I enjoyed reading this book all right. Three star read for me. Thank you for the chance to read the arc.

I fell in love with The Love Letter. Jillian Cantor's writing is beautiful. I cannot wait to read whatever else she puts out there!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Enjoyed this book.

What an amazing heartbreaking beautiful book! I loved it! This book has dual story lines, one set in Austria in 1938 during World War 2 and the other in America in 1989. The dual story lines go together seamlessly and each tell a beautiful story. The characters are so very real and I found myself crying in multiple parts of the story. It is a book I will be recommending to all my friends and family. I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

Author Jillian Cantor truly knows how to draw a reader in...I could not put down this beautifully written book!  At the end of every chapter my heart was pounding in anticipation.  The Lost Letter is two compelling stories artfully woven together and destined to intertwine at the end.  The first takes place in the late 1930s Austria, and is about the Fabers, a Jewish family.  The father is an engraver and he has a young, non Jewish apprentice, Kristoff, living with them to learn the trade. Kristoff becomes smitten with the older daughter, Elena, a bit of a rebel, who is secretly learning to engrave stamps in the night.  When the war reaches their small town, the Fabers are in danger and Elena along with Kristoff become part of the Austrian resistance, using stamps to communicate right under the noses of the Nazis.  The desperation of making it through this horrible time and the hopefulness of love are palpable as the characters secretly help others escape while biding their time.
In late 1980s Los Angeles, a philatelist (stamp collector) is battling dementia and is living in an Alzheimer's memory unit.  His daughter, Katie, is going through a divorce, sorting through her dad's belongings and is getting his stamp collection appraised with the hope of finding a hidden gem.   An unusual stamp is found on an unopened letter which leads her on a quest for answers.  This fascinating journey takes Kate back to the 1930s Austria as she learns about the war, Austrian resistance and her father's past.
The Lost Letter is historical fiction at its best; dual storylines, wonderful relationships, information about use of the stamp during wartime, paired with incredible storytelling by author Jillian Cantor makes this one of my favorite books this year!  Order your copy on AMAZON today!  I am so thankful to have received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.

I am huge fan of WWII books and this was one of the best I've read this year. The story involves two timelines. Los Angeles, 1989 with Katie Nelson going through a divorce while taking care of her father, recently placed in a nursing home due to dementia. Katie's father was a stamp collector, always looking for a gem. Katie takes his collection to a stamp expert named Benjamin to see if there might be a gem in the collection. Benjamin finds something of interest and that takes Katie and Benjamin on a quest. The second timeline is Austria 1938 with Kristoff, a stamp engraving apprentice and the Faber family who are Jewish. Kristoff is learning the trade from Mr. Faber during the time of Hitler's invasion of Austria. I cannot tell you how many times I held my breath reading this story. There were so many wonderful surprises in the weaving of these two stories. I was left feeling completely satisfied at the end. Beautiful story and cover.

THE LOST LETTER by Jillian Cantor is a WWII historical fiction novel told from the perspective of a stamp maker in Austria in 1938 and the daughter of a stamp collector in 1989. It centers around an unopened letter with a unique stamp but turns into so much more! Well written characters and a flowing narrative told between both time periods lend to a great reading experience. Cantor also captures the heartbreak of the time beautifully in a place that hasn't starred in too many WWII novels (at least that I've read!) This book kept me up until 2am to finish just so I could exhale. While the stamp collector is always looking for a "gem", the readers get their own by reading this novel. A good read for any historical fiction buffs out there or those that just want to engross themselves in a book for a while.

This book is going to be a huge hit for Jillian Cantor. The story is written in two different time periods, 1989 in Los Angeles and 1938 in Austria. Katie, who is going through a divorce she doesn't want, just put her father into a nursing home, and working for her soon to be ex, discovers an unopened letter from WWII when she takes her father's stamp collection to an appraiser, Benjamin. They go through a search together to find out the history of this unusual stamp.
The story also flashes back to Austria were Kristoff, a stamp apprentice, falls in love with his boss's daughter, Elena, as they work side by side working for the resistance to help the Jewish people.

The two stories slowly unravels through the novel and merge at the end in a surprising way. The Lost Letter's theme was about love and never giving up hope will be a book I remember for a long time.

Oh, the romance of finding a lost letter! What an amazing story of love and the tragedy of war. There are so many emotional elements in this story that will stay with me for a very long time. It is also sad to lose the stories to Alzheimer's, stories are so very important to share before it is too late! Highly recommend that you read this one and get to know Elena and Kristoff's story!

This book is so many different things. Heartwarming, heartbreaking. Happy feels, sad feels. Ups and downs like the largest roller coaster in the world.

It is told from two different time periods, and both perspectives are interesting and fantastic. The characters have dimension and such vivid personalities, the reader can't help but to love them all (except for a certain bunch.)

Add this to your tbr list, you won't be sorry!

My heart is still skipping a beat, my eyes still wet with tears as I am savoring the beauty of this book, the Lost Letter. I haven't been this moved by a book in a long time, perhaps its something about the stamps, the letter, and the romance ...but its also the continuing mystery as each chapter goes back and forward in time between 1938-1989, with vivid descriptions and details as this historical saga evolves. The characters of Elena and Kristoff's relationship is beautifully written and developed with emotions that tear at the heart breaking events they encounter. Looking into the memories of these characters is spell binding and Kate and Benjamin bring such anticipatory excitement in their journey to uncover the story behind the lost letter. The research that Jill Cantor did in writing this book is evident and I learned so much about Germany in those days I had never even imagined. I simply loved this book and highly recommend reading more from this author!

**Spoiler Alert**
“Unputdownable” is the best way that I can describe this lovely and so very well-crafted World War II novel.

Kristoff eagerly accepted an engraving apprenticeship with Fredrick Faber, an Austrian Jew well-known for creating the beautiful Edelweiss postage stamp. Kristoff quickly falls in love with Frederick’s oldest daughter, Elena amidst the Nazi invasion of Austria. Kristoff and Elena use their talents within the resistance attempting to thwart the Nazi’s. All the while Kristoff is forced to work for their enemy designing stamps celebrating Hitler’s newest acquisitions.

It’s the late 80’s and Katie is reeling as her husband, Daniel files for divorce. She juggles working as a movie reviewer for an LA magazine with her soon to be ex as her boss, spending quality time with her father who suffers from Alzheimer’s, visiting her mentally agile and ever feisty German grandmother, and struggling to comprehend what happened to what she thought was a fulfilling marriage.

In an effort to better understand her father’s lifelong passion and compulsion for stamp collecting, Katie brings the entire collection to Benjamin Grossman, a local stamp dealer to examine and appraise. Their interest is piqued when Benjamin discovers a sealed love letter adorned with a most unique stamp. Their investigation leads them to England, to Germany and to the not so distant past.

Jillian Cantor weaves these delicious stories together until the storylines converge and the whole truth immerges. Get your Kleenex ready. This is a story of extreme love and loss, beauty and courage, artistry and humanity.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this novel.

Sometimes a book really sucks you in. It grabs a hold of you, hangs on tight, and when you read that last page...you close the book, and sigh. This, The Lost Letter, is one of those books. Thank you to Andrea Katz and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this amazing novel. Going between LA in the late 80s as the Berlin Wall falls and Austria in the late 30's as Germany invades, you are swept up in the lives of Katie, her father's stamps, and how they connect to a Jewish stamp maker a half a world and century away. Why does her father have this stamp? Is it the "gem" he's been looking for? She goes on to discover new truths with stamp appraiser Benjamin, as they uncover the lives of the Fabers and their apprentice, Kristoff. Make sure to settle in. You won't be going anywhere until this book decides to let you go.

The Lost Letter is a heartbreakingly beautiful book about not only a lost letter, but also about lost loves, the loss of family, the loss of memories. A new, original light is shed on WWII, when letters and the postage used to send them were a lifeline. The story is told using a dual timeline; in 1989, Katie has taken her collection of her father's stamps to an expert in philately, and they discover an unusual letter;addressed upside down, and it has a strange stamp affixed to it. They set forth to discover it's meaning, and are surprised and shocked when they finally discover its origin. In the other timeline, we are in Austria in 1939, where we meet Kristoff and the family of a stamp engraver who is teaching him that craft. The two stories are woven together so intricately, and as they converge I was swept away with emotion. Jill Cantor has written a story that is tender and loving, even as she writes about harrowing events that occur during the war. From the mystery of the letter, to the pain of the war, to loves lost and found, readers will be swept away by the heartfelt pages of this book.

This beautiful story is told through dual perspectives and they flow together absolutely perfectly. Kristoff’s story is an heartbreaking tale of love, loss and perseverance and Katie’s had some parallel themes as well. The two narratives were separately engaging in their own way and I was truly enraptured by both stories. Kristoff lived in a time of despair and fear, but he still managed to cling to hope and love. Katie is experiencing her own tough time as she is in the process of divorcing her husband while dealing with the loss of her father’s mental faculties as he struggles with memory loss. Both were equally well drawn and I grew to care about them deeply by the end. These two separate tales merge in a way that was poignant and wonderfully romantic.

I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossed I became in Kristoff’s story, especially as he trained to become a stamp engraver. This is a topic that I know next to nothing about, but it’s oddly interesting and beautiful. It was mainly so compelling to learn about how secret messages were used in the stamps as part of the resistance to Nazi Germany, the resourcefulness is an inspiration.

Cantor has a really evocative, gorgeous writing style that truly swept me away. Being reminded of the power and beauty of good old fashioned letter writing was so touching, especially in today’s day and age of a technology hungry world. This was such a romantic, epic love story that truly touched my heart, I’ll be thinking of the characters for months to come. It would be an ideal pick for any book club as there are many thought provoking themes to discuss and ponder.

Fabulous book!! It is a beautiful and also heartbreaking story told in dual storylines that takes place in 1938-1939 Austria at the beginning of WWII, and in 1989 Los Angeles, California. I was captivated by the story and the history of stamp engraving and how it played an important role during the war. This was something I was not familiar with until I read this book. Loved all of the main characters, and the ending had me in tears. Jillian Cantor's research and writing is absolutely amazing. The Lost Letter is going on my 2017 Favorites book list and also my all-time favorites list. This is definitely a book that should not be missed. I so very highly recommend it.

I received an advance reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost Letter, Jillian Cantor

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for my review and I received no compensation. This review is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this story immensely! I've heard wonderful things about this author and was excited to receive an advance copy. The story alternates between the late 80's in California and the late 40's in Germany and Austria. It's part love story, part quest, part history lesson. There are many other historical fiction books set in this time period however the use and role of stamps (making and engraving) during that time was fascinating. (I have no idea how to say the word philatelists though!) The characters of Kate and her father Ted, Benjamin and Elena, and Kristoff and Miriam were interesting and genuine. Loved the symbolism of the edelweiss and the homage to Little Women. I was very pleased with how the author handled her father's illness and the ending was bittersweet and just perfect. Looking forward to more by this author!

I love everything about "The Lost Letter" by Jillian Cantor. The publisher is Penquin Group, Riverhead and the publishing date is June 13, 2017. The genres of this book are Historical Fiction and Fiction.
Kudos to Jillian Cantor for the beautiful storytelling and descriptions of the locations in this novel. The timeline of this story is both World War Two and in the time when the wall came down between East and West Germany, both significant times in history. The locations take place in Austria, Germany, England and the United States.
The characters are complex and complicated. In the turbulent time of World War Two, there is betrayal and secrets. Some of the characters during this time period are brave and courageous and hold on to their beliefs of a free Austria. These characters take risks to survive the German occupation
In the present timeline in the book, the wall is coming down between East and West Germany. many of the characters are looking for answers and are fighting for freedom.
I love the way that the author has both past and present like puzzle pieces, that have to be put together
I appreciate the research the author has done on stamps and engraving, and the significance in history.
Everything about this book is amazing, and intriguing. I recommend this book tremendously! Happy Reading! I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

One of the best books I have read this year. Beautiful book from beginning to end. Well plotted and wonderfully written. Will definitely be buying a copy for my keeper bookcase. Pick up this book because you will not be disappointed.