The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble

The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble
Buy The Way We Were by Elizabeth Noble at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Women's Fiction
Reviewer: Jo Heffer
Summary: Susannah and Rob were childhood sweethearts many years ago. However, after she left home for university and he joined the RAF, they drifted apart and because of a couple of misunderstandings, their relationship came to an end. Years later, Susannah returns home for her brother's wedding and by chance, comes across Rob. All of her old feelings for him are stirred once more, but has too much time passed or is there a chance that they might have a future together after all? Elizabeth Noble's wonderful book tells the story of what happens after they meet as well as revisiting what happened to them in the past.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 464	Date: August 2011
Publisher: Penguin
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 978-0141043111
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When Susannah comes across her old flame Rob at her brother's wedding, she instantly remembers all of the things that she loved about him. She cannot stop thinking about him and by doing so it makes her see her partner Doug in not such an attractive light. Doug pays her very little attention and often does not include her in his plans with his children. They seem to merely co-exist rather than share a life together which causes Susannah to become more and more dissatisfied, especially when she compares him with Rob. Although Rob has recently married, he starts meeting with Susannah in London on a regular basis and the flame is soon rekindled. However, they know that if they take things further, other are bound to get hurt.

Susannah also has other problems to deal with as her best friend Amelia is diagnosed with cancer and she promises to support her throughout the treatment. However, Amelia does not approve of Susannah's new found friendship with Rob and this causes the two women to fall out. Susannah finds herself caught in every direction and also struggles with the fact that she is in her thirties with very little to show for her life so far. It is very easy to empathise with her as she attempts to do the right thing. She is faced with either following her head or following her heart.

'The Way We Were' is a beautifully written book that had me hooked from the very first page. The characters are all very vivid and it is quite easy to become caught up in their lives and the dilemmas that they face. It is also an extremely emotional read with some very sad moments. It may not be the best time to read it if you are facing similar issues either in your own life or in someone's who is very close to you. There are definitely moments that had me reaching for the tissues. The story alternates between the present day and significant moments in the past. This works very well and helps the reader slowly piece together what went wrong in Rob and Susannah's relationship before. I liked this and it really helped me to keep my interest throughout the entire book.

I really enjoyed reading 'The Way We Were' but I did feel that I had been through a bit of an emotional roller coaster by the end of it. The story is certainly not predictable and, although I always hope for a happy ending, I could not be sure whether I would get one with this story. It is definitely a book that I would recommend as long as you have a good supply of tissues nearby. Oh, and while you have the tissues handy, why not take a look at The Choice by Susan Lewis.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

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