I thought this book started quite slowly but it developed into a lovely story. And the cover is great too

I enjoyed this book very much. I think the first thing that attracted me was the cover. According to the description it's “a gloriously uplifting story about love in all its forms... “ This is definitely true!

It's about family relationships, friendship, secrets, old love, new love, the beginning and ending of love, rekindling of love, Loss, joy, hope.. Wonderful.

Tess is 35 and unexpectedly pregnant. When she eventually tells him, her boyfriend Sean doesn't want her to have the baby. He has been offered a job in New York and wants Tess to go with him. They break up. Tess is very close to her 95 year old grandmother Iris who brought her up but now has dementia. She has a difficult relationship with her mother Donna.

Gigi is married to Richard and has three adult children and a baby granddaughter. She's beginning to feel that she's taken for granted and that she and her husband Richard are growing apart.

Iris is taken into hospital and subsequently moves into a nursing home. The dementia is getting worse and her capacity to understand is disappearing. Tess tries to tell her about the baby but knows her gran doesn't really take in what she's saying.

Tess and Gigi meet by chance at the nursing home when Gigi is visiting her father in law who also has dementia and despite everything become friends. Both have made huge changes in their lives – Tess broke up with Sean and moved into her mother's house while her mother was overseas. Gigi separated from her husband Richard and moved into a flat on her own.

Gigi is a lovely character: caring and warm-hearted. She's concerned about Tess and and as their friendship grows, Tess starts to open up a bit.

There is a bit of depth to the main characters. I felt as if I knew them. The other characters are interesting too – Gigi's family, Tess' friend Holly and her family and Donna. They also have their stories.

Secrets from the past are revealed when Tess is clearing out her gran's house. Tess and her friend come across an old suitcase containing photos and letters to her grandmother. As Tess went through it she discovered things about her grandmother's earlier life she had never known about. Tess had never met her grandfather Wilfred but Iris only talked about him and their small family - Donna and Tess – no other family. That was all quite emotional.

I thought the letters that Tess wrote each month to her unborn baby were lovely – a sort of progress report of the pregnancy and other thoughts.

The author skillfully brings all the various threads together to create a well-written, ultimately heart-warming, story.

This is a book about secrets, family, friends and relationships. Tess has a secret and so does her ailing grandmother, Iris. Gigi is the new friend who lends support and advice when needed, but she too has her secrets.
This is about life from the beginning to the end, of what we make of our lives, our mistakes and our regrets. Can we ever do the right thing and please everybody? We can but try. This is a beautifully told story with memorablecharacters.

I am in total awe of this wonderful novel and it will definitely be one of my standout reads for 2018.  Letters to Iris is Elizabeth Noble’s eighth novel and I am astonished that it is my first introduction to the author’s work.  Elizabeth Noble’s writing flows beautifully and you are soon enraptured in the hearts and lives of the characters she has described on the pages.
Letters to Iris focuses on predominantly four female characters with the principal character being Tess.  Tess adores her grandmother Iris, who at 96 years of age is now living with the devastating condition of alzheimers.  Tess’ mum Donna has led abit of a nomad lifestyle and Tess spent a lot of her childhood with her gran Iris.  Tess and Donna’s relationship is a little strained but when Iris’ condition becomes worse and she needs more specialist care in a home Donna surprises everyone with her attention to detail when visiting her mother.  When Tess’ own life takes on a new journey that shakes up her love life she soon faces an uncertain future but once again Donna surprises Tess with a solution to her immediate problems.  Tess is quite overwhelmed emotionally with all that is going on in her life but when she bumps into another visitor, Gigi, at the Care Home a bond is soon formed.  Gigi’s father-in-law is a resident of the same care home and Gigi has spent many hours visiting him.  Gigi has been married for over 30 years to Richard and has three grown-up children and a granddaughter.  Gigi is starting to feel a little invisible in her marriage and she starts to question her future.  Reading about how each character’s relationship is evolving with each other was wonderful to see and left you feeling hopeful and gave you a warm cosy glow.
Four different women at different stages in their lives coping with changes in their journeys.  Changes that can bring positive directions to their lives but also new enlightenments bringing many thought provoking moments and questioning of the past. Secrets from the past that are so heart wrenching and unbearable to think about.  A highly emotive story but also with a beautiful, underlying story of romance.  You cannot help but fall in love with Letters to Iris and I didn’t want to leave the characters I had warmed to and soon classed them as my friends.  Truly stunning, emotive storytelling.

Letters to Iris is the first book I have read by Elizabeth Noble and found it to be a well written story on life, death and everything in-between.
The story evolves around two families, Tess her mother and grandmother and Gigi her husband and her three children.
Tess is single, pregnant and trying to cope with being made homeless, trying to get to know her mother properly and trying to do whats best for her grandmother who is suffering from dementia. Gigi meets Tess at the care home as her father in law is in there and she is on a journey of rediscovery as she has left her husband, Richard as she wasn't truly happy and we follow her in her next chapter and also how she copes with the different reactions her children have.
This was well written and I enjoyed it but everything seemed to turn out ok and this the only thing that let it down as we all know real life just isn't like that.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK-Michael Joseph for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Letters to Iris is billed as a gloriously uplifting story about love in all its forms and I couldn’t agree more. It follows the story of Tess and her beloved grandmother Iris. Add in the fabulous Gigi and you’re in for a corker of a book.

This novel is well written, the characters stories flow well and you’re taken on a rollercoaster of emotions through this heartwarming book.

I enjoyed every page and can definitely recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

An enjoyable read with characters that draw you in from the start. Lovely sentiments and interesting connections.

My thoughts
I loved the depth and soul of this book as it delves into the complex bond of grandmothers, mothers and daughters. Iris is the connecting thread between all of the female characters who are all facing challenges related to their time of life whether it is becoming a mother, facing an empty nest or dementia and end of life. It is emotional on all levels but left me feeling uplifted by the strength these women showed.
I instantly felt a bond with all the main characters especially Gigi and this made me read into the night because I needed to know a little bit more as the story developed and Iris' history was uncovered.

Tess is definitely at a crossroads in her life, she is pregnant a not sure about the baby's father and so hasn't told him, the only person she had ever been able to confide in is her beloved grandmother Iris but Iris now has dementia. Gigi has been married for years and has grown up children but she is now not sure about her future path. When these two ladies meet there is an immediate bond but will they be able to help each other out of their difficulties?

A lovely book I really liked the main characters and felt that they were totally believable in a realistic scenario.... another good book by this author

Lovely feelgood book - it follows Tess and Gigi who both have problems they are dealing with, Tess finds out she is pregnant but isn't sure she wants to be with her boyfriend the father of her child, her grandmother Iris is ill and she doesn't get on well with her mother. Gigi has been married to Richard for years and they have 3 grown up children, she is wondering whether to stay with him. Tess and Gigis' paths cross and they form a friendship. The problems they both face are realistic and you can relate to them. I was completely engrossed in this story . Fabulous read.

What a beautiful, moving read a. very sensitively handled subject matter. Tess and Gigi are very realistic characters. Gigi is the friend all of us want, sensitive, caring and loving but she has come to a crossroads in her life where she needs to think of herself for a change. Tess has so much on her plate when she meets Gigi she needs a friend desperately. Loved, loved, loved this book, fantastic read

Believable, humorous and poignant 'Letters to Iris' is a beautifully written life study of three women and their families.
Tess and Iris are granddaughter and grandma, and they have such a strong bond that transcends Iris's dementia. Grace or Gigi as everyone but her father-in-law knows her comes into Tess's life serendipitously. They meet when Tess needs someone impartial and caring who knows the traumas associated with losing a loved one to dementia but as you read on you find even more serendipity in their meeting.
A story about everyday life and its momentous occurrences. The characters work well because they are realistic, full of flaws, indecision, selflessness and fear. Love is the overriding theme in this story, what happens when you're not brave enough to grab it and the pain it can give you when it ends but the message is hopeful, and the story's cyclic pattern makes the ending happy if tinged with sadness. There is frustration, laughter, poignancy and tragedy but love is the mainstay of this lovely story which is sure to touch your heart.
I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a heart warming, totally relatable book. The first part of the book (20% in kindle terms) was quite slow to start, setting the scene and the characters and it took me a while to identify with the main characters Gigi and Tess. However the story picks up from there and I became totally addicted / absorbed in the story. The situations Tess and Gigi face are in keeping with life nowadays and I could empathise totally. It is also strange but clever how we get to know Iris well even though she isn’t ‘in’ the action and also how we warm to the secondary characters, particularly Donna. This book oozes the importance of love, family and survival. A brilliant read from Elizabeth Noble - thank you!

Gigi and Tess are two totally different characters both going through major changes in their life when they meet while visiting elderly relatives in a nursing home.

For me the shining light of this book was the poignancy and realism, Letters to Iris is a look at life, families, relationships and friendship, well written with characters you can relate to. Whilst parts of this novel really touched me it wasn't all doom and gloom and there was a good balance of wit and humour too.

A great one for losing yourself in on a rainy afternoon and perfect for by the pool or on the beach

Not my preferred reading genre but I really liked this one! This is one of those novels that you find yourself going back and reflecting on long after you've finished reading it.

This was a lovely story, Tess and Gigi were easy to identify with and the story, both funny and sad, was captivating.

Tess has a secret, one which is going to turn her life upside down. In just nine months time. The only person she can confide in is her beloved Grandmother. But Iris is slipping further away each day. Then chance brings a stranger into Tess's life. Gigi's heart goes out to Tess, knowing what it's like to feel alone.

This book revolves round two families who met when they were visiting elderly relatives in a nursing home. Tess's relationship with her Grandmother had been a strong one, but with her Mother, it's strained. Gigi is married to Richard but she is unhappy in their relationship. Letters to Iris refers to the war, her parents and her brother, Tom, but she never shared secrets from that life. This is a beautifully written story about secrets, acceptance of other people's wishes and of course, love. I suspect when the prologue is read. Like me, many readers will shed a rear or two.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Elizabeth Noble for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With a large cast of characters this novel examines the complicated relationships within families. It looks at life, loss and doing the right thing. It examines the effect that secrets can have on both the person keeping the secret, and those who are kept in the dark.
This is a little over-sentimental, an everyday story with a predictable ending. I thought the writer’s style was easy to read and the dialogue sounded real. The portrayal of Iris's condition was accurate but there was perhaps too much mundane detail. My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A book about love, loss and family.
The two main characters, Tess and Gigi meet at a care home, where they both have relatives. They are both going through difficult times in their lives - both are chracters who are likeable and you want them to be happy.

Loved this book - it has been a while sine Elizabeth Noble's last novel, but it was worth the wait.

Tess was brought up by her Grandmother and loves her unconditionally, however ends up having to put her in a home when she becomes so confused she can’t look after herself.

Gigi was married for many years and has 3 children, and goes to the same home to visit her father in law.

The two meet and become friends, and Tess needs all the friends she can get when she finds herself pregnant and the father ‘isn’t ready’.

A lovely, sweet story, well told.

What a wonderfully compelling, passionate story from Elizabeth. I also enjoyed the layout of the story where we were kept up dated with the pregnancy and the letters Tess discovered explained a lot about her Gran Iris.