Random Things Tours: Three Words for Goodbye be Hazel Gaynor&Heather Webb

´Time you left America and saw more of the world´.

I am generally so careful with my choice of historical fiction, but in the last days and weeks I was so lucky to be offered the chance to review some very interesting books. My latest is Three Words for Goodbye by the writing-duo Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. I don´t remember to have read a fiction book written by two authors so this book was my first time. It looks like the two of them did write more books together, many available in German language as well, so maybe will try more published work by them in the next months.

Violet is dying and before she is gone she wants to deliver a couple of letters to people that meant something for her. She sents on the mission her two estranged granddaughters Clara and Madeleine. With Queen Mary, they will travel around Europe to Paris, Venice, Vienna. It is the end of the 1930s and Europe is about to go through a tremendous historical earthquake. Madeleine is putting on trial her journalistic skills, observing carefully the ongoing political and social changes. This, when she really had time to think about besides the small surprises Violet prepared for them.

Try to figure out: two young ladies on their own in Europe, at the end of the 1930s. For a woman living in the 21st century it sounds pretty normal, but at the time, although women enjoyed more freedom and mobility as two centuries before, it is still a novelty. One of the merits of the novel is that allows contemporary ideas to be re-framed in a given historical moment. Another inspirational hint associated with the two sisters on the road is the healing and transformative power of travel - a motto often mentioned by women of all ages who chose a travel lifestyle, which I mostly believe in as well - but translated elegantly into the social language of the time. 

The story in Three Words for Goodbye is a reminder why, from a very early age, I loved reading: for the power words have upon us to take ourselves out of time and space, transported into someone else´s story. For almost half a day, I was out of my regular world, following Maddie and Clara fulfilling the wishes of their beloved grandmother, meeting new people, experiencing new feelings and looking for new meanings.

The adventures are unfolding mostly as a duet of diary entries which continue or enrich the story. Writing as a duo may have, among others, the advantage of creating original, genuine and distinctive points of view. 

Although there is a general frame defining the story, expect some gentle twists and interesting turns that request attention while challenging the reader.

A special mention is well-deserved for the cover, as well as for the elegant book setting.

Three Words for Goodbye is a book that you don´t want to finish too fast, a special recommendation for historical fiction lovers, to be slowly enjoyed during a quiet weekend afternoon. Books like this encourage me to explore more historical fiction and keep believing that with a good moderate approach history can be a wise background for beautiful stories as well. It should not be all so academic and serious and undergo multiple checkings as in the case of a nonfiction book, anyway.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour, but the opinions are, as usual, my own