My Dear I Wanted to Tell You
Louisa Young

Harper
May 31, 2011/ ISBN 0061997145
Historical romance
Amazon

Reviewed by Nicole Merritt

My Dear could have been a really great story but it wasn’t. It lacked the intensity throughout that it offered in the beginning. The story had promise, but, I felt it fell short midway through the story. Being as it had a World War I theme, I had certain expectations from the title, but I just didn’t feel it fulfilled its title promise.

It is touted as an epic (use that term lightly) war story based on the meeting of a small boy named Riley from a working class family, and a girl named Nadine from a well-to-do family who grow up and move on in their individual lives, yet never forget each other...you know the rest of the story. Later, he goes to war and a romance blossoms and is tested by the trials of life and war.

Written in almost diary fashion with narrative in between, the tone of the story was relaxed and somewhat poignant, but simply left me flat. It tried to be a "Gone with the Wind", but never had a chance. I wouldn’t tell you to skip it, but I will tell you when you reach “The End”, you may wish it had been sooner.