"When Mattie is given letters by a guest at the hotel where she has a summer job, she thinks the guest is simply upset. But when the woman is found drowned next day, Mattie must decide whether she will read them, or burn them as requested. A touching funny surprising novel set in 1906 and based on a true story."

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I was delighted by some parts of the writing, but then, there were other parts, and some aspects of the story, that shattered that feeling.
The first pages really captivated me, although tricking me into thinking that the story revolved mainly around the death of Grace when it really was more about Mattie and her duel between every-day life and the pursuing of her dreams and aspirations...
I also enjoyed the playing with words, and some descriptions were really vivid like the one of giving birth to twins.
Now, one thing that bothered me was the predictability of a lot of events: there were many things that seemed so obvious to me and it just took too long for Mattie to see them. Another thing was the erratic appearance of secondary characters: some parts were focussed on a particular character and then he wasn't mention for a hundred pages or so. It doesn't feel real: we don't compartmentalize people in our life like that... Specially considering that the book is told in the first person, one should expect her to have more intertwined thoughts... :)
A final remark is the feeling that there were some things left unresolved... namely the relationship with her father and what becomes of her sisters, particularly the rebel Lou...

This book is going to Lisbon, to be released in the «Lisboa, Encruzilhada de Mundos» pavilion, at the 2009 "Feira do Livro".
Goog journey!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

To be released at Pavilhão Bookcrossing/LEM - Lisboa Encruzilhada de Mundos during Lisbon's Bookfair (April 30th - May 17th), Parque Eduardo VII, Lisboa