This is one of the best books I have read in a really, really long time.
It’s the story of Guernsey (which is not only a type of cow), an island in the English Channel, during the time of rebuilding right after World War II.
I had no idea the Germans had invaded the Channel Islands during World War II. (Come to think of it, I don’t even know that I was aware of the Channel Islands at all, my English Channel knowledge being heretofore limited to the Chunnel and people swimming and/or flying across it.)
Not only did this book open up the heartbreaking circumstances that occurred during the war, it also had a great story. It’s a gentle story, with normal people and how they reacted to all that was going on, with a charming, lovable heroine and a mysterious co-heroine.
It’s told exclusively through letters, and the authors did an absolutely amazing job. Letters are a hard way to tell a story, and it’s difficult to get each letter to sound like it’s from the character it’s supposed to.
Wendy Archibald 