I was very intrigued by the premise of the book. Ultimately it fell flat for me. The language of the novel felt too proper and distanced. The story was very detail oriented and didn't move along as I'd hoped. I wanted to read a sweeping love story between a famous man and a normal woman, but that was not this book. Maybe better for a different reader.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the mystery in the book.

Unfortunately I requested this book by mistake. I did not know how to use Netgalley. I am not able to review it.

With thanks to Troubador Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Jack Kelly is a major celebrity, best selling novellist and major TV star. He has a great love of Psychology.
Back in his 1980's heyday he is contacted by a a fan, Marian Davies. all she is looking for is a word from someone she greatly admires.
Using tecniques learned from his Psycology heroes, Jack then carries out a major Psychological experiment at a distance. Using his TV show and novels he sends subliminal messages to Marian and manipulates her to change her life and head in new directions. This is carried out over 3 or 4 years.
Along the way Jack gets caught up and not everything goes according to his elaborately laid plan.


An entirely unique book, to my knowledge anyway.

I was close to giving up part way through due to my lack of knowledge in the field, there was times I was confused and found some of the psycology a bit over my head but I'm glad I persevered for the pay off. I really did end up enjoying the book immensley.

The title is what intrigued me to pick up this book. At first I thought this to be a romantic story about exchanging of love letters but then it had something more to it.

The story is set in the backdrop of 1980s when there were tensions between Ireland & America. The story revolves around the protagonist - John Kelley who was a celebrity broadcaster and successful novelist. One day he received a fan mail of Marian Davies and then he had an urge to reply her. Eventually they started conversing to each other over letters but this simple relationship of a celebrity & his fan was turning into something complex. Even when both were happily married to each other's respective partners, they felt a romantic bonding brewing between them. But Marian's mind romance grew into toxic possessiveness because of which Jack had to break ties with her.

But after 30 years Jack received a call from his secretary informing him about a viral media post which could put his career into danger. What exactly was Marian thinking of doing 30 years later?

I really didn't enjoyed reading this book. The writing style of the author didn't suit my preference. It was slow and too detailed. Though the characters were well developed but too much information on the battles & politics ruined the fun for me. The best thing about the book was reading the letters. The language is a bit easy & a bit arduous. The narration is a bit boring for me and the story is slow paced. Overall I don't wanna ditch this book because someone may like it!

Hannah wants to talk to Jack about Marian. A woman he had a fling with. The past is coming back to haunt him. Marian has a fifteen year old granddaughter who found out about their past dispute.

Jake Kelly is a famous TV broadcaster in the 1980s who one day finds a letter from a woman named Marian Davies in his pile of fan mail.

Their attraction is mutual, and Jake arranges for a studio visit to meet her, and maybe more. Of course both Jake and Marian are married to other people but that doesn’t stop Jake from wanting to embark on a “social experiment” which has terrible consequences for both of them.

Fast forward 30 years, and just as he is preparing for a new show in America, Marian reappears and shares their story on social media. By why?

Letters to the editor is a clever novel that juxtaposes the various realities of people in Britain throughout the various decades of recent history. Those feeling nostalgic of the 1980s or who are perhaps curious about them are in luck, as the book contains an excellent description of the various political and socioeconomic events of the decade.

The story is told from two different points of view: Jake’s and Marian’s, who ponder philosophically about the different realities they are living.

An excellent, cerebral read that will wrap your senses and which you will not want to put down!

Disclosure: I would like to thank NetGalley and Matador for a copy of Letters to the Editor by Mo McDonald. This is my honest review.

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I was intrigued to read this book but honestly speaking couldn't get properly hooked to this book.

During 1980's ,Jack Kelly was a popular name in the Art World.He is not only a celebrity broadcaster but also a successful novelist.He starts getting fan mails from a married woman named Marian Davies.He feels a connection with this particular fan and the letters start flowing between the two.
Things get complicated and their connection gets broken.Why? You need to read to find out.

This book is extremely slow paced ,very character driven and has this last century romance. I am sure many people will enjoy the story especially with its charming epistolatory style , but this definitely didn't work for me. I started this book thrice but couldn't really get into it.
The correspondence via letters covers various topics and brings out a pictorial view of England and Ireland during the late twentieth century.
This book deals with a lot of psychology and history which is not my favorite combination . The letters are good but according to me it lacked dimensions. The story begins with Jack's assistant calling him and informing about a new social media chaos/trend started by Marian's granddaughter which may defame the great writer. Thus the story begins with Jack recalling the bygone days and the narrative follows the same reminiscent attitude.

It is really hard for me to give tough reviews. I won't personally recommend reading this book - but if you are in for some old world romance with philosophical twists go grab your copy.

I found the description for ‘Letters To the Editor’ by Mo McDonald to the intriguing – during the glory days of the television presenter in 1980s, Jack Kelly was a celebrity broadcaster and novelist. It was commonplace for Jack to receive fanmail but a letter from fan Marian Davis, caught his attention and so begins a relationship conducted via mail and television where Jack cruelly attempts to manipulate Marian through this editing of his tv show. His behaviour comes back to haunt Jack several decades later when Marian’s granddaughter discovers their letters and the story goes viral on social media.
There is a strong focus on the psychological aspect to the story and while understandable as this forms a central component of the story, I found that the author dwelt of this topic for too long and neglected the actual movement of the storyline.
I did enjoy the ending though (no spoilers!)
Thank you to Netgalley and The Book Guild for the ARC in return for an honest review.

During the 1980s, Jack Kelly was a celebrity broadcaster and successful novelist. who receives a lot of fan letters but gets attracted to a fan named Marian Davies, who is also married. As we read along we follow their correspondence through letters across various topics.

It was a very slow read for me due to all the philosophical elements included.. While I felt it was very well written, it wasnt something that I could connect to and rather I was just waiting to reach to the end.

I found Letters to the Editor quite dull and old fashioned. It was slow, and extremely character driven throughout. I kinda just wanted it to be over which is absolutely not what I look for in a book.

Letters To The Editor is a very old-fashioned book - both in the good and in the bad sense of that. Very slow, very character-driven, very... last century romantic. I strongly believe that many people would really enjoy the story, especially with its charming epistolary style, but it definitely is not everybody's cup of tea. This book was graciously provided to me for a review by Troubador Publishings.

Plenty to like here. Though something holds it back from being great, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. One for your TBR pile.

I think, I've chosen wrong one......………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

In mo McDonald's Letter to the Editor Jack Kelly is a famous TV Broadcaster and author in the late 70's who finds an instant and mutual attraction to a married woman fan Marian Davies, who he's arranged a studio visit for after receiving a few fan letters. . Married himself Jack embarks on a psychological and philosophical experiment with the ,at first, unsuspecting Marian. A rather unpleasant and narcissistic character Jack learns the truth behind "be careful what you wish for" as his plotting and scheming has drastic results for both of them. 30 years later he is due to leave for a America and a prestigious TV show when he receives a letter from Marian..
It took me a while to get into this book but it was worth persevering with. It's told from the perspectives of both main characters and at first I was a bit bemused that they appeared to be almost the same person,but if I've got it right that was the whole point. The sense of period is well presented with contemporary events such as the election of Margaret Thatcher used to show the exact timing of the protagonist's correspondence and Marian's frustration with being a housewife but wanting more while not wanting to affect her marriage. drives her on. Jack is not a very pleasant character who likes to be in control but finds the whole experiment backfires badly as he discovers things about himself and his life he'd rather not have. Quite a cerebral read i'd guess it's not for the general reader as getting your head around some of the philosophical elements is a struggle for us non-intellectuals but they're an integral part of the story. A good read,if not an easy one, a bit "wordy" in places but ultimately satisfying.

Thanks to Mo McDonald, Troubador Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.