Beachmont Letters

This is the sad, sad, story of Eleanor, a young woman whose life has been ruined by a terrible fire. Her face and chest are very badly scarred, and the firse that ruined her looks also claimed the life of her father. Throughout the novel she is sustained by only one thing: her correspondance with Robert, an American soldier fighting in the second World War. The descriptions of the attitude others have towards her are almost unbearable in their poignance and sadness. I found myself moved to tears several times throughout the book. The reason that this book was demoted from five stars is because there isn't much action. Some areas are repetitive, but the sheer tradgedy of the heroine makes it a page-turner. Nevertheless, this lack of action was very clear through the beginning, which was a little slow. An overall excellent book, but just remember to keep a box of tissues handy while you read.

Twomey effortlessly brings the reader into Eleanor's world with her beautiful writing. Eleanor is easy to identify with. Anyone who's ever felt different will feel Eleanor's pain and cheer for her she struggles with herself and the world around her. The storyline is engaging as Eleanor?s secret and real lives intersect. This is a powerful story about facing adversity and human nature.

Twomey effortlessly brings the reader into Eleanor's world with her beautiful writing. Eleanor is easy to identify with. Anyone who's ever felt different will feel Eleanor's pain and cheer for her she struggles with herself and the world around her. The storyline is engaging as Eleanor's secret and real lives intersect. This is a powerful story about facing adversity and human nature.

Eleanor Driscoll has to go through all of her high school years with scars on her face from a fire that she and her father got caught in. Now she has to ignore people laughing at her and gossiping about her as she walks by. She has a penpal who doesn't know about her face, but that's the only friend she has. Then she meets Clarisse, who see farther than her scars.I usually have trouble reading for a long time so I can finish the book, but with this book I was able to concentrate and really focus on what I was reading. Every chapter was a cliffhanger. The way Eleanor took all the gossip and laughing surprised me. She just kept going and tried to make friends. At the beginning it didn't make sense, but I just comfortably fell into the book when I found out how Eleanor reacted, and when I felt all the sensitivity and pressure in this girl's life. I think Cathleen Twomey wrote this with all her heart, and tried to relate the joy and pain of the life of a teenaged girl.