Think of Me

(Hardback, Large Print Edition)

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From the New York Times bestselling author of We Must Be Brave comes a new sweeping historical novel about one couple's journey through war, love, and loss, and how the people we love never really leave us.

1942, Alexandria, Egypt. Covered in dust, Yvette and James hold hands for the first time as bombs explode above them. As the war rages on, they will find their way back to each other time and again, their love a beacon for their survival. After the war, their happiness takes root in England and blossoms, until a tragic event drives a wedge between them. The way back to one another is uncharted territory that both must be brave enough to face.

1974. Ten years after his wife's death and with his son now at university, James craves change. He moves to the beautiful English village of Upton not thirty minutes from the city where he brought his bride Yvette, nearly twenty-five years ago. There he discovers a scarf that lights the dark edges of his memory. Could it be Yvette's As James makes a new home for himself and gently presses into the feelings the scarf evokes, he begins to unlock new revelations about his past that change everything he believes. Revelations that just might give James a new reason to live and the possibility of new love at last, after ten years alone.

Captivating and inspiring, Think of Me explores the power of love to echo across the years.

Reviews

Advance Praise for Think of Me

"Now feels like the perfect moment for this book. A beautifully written story of lives devastated by war and loss, it's a love letter to life itself, about the power of kindness and patient resilience to make us whole again. Subtle and richly evoked, it's refreshingly authentic to its era, yet timeless in its profound understanding of love, grief and the slow blossoming of solace. It is so good to be reminded that the path from desolation to consolation has always been well-worn, lit by that most vital human instinct - hope."--M. L. Stedman, author of The Light Between Oceans

"An utterly charming, heartbreaking and beautifully captured story of love, friendship and sacrifice. It will stay with you long after you close the pages." --Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

"An epic and intensely moving novel that crosses the boundaries of place and time to weave a powerful story about overcoming the complications of love and grief - the things we try to spare one another, the things we cannot bear to see. It's a warm book, an intelligent one, richly observed, clear-eyed, and the generosity of its final pages moved me to tears."--Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Miss Benson's Beetle

Perfect for fans of Helen Simonson and Julia Kelly, this is beautiful, profoundly emotional, and peppered with sparks of humor." --Booklist

"Introspective...Liardet's complex narrative entices with its focus on how the characters are forever altered by the war and the tragic events of everyday life. Liardet's vivid descriptions of WWII combat and the idyll of the English countryside will draw readers from the very first page." --Publishers Weekly

"Think of Me is a simply gorgeous, sophisticated novel that breaks your heart then mends it again. In this stunning masterpiece, Liardet's poignant prose celebrates the triumph of love over death and of faith over grief. --Stephanie Dray, author of The Women of Chateau Lafayette

"In this ravishing epic, Frances Liardet travels fluidly between continents, between times of war and peace, and between what we think we know about those closest to us and the secrets they keep, to deliver a love story that transcends time and even death. A sumptuous, deeply moving, and ultimately life-affirming tale!"--Patry Francis, author of All the Children Are Home

"Rich with historical detail, and heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure, Think of Me is a luminous, compassionate exploration of grief and the tragic effects of loss and secrecy on a family's closest bonds."--Rafe Posey, author of The Stars We Share

Author Bio

Frances Liardet is a child of children of the Second World War. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia and studied Arabic at Oxford, before traveling to Cairo to translate modern Egyptian novelists, including Naguib Mahfouz and Edwar al-Kharrat. Liardet currently lives in Somerset, England, with her husband and daughter, and helps to run a summer writing session called Bootcamp. We Must Be Brave was her American debut.