Riley: He has a bit of a same sex encounter and decides to run off to war to prove he's a real man, not a "nancy." I was terribly put off by this bit.. wasn't expecting it. His parts also contain the "f" word a lot. This did not bother me, but I know it will bother other readers. So make a note of that if you are offended by profanity. Until I was almost half way through this book, I was thinking There's not much point in reading this, as the title says it all. I could see it coming. One of the main characters would meet a violent death with so many things left unsaid. I was wrong! In general, Young is better at the female characterisation than the male and, while we spend some time with Riley and Peter on the front, much of the focus is on how those at home cope with the pressures of loved ones at war and on the impact of relationships. The casualties of war are not only the physical injuries but the mental ones, both on those who fought and those left behind. He came straight to her.... His case fell to the floor as he snaked his arm round her waist and there was a tiny perfect pause before he kissed and kissed and kissed her" *my heart only can stand some much*

Unmissable ... in crisp poignant prose Young explores what war really means in terms of mental anguish, while cleverly commenting on class and sex’

The other problem I had with the book was a minor issue, but it is a personal pet peeve. The other switched from using one character’s first name to their last. I realize that she did this as a means of illustrating the changes in the characters life, but none the less it made me a little crazy. Young has a historian’s eye for the private details of war, and a warmth to her prose that makes her small cast emotionally engaging ... Through Riley, however, the novel achieves an appeal to compassion and courage that deserves to reach a wide audience ... Hindsight tells us peace will not be final, but Young conveys, beautifully, the universal wish that it might be’ There are some aspects of the style of Young's writing that didn't always appeal to me; she's fond of a list and some of the passages are a bit 'choppy', but there's no denying the powerful story telling and the book's ability to add something new to the extensive literary subject matter of World War One is impressive. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time and whose characters will live long in the memory.

The writing style is very pleasurable to read, beautifully wordy and almost a touch indulgent - but I like that. what's wrong with being a little indulgent, especially when the reading matter is so difficult? I suppose this is what sweetens the pill to some extent, because the topic is a grim one. This book takes place during World War I, a time period that I have not read very much historical fiction about. I found myself wondering why World War II seems to be such a more popular time period as far as historical fiction goes. Does anyone have any idea why this is? While fighting on the frontlines, Riley experiences the gruelling horrors of war. He is dehumanized and built up again by the barrage of gun fire. The story progresses to glimpse the aftermath of war as it impacts these five criss-crossing lives. Young visits the pain of survivor’s guilt, and the silences that follow the men home and choke the households they have longed for. For the next few days he watched the other patients. Patience. He was looking for good cheer among them. How did they bear it? How could they bear it? This was not a rhetorical question. He wanted to know how the others bore it, what they actually did to bear it, because he could not bear it. And he could not suddenly start to bear it just because it was over. No one ever wins a war, and wars are never over:” (265).I don't go along with Tatler's comment, 'Birdsong for the new millennium.' I admit that don't really understand it. Apart from anything else, I really don't think that it is fair to compare the two books. But then, I may be biased, as Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War is one of my all time favourites. Also, how can a book about WW1 be something for the new millennium? One of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr also designed a secret weapon against Nazi Germany.

The characters were interesting, sympathetic and flawed. The storyline hopped between London and France during WWI, a period in history that I have never taken much time to learn about. There is something in this book for just about everyone and I believe it will appeal to a huge audience. It is at heart, a love story, but there are so many other aspects to this book. It touches on women's impact during wartime, romance, tragedy, the class system, families, art and early reconstructive surgery methods. Of all these areas I found the reconstructive surgery passages the most interesting and informative. Most of their love affair is through letters as Riley heads to war not too far into the novel. I didn't like their letters.. mundane, irrelevant, and too long. Moving between Ypres, London and Paris, My Dear I Wanted to Tell You is a deeply affecting, moving and brilliant novel of love and war, and how they affect those left behind as well as those who fight.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. 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) 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. The writing, too, doesn't quite know where to fit in. At times, Young's writing is stellar, particularly in her descriptions of war (from all directions - the front, the nurses, those comfortably at home, those less comfortably at home...). Other times, however, the writing feels stilted and awkward, with forced exclamations making their way into the soldiers' speech just to make them sound more realistic. It's a jarring shift, one that can easily throw the reader off balance.

It is multi-threaded, which I always love. The love stories are varied and bring out the contrasts in the way different people deal with situations and with the people closest to themselves.I didn't like this much mainly because I really didn't like a single character except Rose and she's really not a "main player." I found My Dear I Wanted to Tell You equal parts fascinating and horrifying. Although heavy with romance and war, this novel portrayed none of the romance of war. It took me a while to sink into the plot and the characters, but once I did they appeared in my thoughts when I put the novel down and although I enjoyed this novel and thought about it when I wasn’t reading it, I felt it could have been much more captivating. The great strength of the book is the main characters. Young takes time to build them up and this is probably why a third of the way in I was thinking 'it's good, but I don't see what all the fuss is about'. But it means you really care for them when the story develops. By the end, I certainly knew. The postcard started with the words ‘My Dear …….. I wanted to tell you, before my telegram arrives, that I was admitted to …… Clearing Station on ………”. The first blank was the space for the soldier to write the name of his wife/mother/lover; the second was for the name of the medical clearing station; and the third was for the date of his injury. The characters in My Dear I Wanted to Tell You enter the story strangely underdeveloped - their motives and reasons for falling in love are never quite explained - and never quite recover. Though the reader spends ample time with them, there is little to grasp, little to relate to. Young shines in writing about their world and their surroundings, far less their characters and inner workings.