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I really enjoyed this book and how it was put together. Although the book sounds light and breezy, it is surprisingly complex. The book takes place in the Channel Islands after WWII. Through writing letters, the characters reflect on the war days. The author does a great job of weaving the serious and terrible stories of the war with the funny and quirky stories of the present. The romance is also fun and well-done.
As a writer, one aspect of the book bugged me. I felt that all the characters had ...more
As a writer, one aspect of the book bugged me. I felt that all the characters had ...more
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I love reading books about delightful, genuine people. It really is just a delight! The book is written through letters, which at first, took some getting used to, but in the end was a wonderful way to understand the perspective of many people who were in the process of recovering from WWII. I am usually very timid about reading books about WWII, but the storyline and characters were distraction enough from atrocities that it was digestable for me. In fact, the focus was not on the atrocities of
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LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!!!! Hope, Compassion, strength in friendship!!! I recommend it to everyone! I'm so glad I read this book! Since it is written as a series of letters it is very easy to pick it up and just read one letter, but it is also easy to say "just one more... I'll stop after this letter" and before you know it, your done and you feel like the world is a better place because you read this book. OK, maybe not "the" world, but "your" world as you see it!
FYI it makes you cry!!
It ma ...more
FYI it makes you cry!!
It ma ...more
I really enjoyed this book. It is written in a great way that is different and entertaining. It brings humor, love, suspense, among other things into the story. In addition it tells of historical fiction which is educational and eye opening. Great book to read. :)
I loved it!!!! It took a while to get used to the format but once I mostly figured out who the characters were and understood their voices....it was fantastic!! I loved the letters from society members that only read one book, or only loved poetry, or cook books. And the letters from the town meddler!! SO FUNNY!!! The character of Isola was my favorite, and I loved her parrot and her motorcycle and of course her detective skills!!
The history behind this story fascinated me. I liked the letter format but was disappointed when the authors dropped this near the end of the book. Things tied up a bit too neatly and great losses seemed to be lightly touched on. But then the English are known for stoicism. I loved the imagery of the island and could really see the characters and their lives. It was a worthwhile read.
This book was wonderful! It's about a literary society on an island in the English Channel immediately after World War II. I love British humor, and this is full of witty, subtle humor. It delves into a lot of information about the German Occupation on the island, and about the war, which was sad. But it's a truly great story. There is a love story, for all you romantics.
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Loved it, the history, the romance, the independent, opinionated female main character (no mind that my husband says I might relate to her, that's why I liked her...). The letter format is different but I really liked how it gave you insights into the characters and plot that you would not have gotten otherwise, very creative.
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This book started out really slow for me. But I pushed through and I loved it! It was a very cute read. I liked that the format was a different, although that was probably why it took me so long to get into. But very happy with it! Reminded me of a Jane Austen book but with easier language.
It took me a little while to get used to the fact that the whole book is letters, but it was a really great read. I read it with really high expectations and I wasn't disappointed. It was really interesting to learn about the occupation of the Channel Islands. I love historical fiction!
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Delightful! It has been a long time since I've read a book that I couldn't put down. Helped by a cold drizzly Saturday, I read it in one day!
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This book is a treasure. It is clever, funny, heartrending, informative. A new favorite! I highly recommend this book.
I know so many people loved this book, but I couldn't get into it. I put it down after about 30 or so pages. Sorry!
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Jun 06, 2009
Rebecca
marked it as to-read
Jul 26, 2010
Jen
marked it as to-read
