The Last Year of the War ~ Susan Meissner

(3+) Library ebook

I really appreciated the honest look at ageing in this book -  the struggle with the onset of Alzheimer's, called Agnes the thief - and that Meissner chose to end the book realistically
with Meissner creating a way to have the characters reconnect before one of them dies;  for me, that added to the story, not detracted from it.
Mariko's story became lost and blurred as the story progressed, maybe the author intended that to reflect the loss and disconnect Elise was feeling and going through (?).   I wasn't really that interested in Mariko by the end of the book.

The story has more romancy-schmancy than I like in a fiction book - why kissing, and a honeymoon night seems to require an explanatory and descriptive dialogue beats me - perhaps the best way to pigeonhole this would be "clean romance with a sensual undertone".  The romance was a bit too pat;  and, the marriages, especially the way the author line up the second marriage, just felt a bit off.  For me, those things detracted from the story. 

Extra:  Meissner doesn't shy from having an attempted rape in this story and has dealt with it as non-gratuitously as I think she could have, almost euphemistically.