by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, 2008, Dial Press Trade Paperbacks, Random House, New York

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal.  From a literary standpoint, it is probably not a great book and the characters are even a bit stereotyped.  But it is a great read.

The book is a series of letters written to and from individuals on Guernsey Island, which was occupied by the Germans during World War II.  The letters attract the attention of a writer who is looking for the subject of her next book.  The rest I will leave to anyone who wishes to read the book.

The structure of the book is a little unusual in that it is simply a collection of letters.  The author does not intervene with any prose of her own other than in the acknowledgements at end of the book.  Some individuals who have read the book did not like this format, but it didn’t bother me.  What surprised me was the power of the emotion that struck me as I read the book.  There is definitely something there that grabs at the heartstrings.  The characters in the book reminded me of Jan Karon’s  Mitford series  of books, but it’s sad that Mary Ann Shaffer died shortly before the book was published so it is doubtful that this book will be a prelude to a series.  In a way that’s a good thing, because it would be difficult to replicate this, her first book.  Her niece, Annie Barrows, rewrote the book at the request of the editors.

I would have given this book five stars had it not been for the somewhat stereotypical characters.