My Dear I Wanted to Tell You: A Novel

“My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is one of those books that doesn’t leave you, and probably never will.”
—Jacqueline Winspear, New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs novels

The onrush of World War I irrevocably intertwines the lives of two young couples in Louisa Young’s epic tale of love in the midst of chaos. Perfect for readers of Atonement, The Mapping of Love and Death, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Young’s moving novel of class struggles, star-crossed romance, and the grim reality of the battlefield is a stunning exploration of the devastating consequences, physical and spiritual, of a world enmeshed in Total War.

The lives of two very different couples are irrevocably intertwined and forever changed in this stunning World War I epic of love and war.

From the day in 1907 that eleven-year-old Riley Purefoy meets Nadine Waveney, daughter of a well-known orchestral conductor, he takes in the difference between their two families: his, working-class; hers, "posh" and artistic. Just a few years later, romance and these differences erupt simultaneously with the war in Europe. In a fit of fury and boyish pride, Riley enlists in the army and finds himself involved in the transformative nightmare of the twentieth century.

While Riley and his commanding officer, Peter Locke, fight for their country and their survival in the trenches of Flanders, Peter's lovely and naive wife, Julia, and his cousin Rose eagerly await his return. But the sullen, distant man who arrives home on leave is not the Peter they knew. Worried that her husband is slipping away, Julia is left alone with her fears when Rose joins the nursing corps to work with a pioneering plastic surgeon treating wounded and disfigured soldiers.

Only eighteen at the outbreak of the war, Nadine and Riley want to make promises to each other—but how can they when their future is out of their hands? Youthful passion is on their side, but then their loyalty is tested by terrible injury, and even more so by the necessarily imperfect rehabilitation that follows.

Moving among Ypres, London, and Paris, this emotionally rich and evocative novel is both a powerful exploration of the lasting effects of war on those who fight—and those who don't—and a poignant testament to the power of enduring love.

“A month after reading this book it is still on my mind, its characters as clear and their dilemmas still playing themselves out in my mind. I’d thought there was nothing more for fiction to do with the Great War, but Louisa Young has discovered the startlingly modern questions of that great catastrophe.” - Linda Grant, author of The Clothes on Their Backs and When I Lived in Modern Times

“This novel is a triumph.” - Elizabeth Jane Howard, author of the Cazelet Chronicles

“One of those books that doesn’t leave you, and probably never will. So deep was the place it touched in my heart, that I wanted to keep the book itself close by; as if I could comfort each character and keep them tightly held. Many writers have set out to describe war’s dark, lingering shadow, though few have truly succeeded. In this story of lives torn apart by the horror of the Great War, where even the soul struggles to rise amid the detritus of battle, Louisa Young proves herself to be one of those writers, and she has told this story very, very well.” - Jacqueline Winspear, author of A Lesson in Secrets

“At the heart of My Dear I Wanted To Tell You are an irresistible hero and heroine: the passionate, ambitious, strong-minded Riley and Nadine. How their lives are transformed—literally and figuratively—by World War I makes for a surprisingly suspenseful and tender novel. I was enraptured by these pages. ” - Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street

“The finest Great War novel since Susan Hill’s Strange Meeting. . . . [Young’s] book encompasses themes of shifting perceptions of class; of the lingering, insistent consolation of art; of incorrigible wiliness; of unflinching duty and endurance; of the need to maintain a sense of identity when everything militates against it, and of selfless generosity, optimism and intense passion. Her research is meticulous, sometimes harrowing. The atmosphere she creates is often appalling, always compelling, and her narrative drive is powerful enough to keep you up all night.” - Sue Gaisford, Independent (UK)

“A moving tale of men and women tested to their limits by World War I. . . . My Dear I Wanted to Tell You exhibits a determined faith in human beings’ ability to heal—if not entirely, then at least sufficiently—from the wounds inflicted by war.” - Wendy Smith, Washington Post

“Every once in a while comes a novel that generates its own success, simply by being loved. Louisa Young’s My Dear I Wanted to Tell You inspires the kind of devotion among its readers not seen since David Nicholls’ One Day.” - The Times (London)

“With echoes of The English Patient, Atonement, and a touch of Ford Maddox Ford’s The Good Soldier, Louisa Young’s adult debut novel is haunting and mesmerizing. . . . The dark and gritty battle scenes contrasted with the pining love letters sent from the front lines of battle blend perfectly together to give an accurate and honest portrayal of life during wartime” - Bronwyn Miller, BookReporter.com

“A complex, yet simple, story.” - Lydia Pyne, New York Journal of Books

“An epic love story, a grim war chronicle, a class study, a heartwarming tale of overcoming—London native Young’s page-turner has Masterpiece Classic written all over it. . . . Young brings a modern, frill-free sensibility to the material. There’s considerably less sentimentality than you usually encounter in such stories. Young, a graceful and light-handed writer, offers a powerful account of war, and her detailed descriptions of the experimental reconstructive surgery add a compelling element to the story. A literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Singular in quality. . . . The plot has a certain Atonement feel to it . . . but the similarities become increasingly irrelevant as Young’s characters come into their own and easily shoulder the burden of escorting readers through an unsensationalized and thoughtful story of English class, world war, and that universal constant—love.” - Publishers Weekly

“As terrifying as it is brilliant, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is not a book you pick up lightly. It takes you down one of the darkest passages of human experience and does not ease its grip until you emerge, profoundly enriched, on the other side. I was spellbound from page one and remain utterly enthralled. With her exquisite, nimble style, Louisa Young has re-created a world at war and given life to the silent faces I thought I knew so well. How wrong I was.” - Anne Fortier, author of Juliet

“A testament to the frailty and heart of mankind, Louisa Young’s My Dear I Wanted to Tell You vividly paints an intimate portrait of life on the home front and battlefields during the First World War.” - Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Day the Falls Stood Still