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Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
Gerald Kumpf's The Letters She Burned follows James "Jimmy" Wiseman after he inherits a box hidden in his late mother Rosalie's cedar chest. The chest is filled with old love letters, a wartime journal, and a photo of her with a young Marine none of her kids ever knew about. As Jimmy, his pregnant sister June, and his teenage daughter Ada dig through the letters together, they slowly uncover a hidden side of Rosalie. They discover Rosalie was a passionate, complicated woman caught between duty and a love threatened by the Vietnam War. The deeper they dig, the more old wounds start reopening in the family, and Jimmy realizes some secrets were buried not to hide the truth, but to protect the people still living with it.
Gerald Kumpf made sure the audience was hooked from the beginning. I loved listening to the letters as Jimmy, June, and Ada read them. This made me feel just as invested in piecing together Rosalie's past as they were. Jimmy's skepticism complemented June's emotional personality and Ada's curiosity. Their family banter added a nice warmth and humor to a story that deals with a lot of heartbreak. The letters and journal entries themselves are so beautifully written. They capture both the hope and the fear of a love caught up in wartime separation. Kumpf does such a wonderful job of moving between the Vietnam era and the present day without ever losing the listener. The Letters She Burned is a heartfelt, moving family saga that you will love to listen to on a rainy day!
As a narrator, Gerald L. Kumpf did a great job of showing Jimmy's personality. I could almost visualize him and see what was happening because Mr. Kumpf gave such an incredible performance! The pacing of his words was perfect, the pauses were intentional, and I loved how he embraced each character. His cadence and his enunciation changed, and I loved that.
