With great attention to detail, Elizabeth Noble's latest book, Letters to Iris, gives us a snapshot in the lives of a large cast of characters. Readers will find someone in this book that they relate to and a relationship that mirrors one in their own lives. The characters are likable, but not without fault. The primary and secondary characters are rich and fully-developed, including their individual back stories that are sometimes unwittingly knotted together.

What was truly brilliant about this novel for me is that while on the surface I was reading a beautifully written family drama, I was truly reading a book that was about the circle of life. Each character is at a different phase in their lives and their involvement and interaction with one another gives us one story that is about the beginning of life, the complicated middle parts, and the end of life. We get to see the different struggles that impacted the lives of several different generations and now those struggle impacted the lives of those that followed them.

The truth to the complexity of our relationships - whether it be mother and daughter, husband and wife, best friends, caretaker and those that need care - was beautifully written and Noble's attention to detail really made these relationships and their struggles come to life.

Iris is a grandmother whose past is revealed when her granddaughter finds a number of old letters after Iris moves into a nursing home. Despite the title of the novel, I did not feel that these letters were the main part of the story.

The novel examines the complicated relationships within families, including those between parents, grandparents, children and siblings. It looks at life, loss and the difficulties we can face trying to make the right decisions. It also considers the effect that secrets can have on both the person keeping the secret, and the people who are kept in the dark. Some characters begin to collide as the story progresses, and I enjoyed the way that the different branches of the story became knitted together gradually.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Letters to Iris. The characters were very well developed and easy to picture. However, I felt that it took a long time for the story to get going, and the plot was not as meaty as I had hoped. This was an easy read, but perhaps not one I would want to read again.

A beautifully written story about love, life and loss. Each character has their own worries, Tess is pregnant, she hasn't told Sean yet because she is so unsure about things herself. Her Grandmother Iris, has dementia and Tess only option is to put Iris in a home. Gigi and Richard have been married for years, they have grown up children and Gigi is feeling unhappy. There lives intwine when Iris and Richards father are put in the same care home.
This truly is wonderful story of love and life changes, it also hold secrets from the past that can make you cry and laugh all at the same time. Perfect read for a warm summers day resting in the garden.

As one life comes to its end, another one begins - and the generations move on . What may seem like an ordinary story of the mother- daughter bond takes on an extra poignancy, with the detailing of every stage of a baby's growth in the womb, as a pregnant mum addresses letters to her unborn child. Elizabeth Noble has written a very moving paean to the maternal instinct and a reminder of the precarious everyday miracle of birth.

The story is about two families who are brought together by their relatives suffering from dementia.

Tess absolutely adores her grandmother Iris, Tess’ mum has flitted in and out of her life and Iris has always been Tess’ go to. On discovering she is pregnant the only person she wants to tell is Iris but Iris is suffering from dementia. When Tess finds some letters written to Iris she discovers she doesn’t know her grandmother as well as she thought.

Gigi is going through a personal crisis, her father-in-law also has dementia and Gigi is unhappy with her life. As Tess’ pregnancy progresses and Iris starts to slip away, Gigi and Tess form a bond.

This is a great book, tinged with sadness, with warm likeable characters and a nice conclusion.

Letters to Iris is a moving tale about relationships, love, family secrets and loss. Tess, the central character is pregnant and her grandmother, Iris, is slipping away with dementia. She wants to share her secret with Iris before it's too late. The narrative switches back and forth between the central characters and the pace is initially rather slow. However, it picks up about a third into the story and I found it sufficiently compelling to want to find out how it all came together. There are some well depicted moments of joy; particularly between Tess and Iris when Iris has a better day. There are moments of profound sadness and all in all, it's well plotted.

I enjoyed the story, but didn't warm to Tess, so found it difficult to genuinely care about her. For that reason, it's not a four star read as I had to persevere.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

This is an interesting, if a little slow moving, story of two women. First we have Tess who is struggling with coping with her Grandmother Iris who has dementia and is being moved into a care home. Tess has been left with all the decisions because her own mother, Donna, is a bit flaky. At the same time Tess' boyfriend has just been offered his dream job in America when Tess tells him that she is pregnant....

Then we have Gigi who is feeling dissatisfied with her boring life with her boring husband. The kids have all grown up and left home, with her middle child Olly announcing his engagement to a girl he barely knows. She is also dealing with her father in law James who is in also in a care home suffering with dementia.....and this is where Gigi and Tess collide.

I am afraid that I guessed the ending by about a quarter of the way through the book and it was then just a matter of waiting to see if I was right....and I was. It is a gentle stroll through a book and I do prefer things a little more 'white knuckle' but it was still a good read and would be enjoyed as a nice summer read.

I did not finish this book. It was ok but for some reason I was not captivated by the characters. I’m sure others will enjoy it, just not one for me.

Where to start. There are so many relatable aspects to this story. There is at least one character that any reader will relate to. Its superbly written and It pretty much covers every emotion you can feel. Its a beautiful story which i was sad to finish.

A lovely story about love, loss, sadness and joy.
An interesting thing is that everyone can identify with at least one character - mine was Gigi, for many reasons. But there’s Tess, a younger woman and an interesting character, Donna, the free spirit, and many more. And assorted men, of course!
I enjoyed Letters to Iris very much, a good read.

The blurb spoke about love in all its forms and this is perfectly true of this story. The main thread is the immense affection and love that Tess has for her grandmother Iris who was the mainstay of her life in the absence of her mother and father and they were a mutual admiration society for each other. Until now. Iris has early onset dementia and moving her into a home is the only option availab

On top of it all Tess's own relationship with Sean is on the rocks with an unexpected pregnancy and going back to mother is a reluctant option considering their strained relationship over the years.

This is the beginning of the story. Unraveling further we have other characters coming into the story inter twining with the main character Tess and bringing with it parallel love stories of differing kinds. A marriage on the rocks after forty years, the difficulty of getting into a new relationship, the beautiful relationship unexpected and not often found between a mother in law and her daughter in law and the late blossoming of love and respect between an estranged daughter and mother.

It was a story with a very happy ending which was expected but it was not silly or fatuous. It made for a story well told.
I could not post on Goodreads (as book not there) and Amazon is not permitting reviews as yet. Review on my blog will appear first week April. If a link can be sent to either Amazon or Goodreads re this book I will be more than happy to post my review.

PS Posted on Goodreads on 8/3/2018

Letters to Iris by Elizabeth Noble a four-star read that will grab you from the first page. This was such a powerful read, that I’m sure it will be playing on my mind for a long, long time. This is a story of relationships and how powerful they can be, the simple relationships that you don’t imagine are much but grow and develop into sometimes the most important relationships you need. The plot is well planned and takes you much like a letter from start to end with a great content in the middle. This story had such great characters Gigi was someone I wanted to come and give me advice and almost give me a good talking to, she just seemed that type. The other characters all played their part and some you will like more than others, some will have you wanting to bring those you love closer. This book will bring emotions out of you that you may not want to be brought up, I know I will be buying this book for a few people I love.

A well written novel reflecting the challenges of life in present times. Single, working mum-to-be, estranged parent, grandparent living with dementia, middle-aged mother dissatisfied with husband and life, bullied teenager, - this story has it all. However, set in the Home Counties and London, with protagonists not struggling for money or lacking supportive friends, this novel has no resonance with my world. Truly a fairy story with happy endings all round.

A beautifully written sensitive book dealing with two families bought together by their relatives suffering from dementia in an nursing home. The characters are lovely and believeable giving a slight rosy glow to all the difficult circumstances that life throws at them. There is a lot of compassion and genuine love between different generations. A delightful emotional read which leaves me wanting more from this author and even with the same characters. It was cosy without being stifling and just an overall uplifting tale.

Tess thinks she is happy in her relationship; she goes along with whatever he says; moves into his flat, goes to dreary functions where she is decoration; and one day she realises this. She also realises she is pregnant. Unsure of how she feels she hesitates before confiding in anyone and stops to take stock. What does she want – not sure; and the weeks pass? Then he springs two surprises on her over Christmas – the first he has been offered promotion (in New York) and the second is his proposal. At last she reveals the pregnancy and he says it is the wrong time.

Tess is somewhat estranged from her mother but has a strong, emotional relationship with her grandmother, Iris, who is suffering from dementia and lives in a care home, and it is to Iris she reveals her secret pregnancy.

Gigi is married to Richard and is sad when she realises that she is unhappy in their relationship. She loves her eldest son and his wife and child, and her daughter away at university. But the light of her life is her younger son. Gigi is a busy midwife but has an extremely close relationship with her father-in-law, James, who is also a resident at the care home where Iris is a resident.

What follows is a beautifully told tale with secrets at the heart of it. Letters to Iris refer to the war and her parents and her brother Tom but she never shared her secrets about that life. Why was Tess’s mother so distant with Tess; she never explained. Tess confesses her feelings in her own letters to her growing baby.

This is a beautifully written story of secrets, but more importantly, of love and self-discovery: acceptance of others wishes and different perspectives. I loved it, it made me cry. The plot was well constructed and the characters finely drawn. I loved Gigi and her youngest son, Oliver and can only agree with her assessment of her daughter-in-law – a true treasure. Tess, thankfully, woke-up and found what she wanted and needed. Gigi’s husband, Richard – bless him. I did worry about him for he was not a bad man, just got it a bit wrong. Actually, upon reflection, no baddies in this book. However, there are an awful lot of good things that will make your heart warm and your eye weep.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This really is a story of women's relationships: Tess's grandmother is dying and her absent mother doesn't seem to care. Gigi's father-in-law is dying and her husband doesn't seem to care. The men are pretty much sketched in with all the characterisation going to the women. The men seemed to be comic-book style heroes or duds. I liked the way the lives intertwine but I found the timescales irritating - everything happens within 9 months! I will probably be alone but I found Tom's story completely irrelevant, and an annoying diversion from the main story.

This is one of the loveliest books I have read recently. The quality of writing makes it difficult to tear oneself away from the story. Tess, her wonderful grandmother, her slightly scatty mother, are all portrayed with understanding and love.
I don't believe that a review should be solely retelling the story. Suffice it to say that Tess goes through a gamut of emotional experiences that include restoring her relationship with her mother (beautifully written), leaving a relationship with her lover, becoming pregnant and finding the love of her life.
It is a delightful book and I want to read more from this author.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy.