Anne Krist's 'Burning Bridges'

I read 'Burning Bridges' by Anne Krist in one sitting. From its powerful, immediate opening I was captivated. In Sarah and Paul we meet two young people who are passionate, committed and deeply in love. Anne Krist perfectly captures that youthful love and later, the profound emotional devastation, when, as the result of Sarah's well-meaning but meddling parents, Sarah believes that Paul has died in the Vietnam war and Paul is convinced that Sarah never wrote to him. How these two come together again and finally acknowledge their undimmed feelings is wonderfully evoked in the novel and the ending is a real five-hankie moment!
All relationships within the story are handled with great understanding and compassion, especially the romance of Paula, Sarah's daughter, and her lover Dan, and the mother-daughter relationship between Sarah and Paula. Later, the 'new' father-daughter relationship between Paul and Paula is gripping in its mix of tough and tender.
There are twists and turns throughout the story and I always cared for and believed in the characters - I really wanted them to win through in the end. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone else, but if you are looking for a poignant yet powerful love story, 'Burning Bridges' is it.