I'll tell you a secret. I put off reading this book for so bloody long because I thought it would be a chore. The only reason I read it was because I decided I needed to work my way through the book shelf, (remember the Stephen King incident?). You know me, if there is a movie at the cinema I'll watch it, I wasn't allowed with the movie version of this though and we won't go into that, but I bought the book after the film came out (you can see it's a movie version) and placed it on the shelf as a trophy.
If I could go back in time I think I'd punch myself.
It has come to light that the books I think will bore me, despite buying them anyway out of satisfaction from owning such a book, are always the ones that blow me away the most.
TGL&PPS was such a good book that not only did I devour it in a single evening, but I thought it was too short. We got to the ending and I couldn't handle the fact it was the end. It was abrupt and I didn't want to leave the cosy little life I had been living for the past few hours. All of a sudden that island was my home, those people were my friends, and then I got cut off JUST LIKE THAT. I've been thinking about it ever since and I finished the book a month ago.
I really liked how the format changed from letters to life. We went from correspondence between characters to Juliet living her life on these pages, despite sending the letters to other people. It was a gentle shift, and we got to know her and her new friends on a new personal level, as it is much easier to know a true person with what they spill on their pages. It's like the heart's imprint, utterly beautiful.
I shipped Juliet and Dawsey so badly. From the get go I was like 'damn, they need each other'. I. Was. Not. Wrong.
I also feel like I found myself in Juliet. The sarcasm and utter, unbashful uniqueness of her letters really spoke to me. She jumped form subject to subject and added humour and was so unapologetically herself in her own writing, it was truly inspiring. I loved every page.
I also really love how this jumps from devastation into a love story. There was no denying it was going to turn into a romance, but that doesn't mean it should distract from the main theme of this novel and that is the war. This is a war book through and through. It shows the struggles Guernsey had, it showed the heartbreak brought on through separation and death. We saw a much loved woman through others eyes, she lived on in memory even though she did not survive, but we got closure as well. It's like a coming of age story only it is a coming of survival. These people stayed alive, they struggled on the only way they knew how, and now it is all okay. It wasn't for a great many people, and they acknowledge this, but it ended up okay. And I suppose that is reflective of the real war, whether this story was true or not.
I just want to add before I just turn this into a gushy post, that this book is as cosy as sitting in a warm library, an open fire, hot chocolate, window seat, the works. It mentions classic books, it gives you a feeling of acceptance. It really is a must have for any book shelf. I almost don't want to watch the film in case it spoils it...
Overall then, I give this lovely little book an 8/10. It really is a home away from home. If you feel lost and afraid due to (UK) lockdown 3.0, pick this book up and I promise you, you will forget all about it as soon as you start reading. I can't promise it won't all come rushing back once you come back to reality, but it is a lovely little escape which has themes of hurt and recovery that we are experiencing in a very different way (war vs covid, is it really that different?) but we feel the same. You won't be lonely with your Guernsey family.
I won't lie to you, with this new lockdown, I too am spooked. This isn't going to go away as we had hoped, not without a fight. We've got new variants, vaccines, and isolation, we are not okay. But we will pull through this because we are human, we shall struggle but succeed. Stay safe, loves. XOXO
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