for my dislike is that the film doesn’t bring out the beauty in the writing. Instead, we have two unlikeable people having an affair, and the nuances of the affair don’t quite come through enough to make me empathize with the characters.
It also doesn’t help that the main leads are so dull. Shailene Woodley seems to be in practically everything I see these days. But I can’t help but think she’s more the secondary lead type, and she didn’t suit this role. The hero (so forgettable that I don’t remember his name) is supposed to be a dashing reporter type, but he is also meh. They looked what they were – present-day people wearing vintage clothes and makeup. At no time did I buy into the 1960s vibe – their body language just seemed too modern.
The less said about the modern-day leads, the better.
The excellent parts of the movie were the locations and costumes.
Overall, the movie focuses on the worst aspects of the book and becomes a bit of a melodramatic mess.
Overall thoughts
This is a no-brainer. Stick to the book, and that too, if you have nothing against adulterous romances.
