From Amazon.co.uk:

Reviewer: Katharine from London, England United Kingdom
Janet Davey's debut novel - which has just been nominated for the Orange prize - is a masterpiece of understated writing. Quietly and unostentatiously - like her central character, Sylvie - Davey creates a vivid picture of interlocking, fragmenting lives; a group of characters with Sylvie at their nexus who are going through fundamental changes. Intense passion lurks under the surface throughout, but is rarely allowed to break the superficial tranquillity that reigns in the hotel Sylvie runs with her husband. English Correspondence is a beautifully written and evocative account of the intense and hidden battles that are fought inside the hearts of the middle-aged; it's mid-life crisis but not like you've ever read it before. And it's one of those novels whose characters stay with you long after you've closed the book.

Taken fron the BookRelay by bookmaniac70 and posted today.

The book arrived today,thank you very much!

Started reading.I got immediately into it.Very good style and writing.Shall post more when I finish it.

I liked the book very much. It is an unusual "mid-life crisis" story. The death of her father and a missing letter become for Sylvie a starting point for a family crisis. Her husband fails to provide sincere understanding of her grief. For him Sylvie`s grief is a kind of illness which has to be quickly overcome in order to become functional again. And "functional" means to continue running the family business,to be a good mother,to make a good impression.

Sylvie becomes a bit obsessed by the thought of the missing letter which her father should have sent her before his death. There has to be a reply to what she has written to him in her last letter: that she is leaving Paul and coming to live with him. But the reply never came and Sylvie was stuck by the unability to decide without having the word of her father.

I was not convinced at the end that Sylvie took the rightest decision but that sounded more as happens in life- sometimes things get messed up and there is no "right" way to fix them.

I enjoyed the style and the writing. The subtle details of attitude in a relationship,the expectations of the family,the grief,the unspoken words were psychologically authentic. It was a page-turner which makes you think and stays with you after you have closed the last page.

Reserved for my European Fiction Bookbox.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent with European Fiction bookbox to the first participant,caffcaff.

Taken from the European Fiction Bookbox

Not convinced about this one. I understand it better after reading the last few journal entries :), but for me it was mite tedious.
No particularly sympathetic characters, and for a good part of the book I was wondering what the hell was going on (and why I was still reading it)
only 200 pages but it took me a week!

Putting this into sunlightbubs bookbox

Taken from the bookbox to take to the fresh-start OBCZ

RELEASE NOTES:

On the OBCZ shelf

This wasn't at the OBCZ today, must have gone travelling