This book is told in a dual time frame, with Elaine’s story set in London during World War II and Jen’s story set in present-day Spain. Elaine is a typist for the military, typing letters written by POWs and looking for secret messages, when she meets — and falls deeply in love with — famed )real-life) war photographer Robert Capa (aka Bobby) who travels around to photograph men on the front lines. Jen is newly divorced from her husband, has a teenage son she worries about constantly, and is visiting her brother and mother in Spain, both of whom she has complicated relationships. While in Spain, they are approached by a team doing a documentary on Robert Capa’s life, trying to get more information about Jen’s late Nana Elaine.
While both stories were interesting, I really enjoyed Elaine’s story a lot more. It was a bittersweet love story with a lot of actual details about Robert Capa woven in. Elaine was a frustrating character to read, though, and made several poor choices that really limited her happiness.
I also really enjoyed how the stories were tied together, and how it almost seemed like Jen learned from Elaine’s mistakes, even though she didn’t actually know the whole story of her grandmother’s life. I definitely recommend this book for those who like the women’s historical fiction genre.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review. It did not influence my opinion.