A sweet, charming and beautiful story about friendship, humanity, heart-full-ness and courage. And I have such a special place in my heart for letters-between-friends; and have made some good friends through letter-writing, so the premise of the story is just too-too perfect! The historical aspect was also very interesting; the island of Guernsey was the only place on British soil occupied by the Germans during WWII. Mercifully (to me, anyway) only a few of the letters dealt with some of the more dreadful details of the occupation, and most of them are delivered in a fairly gentle way, though I was still sickened by some of it--and of course the whole premise is horribly depressing and heartbreaking--but the book is all about the brave souls who strove to keep their kindness and strength through it all (not just the Guernsey residents but even a few of the German soldiers sent to occupy it) and how good books helped them to do it. And the story takes place during the brighter times after the Allied victory. Yet the story is more than a "just sunshine after the rain" tale, it shows how so many were able to find the rainbows while it was still pouring. Also, so much of it is based on the present; on sharing a love of literature, of Guernsey--there's some romance, too. The characters are all so interesting and I feel that I have become friends with them through all their dear letters.


***************************************************************
Hurrah! I finally reached the front of the que on the library waiting list and have already read the first few letters. I'm planning to snuggle up with blankets and tea this weekend with this cozy and congenial book.