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What Members Thought
Dec 31, 2008
Maggie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
read-2009
I loved this book. All the characters were so well developed and funny! Everyone actually had a personality and it was such a wonderful love story. Even if it was a little predictable...
Although I wasn't sure I would like it at first, I thought the letter format of the book actually almost ended up making the book. It's so interesting that one story could be told completely through a correspondence like that. Letter writing like that is unfortunately really a dying art. I don't even think emails ...more
Although I wasn't sure I would like it at first, I thought the letter format of the book actually almost ended up making the book. It's so interesting that one story could be told completely through a correspondence like that. Letter writing like that is unfortunately really a dying art. I don't even think emails ...more
Dec 22, 2008
CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
historical-fiction
An enjoyable, quick read that taught me A LOT about life during and after the first World War, both in mainland England and especially on the British isle of Guernsey. I didn't love this book, though--several of the characters felt rather rote (zany best friend? check. gay best friend? check. secondary heroine who is a little too spunky and impulsive for her own good, but absolutely perfect somehow? yup. oh, and don't forget the straw woman, the only religious character in the book, being the ra
...more
Apr 11, 2018
Jaime
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2017,
historical-1930-1950
This is one of those books that has languished on my TBR list for years, but I continued to read good things about it and see people recommend it. And they were all right!
What you find among all the letters is a pleasant story that taught me something I didn’t know about World War II. I had no idea that Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war, or that they occupied anywhere that wasn’t mainland Europe. There is definitely a tinge of sadness to what happened there, especially with no ...more
What you find among all the letters is a pleasant story that taught me something I didn’t know about World War II. I had no idea that Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war, or that they occupied anywhere that wasn’t mainland Europe. There is definitely a tinge of sadness to what happened there, especially with no ...more
Jul 30, 2008
Susan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
world-war-two
I originally read this in August, 2009. I am now -- in March, 2012 -- re-reading it as a book group pick, a pleasant task, since I greatly enjoyed reading it the first time through.
(I have finished my re-read of this and I still award it 5 stars. It has so much going for it
as a novel: the post-war period in Britain, the inclusion of Guernsey into the story, the memories
of the German occupation of the island, the epistolary style, and the vibrant characters. Also: stories about books, a bookshop, ...more
(I have finished my re-read of this and I still award it 5 stars. It has so much going for it
as a novel: the post-war period in Britain, the inclusion of Guernsey into the story, the memories
of the German occupation of the island, the epistolary style, and the vibrant characters. Also: stories about books, a bookshop, ...more
A very enjoyable read, and I also learned a lot about post-WWII Britain and the Channel Islands. Epistolary format worked well and made it easier to read while Breastfeeding a newborn, since it came in small self-contained chunks. I always feel that books that are love letters to reading and books are a little too on the nose (seriously, the main character breaks off her engagement on the day before the wedding because she learns that her fiancé wants to put all her books in the basement of thei
...more
Loved every minute of this book! Definitely one of my recent top 10s. I fell in love with the characters and was completely fascinated by the story-telling through letters. I want to do it all over again.
This was really charming and clever -- I'm a sucker for an epistolary novel -- but occasionally veered into too sweet for my taste. People who can't stand things too twee, beware.
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This book had all the things that I love in a book-good characters, historical fiction and a little romance. Good stuff. It's been awhile since I have enjoyed a book as much as this one.
...more
Very enjoyable - I recommend this as an interesting, quick summer read. I learned a lot about Guernsey and the German occupation during WWII.
Jan 23, 2010
Shasta
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
Apr 26, 2010
Katie
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
bookclubreads
