Okay, this book has been on my TBR list for a loooooooooong time, and wow, it did not disappoint! I could not put it down and found myself going to sleep well past my regular bedtime wanting to read just a few more letters.
I had previously seen the film starring Lilly James (dare I say she is our generation's Julie Andrews?), but to be honest, it's been so long I did not remember much other than she looked lovely.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Suitable for audiences that are comfortable with WWII material: Little to no swearing, not spicy, some violence, as it does discuss occupation, bombing, and concentration camps.
Told completely in letters, this book follows the life of Juliet Ashton, a popular author most well-known for her newspaper column that has recently been compiled into a book. While on a book tour, we learn of her friendship with Sophie and her brother/publisher Sidney, a mysterious publisher named Mark who is sending her flowers, as well as a man named Dawsey who lives on the island of Guernsey. He has written to thank her for donating a book, which included her address in the front cover, and which has made its way to him. He piques her interest with talk of a literary society on the island that began with breaking curfew, eating a forbidden roasted pig, and quick thinking by Elizabeth, the society's founder. Juliet soon becomes acquainted with more people from Guernsey and their literary society, while also being pursued by Mark. Meanwhile, Sidney is stuck in Australia with a broken leg, hearing about this all by mail.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I appreciated the illusion of a love square (not a triangle, I thought there were 3 suitors), and was appreciative when we found out Sidney had zero romantic intentions for Juliet (and vice versa), thus reverting it to a love triangle. It was hinted that Juliet and Sidney had a closer relationship than publisher and author, and I found myself confused that he wasn't more concerned that she was spending so much time with Mark. Perhaps his interest in men should have been more obvious to me, but I confess it did not occur to me until Isola writes to Sidney thanking him for confiding in her. I was most relieved that Juliet did not accept Mark, especially since many of his letters in Part 1 seemed to bully her into accepting his invitations. That's not okay.
I too was saddened that we never got to meet Elizabeth, but I do think it was important to the plot of the story, both in the progression of Juliet's relationship with Kit as well as giving a purpose to her book about Guernsey during the occupation. I especially appreciated the full circle aspect of the decision to write another biography, since the biography about Anne Brontë is one of her earlier works and connects her to Isola as well as Dawsey (which we learn at the end).
Once Juliet is on Guernsey (Part 2 of the novel), we lose all letters from Dawsey. I have mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it seems to fit with his character that he would not have anyone to write to in order to confide his true feelings about Juliet or Remy, so the content of his letters may have been simply asking for more books from Great Britain. However, we know he writes to Remy, and I halfway wish we had those letters. We have letters from Isola to Sidney, and one from someone who has observed Mark and Juliet together written to Sidney, so it cannot be because they authors wanted all letters to be to or from Juliet. Let's be honest, I just want more Dawsey content!
Also the second hand embarrassment and worry I got reading about Mark showing up on Guernsey and kissing Juliet in from of Dawsey was almost unbearable. Dating is hard! Talking about your feelings is hard! In the words of many, but specifically Jonathan Larson (I have the Tick Tick...Boom! soundtrack stuck in my head), "Fear or love, baby don't say the answer. Actions speak louder than, louder than words." And a makeout sesh in front of someone you're interested in is definitely shouting a loud message that does not include your true feelings.
Thank goodness for Isola's desire to be the next Miss Marple. I thought it was a clever way to communicate Dawsey's feelings for Juliet, and the proposal was also lovely, although I also wondered how Juliet would have described it to Sophie.
All in all, I was delighted by this book and enjoyed having a WWII adjacent novel, as books written in the time period have been a bit heavy for me as of late. The letter writing format was extraordinarily fun, and I am happy to now be able to agree when people recommend it as a good novel.
Discussion Questions
1. The novel is divided into Part 1 and Part 2. What changes do you notice besides Juliet's location?
2. All of this begins because Dawsey finds Juliet's book and writes to her. Do you think this is meant to be an example of the existence of soul mates or destiny? Why or why not?
3. The letter format is a unique approach. Are there any moments of which you wish we could have a fuller account?
4. Did you have any suspicions about Billie Bee? (I personally thought her name was fake at first).
5. Do you think Juliet would have ended up with Mark if she hadn't gone to Guernsey?
6. Do you think the existence of these letters published in a book is meant to imply that the characters decided to publish them as a novel? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think Amelia was so willing to let Juliet adopt Kit? Do you think her potential relationship with Dawsey swayed the village in her favor?
8. Are there any titles from the Literary Society that you would now like to explore?
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