Juliet Ashton is a writer in WWII London. During the war, she wrote a successful, humorus column that was later published as a book that sold well too. She receives a letter from a resident of Guernsey, an island off the coast of England, asking for her opinion on author Charles Lamb. She begins a friendship over letters between him and the other residents of Guernsey who make up the Literary society, and learns about how the channel islands endured the German occupation during the war.
This may be the best book I've read all year (and I've read 19). It was funny, heart breaking, and warming. The greatness of the human spirit and how kindness and love took people (and still do) through the most trying times.
The novel is a succession of letters between Juliet, her publisher, her dear school friend, and the locals of Guernsey, and it was really wonderful. I felt more involved, like I was reading part of a living conversation or reading through a relatives hidden letters. There are so many complexities going on here, the characters inherent sadness over what's happened to their beloved island and country, the displacement of friends and relatives, loss of the same, and the sudden reapparance of food and freedom in their lives. And then the relationships between them all!
When we were in Germany, it was amazing to think about ... but all of Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt ... they are less than 50 years old. While that's true of much of Texas, it's not because of a crushing war, but because of newly inhabited frontier. And one of the quotes in the book struck me too, that the Americans were affected but not as haunted by the war, by the sadness. There's not blame laid in that statement, it's more like an observation.
Another blessing laid at our feets ... we are far enough away (usually) to avoid trouble. How will life change when that is no longer true? What would it be like to have Mexican Federalis (HA!) walking through Dallas and enforcing curfews? Stealing our bread?
And this book totally made me want to go back through my old letters. From my husband, Grandmother, cards from friends overseas ... I've kept them all. I still have a few errant pen pals ... but I wish the art of letter writing wasn't a dying thing.
Honestly I had stayed away from this novel because of the funny name and rather bleek looking cover. But it's beyond wonderful. I got it from the library but I'm going to have to own it. Definitely worth a read.
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