Ebook366 pages8 hours
The Hidden Letters of Velta B.: A Novel
By Gina Ochsner
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
“A beautifully spun tale” set in a tiny town in Latvia—“an astonishing alchemy of history, romance, and fable” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Maris was born knowing things: His very large, very special ears enable him to hear the secrets of the dead, as well as the memories that haunt his Latvian hometown. As a boy, he finds himself heir to an odd assortment of hidden letters, from which he would weave a story that could finally expose—and maybe even patch—the holes in the fabric of his family and their town.
With humor, heart, and her characteristic “luminous writing [and] affection for her characters,” Gina Ochsner creates an intimate, hopeful portrait of a fascinating town in all its complications and charm. From the onset of World War II through the cold shock of independence, we see how, despite years of distrust, a community can come through love and loss to the joy of understanding (The New York Times). A finalist for the Oregon Book Awards Ken Kesey Award for Fiction, The Hidden Letters of Velta B. is “a captivating novel of secrets, love, and memory . . . This terrific novel knocked me out” (Janet Fitch, author of Paint It Black).
“Intimate, vibrant, and richly colored.” —Portland Monthly
“A gift on par with Joanne Harris’s Chocolat . . . Quirky, ethereal, hilarious, and sorrowful.” —Shelf Awareness
“[An] extraordinary feat of storytelling . . . A spellbinding novel as tough as it is beautiful.” —Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before the War
Maris was born knowing things: His very large, very special ears enable him to hear the secrets of the dead, as well as the memories that haunt his Latvian hometown. As a boy, he finds himself heir to an odd assortment of hidden letters, from which he would weave a story that could finally expose—and maybe even patch—the holes in the fabric of his family and their town.
With humor, heart, and her characteristic “luminous writing [and] affection for her characters,” Gina Ochsner creates an intimate, hopeful portrait of a fascinating town in all its complications and charm. From the onset of World War II through the cold shock of independence, we see how, despite years of distrust, a community can come through love and loss to the joy of understanding (The New York Times). A finalist for the Oregon Book Awards Ken Kesey Award for Fiction, The Hidden Letters of Velta B. is “a captivating novel of secrets, love, and memory . . . This terrific novel knocked me out” (Janet Fitch, author of Paint It Black).
“Intimate, vibrant, and richly colored.” —Portland Monthly
“A gift on par with Joanne Harris’s Chocolat . . . Quirky, ethereal, hilarious, and sorrowful.” —Shelf Awareness
“[An] extraordinary feat of storytelling . . . A spellbinding novel as tough as it is beautiful.” —Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before the War
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Reviews for The Hidden Letters of Velta B.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inara, a dying mother in her last days, shares stories with her son Maris, of their family and the people who live in their small Latvian town. Memories dug up like the plots in the cemetery her family has been caretaking, are laid out to be deciphered along with hidden letters her grandmother Velta wrote to her grandfather during WWII after the Soviets invaded their small town and incarcerated him. Maris is an unusual young man; he has huge ears and can hear things others can’t. His mind is extremely creative and he helps his mother understand the letters that she found hidden years before: but the messages they hold will change their town.This book is like a piece of art, intricate full of depth and an interestingly written mystery. It did take me awhile to get into the tone of the story. Its murkiness seeped through every page, almost like a gothic fairy tale set in a dark forest and yet it’s starts in current time. I may have to go back and read it again; because there are things I missed the first time through. Gina’s characters are intriguing and not all they appear to be on the surface. Definite 4 stars.
Book preview
The Hidden Letters of Velta B. - Gina Ochsner
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