Written by Deborah CarrI loved it! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
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My thanks go to Deborah Carr, her publisher, One More Chapter and Netgalley for providing me with a free electronic version of An Island at War to review.
I downloaded this copy in June 2021 because the blurb appealed to me, and sadly this is another little gem that has sat too long in my TBR pile.
I downloaded this copy in June 2021 because the blurb appealed to me, and sadly this is another little gem that has sat too long in my TBR pile.
The blurb:
June 1940While her little sister Rosie is sent to the UK to keep her safe from the invading German army, Estelle Le Maistre is left behind on Jersey to help her grandmother run the family farm. When the Germans occupy the island, everything changes and Estelle and the islanders must face the reality of life under Nazi rule.
Interspersed with diary entries from Rosie back on the mainland, the novel is also inspired by real life stories from the author’s own family who were both on the island during the occupation and in London during the Blitz and is a true testament to the courage and bravery of the islanders.
War Story Fiction
Family Saga
My thoughts:
I choose to add An Island at War to my TBR pile because I enjoy stories set in this period and the blurb appealed to me.At first I found this story a little slow, and wondered if I'd ever get into it. However, that soon changed and I found I could not put the book down as I needed to know what was going to happen next.
The story begins with the occupation of Jersey. The Le Maistre family have a farm on the island and Mr Le Maistre has decided that his youngest daughter, Rosie, should be sent to London, as he feels she will be safer there with his sister-in-law rather than on the occupied island. His elder daughter, Estelle, however, is needed on the farm so must stay on Jersey. His mother-in-law is also staying on the farm. She came to look after the girls when their mother died when the girls were much younger. Rosie manages to get on the last boat off the island and her role in the story is via letters written to Estelle in a notebook, recording her life in London and what they know of the war beyond the city where she is now living. Mr Le Maistre is killed before the German soldiers even set foot on the island, leaving Estelle and her Gran, Mrs Woods, to fend for themselves.
The main storyline revolves around Estelle and how she has to cope with life under occupation. Once the soldiers arrive, Estelle's friend Gerard has to surrender himself along with other British military personnel who were on the island when the Germans arrived. The men are taken off the island and news of their whereabouts and wellbeing is scarce. To add insult to injury, soldiers are being billeted with local families and as they have a spare room at the farm, they find they have an uninvited guest in the shape of Captain Hans Bauer.
How Estelle and her grandmother survive through food shortages, ill-health, and the risks they take to defy the German Command is grippingly told in this informative story which is based on the author's family's lived experience.
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