Book Review: The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright by Clare Swatman

I’m so happy to be welcoming Clare Swatman back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her new novel, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright.

Starting over can be hard to do…

So when mum of two Beth moves out of her beloved marital home and into an unloved and unkempt cottage, she can’t help but feel demoralised. Faced with months of DIY and dust, her children Jacob and Olivia aren’t impressed either. But when Beth finds a box of letters while she’s clearing out the children’s room, things start to look up.

The correspondence is decades old, between agony aunt Evelyn and those in need of solace. Intrigued as to why the letters have been kept safe all these years, Beth can’t resist reading them, and as the wisdom and kindness of Evelyn falls off the pages, so Beth starts to feel she has a friend and champion in this woman she has never met.

Good advice doesn’t age, and as life starts to look brighter, Beth begins to wonder if she could track down Evelyn and thank her for her help. But as Beth uncovers more about Evelyn’s story, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. And now Beth is determined to bring peace to Evelyn as she has to her.

*****

Beth had it all – the marriage, the wonderful house and two children. 

Now, she’s a single mother in a ramshackle house that needs a lot of work, her husband is living with the woman he was having an affair with and she has never felt more lonely. 

When she finds some old agony aunt letters, she decides to reply. After all, it’s something to do. However, these letters open up her world to more than she ever imagined. 

I really enjoyed one of Clare’s previous novels, Before We Grow Old and so I was excited to be invited onto the blog tour for The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright. The premise for this book sounded great. There is a mystery to it that was right up my street. Where did the letters come from? Who originally owned them? 

Beth is someone I am sure many readers will relate to. She’s found herself in an all too familiar position, having to pick herself up after a divorce. She’s stronger than she believes. 

I love her story and how it develops throughout the novel. The support characters are good too – well, I wanted to give Rob a piece of my mind. 

The plot develops well and at a great pace. 

The combination of good characters and mystery meant that I enjoyed this book very much. 

It tackles themes such as divorce, sexuality, loss, family and new love and does so well. 

The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright is a wonderful tale of having faith and allowing yourself to move on. 

I have such a book hangover with this novel. I hope it’s not the last we see of Beth, Charlie and Catherine.

This is a great holiday book or if you’re looking for a romantic escape, it’s perfect. I loved it. 

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, Netgalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.)

About Clare Swatman –

Clare Swatman is the author of three women’s fiction novels, published by Macmillan, which have been translated into over 20 languages.

She has been a journalist for over twenty years, writing for Bella and Woman & Home amongst many other magazines.

She lives in Hertfordshire. Before We Grow Old, was published in January 2022. Her latest novel, The Lost Letters of Evelyn Wright was released by Boldwood Books on 15th February 2024. Click here to buy on Amazon UK and Waterstones. 

Say hello to Clare via Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to Clare’s newsletter.

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.