Review Detail

YOURS FROM THE TOWER by Sally Nicholls is a YA Historical Fiction novel, set in England in 1896. The story is told via letters primarily sent between three friends, Tirzah, Sophia, and Polly. Each girl’s life has changed now that they’ve left school; Tirzah is living with her horribly boring grandmother, trying to uncover the mystery of her missing parents, Polly is a teacher at an orphanage, keen to figure out what happened to the dad of three young brothers, and Sophia has been gifted a Season in London by her wealthy aunt, and is meant to find a suitable match. Though life has pulled each of the eighteen-year-olds in different directions, they are tied by their genuine love for one another. Through their mutual support, they have to muck through all the unexpected happenings before they can find their happily-ever-afters.

I wanted to read this book because of the title alone! It’s so clever and sure to catch the eye of anyone interested in this genre. The book cover is also colorful and beautiful. I was sure I wanted to read it before even knowing what it was about, and I’m so glad I did! The characters are absolutely charming. Each one of them has their own trials and tribulations, and I found myself flipping the pages to know what was going to happen next. Each storyline had an equal hold on my heart.

That being said, while this isn’t the first epistolary novel to ever exist, it is a curious invention in that the whole story is told to readers as opposed to shown to readers. Typically, this is frowned upon in writing, except when used in this particular structure. As such, I found myself craving more details than what exists in the letters. Had this been told more traditionally, the story likely would’ve been even more irresistible.

I like where Nicholls leaves all the girls at the end of the book. However, the structure of the novel prevented having a truly rewarding conclusion, because we couldn’t be in the circumstances with the characters. We could only be told about them after the fact. Because of that, I hope there will be a second book! Tirzah, Sophia, and Polly have only just scratched the surface of where they’re going, and I’d love to see what happens with Michael, Sebastian, the orphanage, and everything else.

Overall, YOURS FROM THE TOWER is the perfect book for fans of SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS or anything pertaining to London’s Season. It’s a great afternoon read that will have you cheering for the characters, hoping it will all work out.