Pre-internet sleuthing reminds of the speed and immediacy we take for granted. ( )

A truly wonderful story! I loved the back and forth of the chapters between Austria and LA. It's nice to read such a sweet story during such a dark time in history. ( )

When Katie Nelson takes her father's stamp collection to an expert to see if there's anything of value, she doesn't expect anything will come of it. But when the appraiser, Benjamin, expresses interest in what may be not only a rare find but also an anomaly, a mystery is laid before her that she can't help but try to answer. And the journey takes her down a path that spans back over fifty years and exposes secrets and identities that have been long-buried and thought lost forever. Along the way, Katie also just might find some things she thought she had lost forever as well...

When this book first started jumping back and forth between the 1989 "present" and the 1938 "past", I found myself wondering if there was any real connection or if it was just two stories being told side-by-side because of a single point of connection: a stamp. And the reality is that while that stamp is the key to much of the story and the connection, there is so much more here that reveals itself as you go. This is a story of love, of perseverance, of exploration, and of never giving up hope.

[Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance review copy received from the publisher as part of the First to Read program.] ( )

I am a huge fan of WWI and WWII era books and this one did not disappoint. Great character development. Well paced, I wanted to keep on reading and reading. I will be looking forward to future books from Jillian Cantor. ( )

The Lost Letter is a beautiful novel of historical fiction. In the late 1980's Katie is caring for her father who suffers with Alzheimer's Disease. Her father had been an avid stamp collector and she's beginning the process of evaluating/selling his collection. One stamp on an unopened letter brings a journey to the past and understanding in the present tense.

Alternating between 1980's-1990's Los Angeles and 1930's Austria we learn about the stamp, the letter-writer and the intended recipient. Other than The Sound of Music I've rarely read of the Nazi occupation in Austria. And yes, the stamp has an edelweiss! ( )