Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Pages: 240
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
It’s 1946 and Juliet Ashton can’t think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey – by chance, he’s acquired a book that once belonged to her – and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Juliet’s curiosity is piqued and it’s not long before she begins to hear from other members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in Guernsey under the German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the society is every bit as extraordinary as its name.
My Thoughts:
What at first attracted me to this book was its very unique, curiously long title. The title informed me that the plot had to do with a literary society. I being very curious about all things literary was at once excited! Second, the blurb mentioned the date “1946” and for those of you who know me well, you’d be aware that Historical fiction particularly that which is set in the period of the two world wars happens to be one of my favorite genres. So quite naturally I decided to read this book ASAP. The book is written in the epistolary fashion and wholly consists of correspondences between different characters. At first, I thought this format might not work out for this book. It had been a while since I read an epistolary novel (the last one being PS: Longer Letter Later when I was just a tween). But it surprised me! Each of the letters tells a very absorbing story and the pace of this novel is fast which helped in the reading.
I loved the characters of Juliet and her publisher Sydney the best. This book has quite a few surprises and touches upon crucial events not only to do with the German Occupation of the Channel Islands but also the Holocaust.
Why I haven’t given this book 5 stars?
I felt the novel needed a bit more detail. As much as I liked that Juliet managed to assimilate into Guernsey’s lifestyle with utmost ease, the plot didn’t wholly convince me. This transition could have been done a tad better. I felt it that parts of the plot seemed too good to be true especially in terms of the development of the relationship between Juliet and Kit. The end seemed an obvious conclusion to the story but I would have liked a thicker book.
What worked for me?
- The setting of this novel on the beautiful island of Guernsey is very appealing.
- The time period which seems to be one of simple living in a fairly uncomplicated world.
- The characters (and there are several) are well crafted and each of them quite unique and special.
- The epistolary format is fun and the letters brief so you feel like you’re making good progress as a reader.
- The plot was informative and authentic. The little tales of people’s everyday lives during the Occupation had a lot of realism which managed to instantly draw me in.
- The book provides allusions to the works of many great English writers which I frankly found a lot of fun! I suddenly had a list of writers and their works to look up! As such it is a celebration of the act of reading and how mere words on a page can lend people courage during hard times.
All in all, this is a must-read work of historical fiction. I had no idea that a part of Britain had been occupied by the Germans for the length of the Second World War. It’s an informative and entertaining read that delves into aspects of the War that aren’t all that mainstream while delivering a sweet story about a group of people united in their love of reading.
Advertisements Share this:
