A Novel Review (US) Monday 8th April 2013
Rainyday Ramblings (US) Monday 1 April 2013
The Library Journal 1st April 2013
As World War II looms over Britain, Lily Verner forgoes a continental education, instead apprenticing in her family’s silk-making business. Instead of wedding gowns and regimental ties, Verner & Sons is making parachutes for the RAF. Labor is scarce and the plant has taken on a few German Jewish refugees. Lily falls in love with Stefan, one of the refugees, and is crushed when he is rounded up in a group of enemy aliens and sent to Australia. When Lily’s father dies in a bomb raid, she assumes charge of the mill. There is little time for romance amid the demands of the war effort, but Lily never loses hope of seeing Stefan again. When he does return, her love for him requires life-altering decisions that leave her with heartbreaking guilt. In a narrative told in flashbacks, Lily reflects on a time of relentless pressure, heart-stopping loss, and love that endures despite the horrors of war. VERDICT This stunning debut glows with the fervor and intensity of what life must have been like for civilians in World War II England. Trenow’s firsthand knowledge of the generations-old silk-weaving business provides an enlightening backdrop. The novel is worthy of comparison to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; readers will love it.—Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA
Daily Express Pick of the Paperbacks 21 September 2012
‘The Last Telegram is wonderful. It illustrates evocatively life on the home front and the little known aspect of silk production during the war. More fundamentally, it is a novel about the human spirit – Liz Trenow paints with able prose a picture of the prejudices that bind us and the love that sets us free, and she does so with heartfelt characters and vivid, scenic detail that will not soon be forgotten. Splendid!’
Pam Jenoff, author of The Kommandant’s Girl
‘The Last Telegram is a delightful read. This absorbing novel delves into the secrets of wartime silk production and makes them totally fascinating. Trenow weaves a poignant love story with a fresh and compelling touch, set against an exciting and vivid background that raises serious moral questions that should not be swept under the carpet of history. Tremendously atmospheric and convincing in its details, with characters that touch the heart. A book to savour.’
Kate Furnivall, author of The Russian Concubine
Venue MagazineAutumn 2012 issue
