3.5 Stars...

This was a sweet little novella about a grieving mother who is struggling to find her new normal within her marriage, job, and her relationship with her eldest daughter after the death of her youngest daughter two years prior. Coming across an undeliverable postcard for a woman named Deborah written to her by an old flame, Jenny sets out to the Isle of Wight to try and find the woman to deliver the postcard before it's too late. Along the way, she learns to face her problems head-on and stop hiding and blaming herself for things that are out of her control.

While this was a good story, it did drag on in some places. However, with the book being so short, those parts pass quickly. The characters aren't particularly likable (especially Charlotte), but they're very real and easy to relate to. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

The novella is set in 1980s. Politics of Margaret Thatcher opposites unions and increases the unemployment. The protagonist Jenny, the only female at the postal depot everyday confronts sexism, questions about her job competence and threats of imminent job loss.

Life at home is also a struggle for 40-years old Jenny, family lives in a deep grief, her marriage is on a verge of an existence, and her daughter is almost an adult and wants to live a life of her own.

One day Jenny finds a postcard, the name of the town and the postcode are missing. Its only destination now is the Dead Letter Office at the far end of the sorting-room floor. She scans the message quickly - Life is nothing without you in it.

Jenny decides to keep the postcard and trace the recipient herself. The novella follow’s the protagonist’s cycling trips to the island in her quest to reunite the lovers. This turns into the Jenny’s own journey to find herself. She can try, and keep on trying, to go forward, and to do things better in the future.

Well written, relatable and touching read.

Set in 1984, postal sorting-office worker Jenny picks up a postcard with an incomplete address. It's from a boy to a girl on the Isle of Wight, begging her to get in touch. Acting on impulse, Jenny decides to track down the girl and spends her days off taking the ferry from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight, scouring its towns and villages on bikes to find the elusive Deborah.
In her quest to give Deborah a happy-ever-after, Jenny has to address the problems of her own marriage. She and Graham are a couple who have run out of words, bound together, yet torn apart, by the tragic loss of their younger daughter, unable to agree on freedoms for their elder daughter. Is it too late for Jenny to salvage her own long-forgotten wishes and dreams?
With an engaging heroine, descriptive writing, an intriguing plot and an emotional back story, this story had all the elements for a really good read. My one complaint is that is was too short - I felt the writer could developed this into a full-length novel quite easily, explanding on the background of Thatcher's Britain, with all its uncertainities and fears, the heart-rending emotions of family loss, the dissolution of a once-happy marriage, and the suggestion of opportunities missed.
Still, as a novella, it works well and is well worth reading.

I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this but the middle lagged a bit and I found myself skimming instead of reading. Overall though I found the story compelling and would read more by this author.

Missing Words by Loree Westron is one of the latest novellas in the Fairlight Moderns series. I have noted elsewhere how the authors featured by Fairlight Books tend to experiment with content and form, showing that the novella genre is still ripe for exploration. In this regard Westron’s book is something of an exception, because it eschews structural originality in favour of a poignant family drama, delivered in a gentle and understated way.

The novella is set in the 1980s, against the backdrop of the tug-of-war between Thatcher and the unions. The protagonist is Jenny, a mail sorter, who, as the only female worker at the postal depot, faces casual, everyday sexism and the threat of imminent unemployment. Meanwhile, life at home seems to be falling apart – her husband is out of work, her younger daughter died two years previously, and her other daughter, Charlotte, is drifting away from Jenny and making some difficult, and sometimes dubious, life choices. An unusual occurrence jolts Jenny out of the daily hog. One day, she notices a postcard with an incomplete address, with a heartfelt message from a young man to a woman who might soon be leaving him forever. By right, the postcard should go into the lost letter bin, but on impulse, and risking her job, Jenny decides to keep the postcard and trace the recipient herself, although she has little to go on except for the name of a street in the Isle of Wight. The novella follow’s the protagonist’s trips to the island in her quest to reunite the lovers. Somewhat predictably, this turns into the Jenny’s own journey as she confronts memories from her past and reassesses her dreams for the future.

Lost Words does not have many narrative thrills and frills. However, Westron delivers a good story, backed by attention to period detail. Even though the political situation of the eighties is not the main theme of the novella, workers’ pains and struggles of the time are well brought out. At the same time, the novella evokes a sense of nostalgia through the bucolic descriptions of Jenny cycling around the Isle of Wight. A well-crafted and touching read.

Jenny is a mail sorter, and a good one. But when it comes to sorting out her own life, there is room for improvement. Her youngest daughter died two years prior which has put strains on her relationship with her husband and their remaining daughter, Charlotte. As the only woman working on the sorting floor at the post office, some begrudge her the job that could be done by a man when there is so much unemployment, Her closest friend there is retiring and the threat of a strike is looming.
When Jenny finds a postcard with a partial address, she should put it in the lost letter bin. Having read the card which professes undying love from a young to the woman he left behind, she decide to take the card and find the recipient herself. So begins Jenny's journey bicycling around the Isle of Wight in search of the rightful owner of the postcard.
The story is easily read in one sitting, I found myself skimming sections which were heavily laden with similes. wanting to get back to the actual progression of the story. I welcomed the characters which were peppered in along her journey because , although I liked and understood Jenny well enough, I did not feel a true alliance to her. Missing Words is a pleasant enough read, but not a must read for me,
Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Postal Worker, Jenny's life is at a crossroads when she finds the postcard with the insufficient address while sorting the post at work. She does the unthinkable and takes the card determined to find Deborah, the woman that the young man in Australia desperately wants to find. This takes her away from her down trodden life and to adventure on the Isle of Wight with her trusty bike.

When she's on her mission she can forget the heartache, her distant husband and the wrong choices that her daughter is making. Will she also be able to forgive herself?

I enjoyed this short novella which features the beautiful scenery on the Isle of Wight. It's a story of loss, heartache, family and ultimately love. Well worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fairlight Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jenny is having a hard time with life since her youngest daughter died two years ago. She and her husband have drifted apart and hardly speak, her oldest daughter is moving on with her own life and making choices that Jenny doesn't like, and her job at the post office is under the threat of strike.

When Jenny finds a postcard from a man in Australia to a woman on the Isle of Wight proclaiming an apology and undying love. It has an incomplete address she can't bring herself to put it in the "dead letters" bin. Instead she decides take the postcard ( a big postal no no) and find it's intended recipient. Jenny spends her days off biking the Isle of Wight looking for the woman. While biking she has lots of time to think about not only about the two lovers she hopes to reunite but about her own marriage, the death of her daughter and the relationship she has with her remaining daughter.

I enjoyed this book because of the adventure and perseverance of Jenny trying to return the postcard. On a deeper level I enjoyed the questions she posed about life, love and happiness. I could relate with some of her struggles with changes in marriage over time and the changing relationships we have with our children as the grow and start a life of their own.

This short story set in England about postal worker Jenny who is at a crossroads in many ways…questioning her marriage, her 19 year old daughters choices, her job, etc.

When she finds a postcard headed for the dead letter file at work, she feels compelled to try to deliver it to its star-crossed lover. On the way, she finds out more about herself and her choices.

This is an easy read with an engaging story about the choices you make in life and the road not traveled.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

I really enjoyed this story. It's only short - you could probably manage in one sitting, though I took it over a few nights as I wanted to just enjoy it slowly. I loved the premise of the story, and how everything is handled with a really gentle touch. I could imagine Jenny's travels around the Isle of Wight, and of course it works well as a journey through grief as well as a literal journey.
Weston's writing style is descriptive, warm-hearted and engaging. A lovely little novella!

Not my usual read, something about the title of this book appealed to me, and I am glad it did. It is a beautiful story featuring the main character of Jenny, who struggles with the emotions of heartache and upset.

Well worth a read.

Missing Words is a beautiful story of grace, love, redemption, and resolution. Jenny, the tormented main character, is haunted by ghosts from her tumultuous past. Heartache and despair follow her daily. What develops in this masterfully woven tale, is a diversion that quickly becomes Jenny’s road to healing. I’m very grateful to netGalley for this lovely novella in the Fairlight Books series. I hope it will have great success, as I enjoyed it very much.

This short read was perfect for reading in a one sitting. Missing Words has a unique premise that instantly had me wanting to read more. Loree Westron has a style you’ll enjoy.

Postal worker Jenny’s life is in the doldrums. Her daughter is all grown up and ready to face the world, her marriage is falling apart, and now her best friend and colleague tells her he plans to retire. So, when a postcard from Australia, begging the recipient for forgiveness but marked ‘insufficient address’, lands on her sorting table, she does the unthinkable – she slips it up her sleeve, with the intention of delivering it herself.

Jenny sets off on a journey around the Isle of Wight, determined to find the recipient, and with the help of the locals she hopes to reunite the long-lost lovers. Will she be able to give them the happy ending she didn’t allow herself to have?

Set against the backdrop of the strikes in the 1980s, Missing Words is a heart-warming journey about self-discovery, the power of family ties, and the strength needed to face whatever life throws your way. This was such a good book. To be read by the beach or in the garden. Let this story take you away for a few hours of reading bliss. An author to keep an eye out for!

How does a mom on the verge of middle age not become irrelevant? Jenny has it all, a loving husband, a teenage daughter, a job and so much more. But she's losing herself. As a mom myself, I easily related to the main character and how she poured her love and life into those around her. Then one simple mistake at work changed her world. This was such a fun, quick read and the ending was oddly satisfying. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this Advanced Copy.

It was an honour to receive a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I appreciated the slightly whimsical feel to the narrative, and Jenny’s voice certainly steps off the page. I did, however, feel that there was something more below the surface that the author could have brought out…the protagonist’s (failing) relationships with her daughter and husband felt superficial, though of course this could be entirely intentional, to emphasise the detachment of the protagonist herself….

I have mixed feelings on the novella, but I felt the length was perfect, and it was a refreshing read. Thank you very much to Fairlight books and NetGalley for the privilege!

Such a short book,that means you can read it in one sitting,and I did.
Jenny appears to be lost in her own life,her grief,her failing marriage and her relationship with her daughter.
Then she finds a postcard with an incomplete address and decides to find its home,and put someone else's life back on track.
Charming,slightly whimsical (I felt like I'd been on a guided tour of the island by the end),with a backdrop of the hard times,and real life.
There were great characters,that although weren't in the book a huge amount,made a big impact.
This book ticked many boxes and a great read for me.