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The Postmistress Sarah Blake Orlagh Cassidy 9780143145448 Books

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The Postmistress Sarah Blake Orlagh Cassidy 9780143145448 Books

I'm glad I borrowed this audiobook on CD from my public library, and didn't buy it. Because the narrator consistently mispronounced the last name of Edward R. Murrow, placing the emphasis on the second syllable. I found this to be so distracting that I quit listening before the end of the first CD in the set, and returned the audiobook to the library.

Edward R. Murrow was an American, who pronounced his name "MUR-row." I've heard a British pronunciation that's more like "MOR-row," but this reader goes full tilt at it as "muh-ROW."

I don't fault the professional narrator for this glaring error, as much as I blame the producers or directors of the audiobook, who didn't do their homework. It takes about ten seconds to confirm the pronunciation online, and after all, there are numerous recordings still extant, of Murrow's radio and TV broadcasts in which he speaks his own name.


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The Postmistress Sarah Blake Orlagh Cassidy 9780143145448 Books Reviews

Introduced from the present day on a question of a postmaster withholding a letter, the main story takes place during WWII, prior to the American involvement. Three women figure predominantly in the story- Iris, the postmaster in a small coastal town, who is falling in love for the first time, Emma, recently married to the town doctor, and Frankie, who works in radio with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the bombings from London. The man Iris loves is convinced that the Germans will arrive on their shores, Emma's husband is wracked with guilt from his father's actions and his own mistakes, and volunteers in England. Frankie is trying to find a way to tell the "truth" of those around her. When tragedy strikes her friend, she takes up her cause of the deportations and round-ups of Jews and others by the Germans. She also witnesses another tragedy that directly impacts the other two women. Iris holds back a letter that may destroy Emma. A trip into France by Frankie allows her to see some of the true horrors of the Nazis and record some of the voices of the dispossessed. The historical context was very interesting, but I found the characters to lack something in dimension, which made them less easy to relate to. The author includes some notes on the real history of events that inspired the book.
I read the accolades heaped upon this novel, and I remain perplexed. The postmistress was not the most important or interesting character in the book. It more aptly could have been titled Frankie Bard Radio Gal. It was a great idea for a WWII story, but could have been much better executed. The action takes place, more or less equally, in Europe and a small Cape Cod town (which would be an automatic hook for me normally). However, I found the transitions between locales sometimes jarring and inexplicable and the seques poorly written at times. The author jumps around, a slave to the plot (I wondered if she had a storyboard she could not deviate from), and neglects to define the characters well enough to make us care about them. Iris, the postmistress, for example, does something bizarre at the beginning of the novel - with no explanation. Does she feel the need to do this every time she moves to a new town? Did she already have her eye on Harry and do it for him? It didn't seem so as she had just moved there. Otto, a refugee from Austria, is a complete mystery, and he should have been pivotal as he was one of the most interesting people on the Cape, and could have helped bring the two separate stories together in a more meaningful way. Emma is ill-defined, as though the author couldn't decide whether she liked and admired her or simply needed her as a plot device. The greater part of the book was devoted to Frankie, but even she rambles through the story, as if being cued by the author, to go there and do this. I had such high hopes of loving this book based on recommendations from others. I was hoping for so much more. I did, however, learn two new words crenelated and pogrom, which the author laid on me twice in a brief time span. I do love vocab and cut my teeth on the classics, but this seemed intentionally pretentious. Yes maam, I studied my vocab today.
I really liked this book. It was well-written, engaging, and educational. I think that the plight of refugees never changes. Only what country they come from changes. It is a WWII novel, written from yet a new perspective; one insightful for all times. It could be a classic. I read this some time ago, and still find myself thinking about the story.
I was thrilled to see the version of this historical novel as a special deal. I've owned the paperback for some time and simply had to buy it for my . Although I read the book years ago, I still remember it clearly, and that is one of the marks of fine writing--it stays with you. The intriguing premise of the book is that two very different women make a decision to withhold something--one is a letter and one is a news story--and the choice they make will have ramifications neither could have expected. I connected with both characters and love the WWII setting.

So take an unusual premise, great characters, historically appealing setting, and add luscious beautiful language, and I'm a die-hard fan. Just a sample of the compelling prose in this novel

"Long ago, I believed that, given a choice, people would turn to good as they would to the light. I believed that reporting--honest, unflinching pictures of the truth--could be a beacon to lead us to demand that wrongs be righted, injustices punished, and the weak and the innocent cared for. I must have believed, when I started out, that the shoulder of public opinion could be put up against the door of public indifference and would, when given the proper direction, shove it wide with the power of wanting to stand on the side of angels."

I'm going to read it again on my this weekend and savor every word once more. I highly recommend this original read.
I'm glad I borrowed this audiobook on CD from my public library, and didn't buy it. Because the narrator consistently mispronounced the last name of Edward R. Murrow, placing the emphasis on the second syllable. I found this to be so distracting that I quit listening before the end of the first CD in the set, and returned the audiobook to the library.

Edward R. Murrow was an American, who pronounced his name "MUR-row." I've heard a British pronunciation that's more like "MOR-row," but this reader goes full tilt at it as "muh-ROW."

I don't fault the professional narrator for this glaring error, as much as I blame the producers or directors of the audiobook, who didn't do their homework. It takes about ten seconds to confirm the pronunciation online, and after all, there are numerous recordings still extant, of Murrow's radio and TV broadcasts in which he speaks his own name.