I saw this book at a store and based on the title was contemplating to even opening the cover page and reading the summary on the jacket.... glad I did - the first few lines - "..... Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers” - caught my attention and when I had read the summary on the cover I had to read it. This book, written in epistolary style, is perhaps only the 2nd book I have read that used this style - if I can categorize The Diary of Anne Frank in this category.
Imagine that you found a bunch of letters and you start reading them and a story forms around these letters - out emerges: a central character - Juliet who is sunny, somewhat lonely woman in her 30’s, a budding author; a quaint little island which is part of UK that was occupied by Nazis and a bunch of islanders who show their grit and character as the story develops.
The letters depicts how one of the islanders, a total stranger, gets in touch with Juliet and what follows is a heart-warming story that you want to believe is true just like the island (Guernsey, part of the Channel Islands close to France) it is based on and the fact that it was indeed occupied by the Nazis. Letters are between Juliet, her publisher, her friend, some of the islanders who are part of a book club and a rich American who pursues Juliet. The circle of letter writers keeps widening as Juliet finds out more about the island and its history of occupation by Nazis.
After reading this novel, I read about the author - hard to believe she is an American - the letters portray a Juliet who has a sunny disposition and you really feel as if you are reading letters written by a folks very British in the post world war II era. This is Ann Shaffer’s first book. After years of working in book stores, libraries and in publishing – she always wanted to write a book that someone would be interested in publishing. She came across Guernsey when she visited England and on a whim decided to visit the island. She was stuck on this island due to weather and was captivated by stories of Nazi occupation. Years later, after goading from friends, she thought of writing this novel based on Guernsey. However, her desire to see her book published was not realized as she was overcome by illness and her niece (Annie Barrows) completed the book.
As you read through the letters, Juliet and the readers learn of a book society that was created on the spur of the moment by one of the islanders to escape punishment from the Nazis and how they had to organize a real society and schedule meetings to keep up the facade. The book gets its name from this society and the pie that the members eat during their meetings. The author subtly brings to our attention the atrocities of the Nazi occupation, the impact it has on the people of the island without going thru the graphic details – all revealed unknowingly thru letters by the islanders or as narrated by Juliet to her publisher. As Juliet finds more, she is drawn to this island and some of the people she corresponds with. Ann Shaffer has painted each of the characters on the island that you feel as they really exist!!! At one point, I had to let go of the book and read about this island - it will be on my list of places to visit.
As I was reading this, I was anticipating that the society was formed to spy on the Nazis and somehow passed on messages back to the Allies. I also kept thinking that there is a much thicker plot lurking around the pages. But what the author manages to do is far from the pulsating fiction this would have been had the book club been a spy society. Instead the author depicts how the trying circumstances bring out the best in some ordinary folk and give them the courage to overcome their fears and provide support and comfort to others that are not as strong. What you don’t see coming is Juliet’s growing attachment to the island and the people that have befriended her, the trust and love she gets from a child orphaned by war and reward of a romance she has been dreaming of.
In this age of email and instant messaging, this book reminds us of the joy of writing and receiving letters, the thrill and anticipation that pen pals would have felt prior to the era of instant gratification. However, I was surprised to see that some of the responses to letters were postmarked the same date – which meant that the British post office delivered letters more than once a day!
This is a "must read - without owning".
My rating scale:
Must own and read several times
Must own & read
Must read - without owning
Don’t buy but read if you have nothing else
Don’t even glance at it