Kate has just lost her mother, a world-renowned ballet dancer, in an aeroplane crash. Her grandmother gives her a letter that was meant for her mother when she was 20. It is from her mother's natural mother. Kate is then left wondering who this woman was, and why she claims she did not abandon her mother as a baby.The book is divided into three parts. I loved the first part. It gripped my attention and had me turning pages. The second part was interesting for the tale of the past, but frustrated me with the clichéd Mills 'n Boons-like romance that was being developed in the 'present'. The third part picked up again and had my attention - not quite to the point that the first part had, but I was definitely interested in what was going on. Perhaps I should be a little more honest. The story in the past was what I found interesting. I found the characters interesting, and even though I still wonder about their justification for their actions, I can appreciate the tale and emerged as a result. In fact, I loved the outcome of the story from the past, because it showed strength of character; not only with regards to World War 2, but surviving all sorts of things.
Another thing that was interesting was that the tale in the past was written in the present tense, which made it feel immediate and real, while the more modern part of the story was written in the past tense. It was an unusual mixture and probably added to my involvement and love for the story.
I enjoyed that the characters were strong people, who didn't lie around moping for what could have been, but still, to borrow the cliché, gripped life by the horns. There was also a pretty powerful message in this book for artists: regardless of their medium: photography, art, or writing even.
Ok, in hindsight, perhaps it did deserve the 4 stars I had originally given it. If only the silly romance thing had been done some way else. I settled for 3, because they don't have a 3.5 star rating.
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