Blythe left this book with me when she visited Chicago last summer. She hadn't been too enthused about it, so I as a result hadn't been too enthused to read it. But it seemed like a quick read (and I'm eager to rack up some books to make room for my upcoming read - John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River, which looks hefty).If it hadn't been for this blog, I would have given up on this book during the first part. I was bored to death. Guernsey is written entirely in letters, between an author, Juliet Ashton, and her publisher, her friend, and her new penpals - the members of the society of the title. What begins as a correspondence centered around the search for a particular book becomes a friendship and a study of the love of books, set during World War II. Juliet is intrigued by the society and begins corresponding with all of their members. I found the format dull, too loosely plotted and not revealing enough.
The second part is infinitely better. Things are actually happening and the book centers more on relationships. The letter format worked much better for me here. There's a lot of talk throughout about how great books are, which I found drab, but the aspects of the war were quite interesting.
The island of Guernsey was occupied by the Germans, which led to the creation of the society. Reading the characters' perspectives on the occupation and how they sacrificed, suffered, and coped was fascinating.
The ending is incredibly predictable, but satisfying. I still don't quite know if I liked this book, but once I got past the boring first part, it was enjoyable enough.
My thoughts on the novel echo yours. It was satisfying, predictable, kind of interesting, and at times, touching. Definitely not the worst thing I've read in years, but not anywhere near the best either. It's funny; my grandparents recently read the book and LOVED it. I don't know if it was the era or the epistolary style that they enjoyed, but after hearing their enthusiasm for the novel, I was worried I might have missed something-- you've reassured me that I probably didn't and taht my opinions are valid. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteEpistolary style? Well, you can tell who's an English teacher and who's not!
ReplyDeleteGlad we're on the same page.
I enjoyed the epistolary style of the novel. I actually found the ending immensely unsatisfying, too boring, too predictable, too saccharine. What I enjoyed most about the novel was learning about the role the Channel Islands played in WWII and what roles different members of that society played.
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