Julie B-Log

A Belgian in London’s blog ou le blog d’une belge à Londres

The Guernsey Literary Crownhill of the Wind

Posted on | March 23, 2010 |

    Hi all,

    I was eager to share with you my recent literary best picks.

    guernsey

    So let’s start with a real gem: “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

    Plot summary: “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”

    January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for the next subject of her book. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

    As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends-and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island-boasts a charming, funny, thoroughly human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, all of them literature lovers.

    Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she discovers will change her forever.

    Written with warmth and humour as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding a connection in the most surprising ways.

    Review:

    I liked: E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g: the story, the characters, Guernsey (which I will definitely visit one day). We really get to share the characters’ lives and we’re really sad to leave them at the end of the book. It is warm, funny, tender, it is a germ! Clearly one of my recent favourites!
    I didn’t like: Nothing, this book is a delight!
    Rating: 9/10

    Then “L’affaire Crownhill” by Georges Evens will tell you the story of Daniel Kronen,  a Cambridge history teacher, who will learn after his father’s death - a Polish Jew who emigrated to the USA and who was one of the wealthiest people on earth - a mysterious text with a hidden coded message.

    Review:

    Although the end was alas rather botched, it was a good suspense story nevertheless!
    Read in French, it has unfortunately not been translated into English yet.
    Rating: 8/10

    Finally “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Even though I haven’t finished it yet, I am already hooked.

    Plot summary:

    The novel, set in post- Spanish Civil War Barcelona, concerns a young boy, Daniel. Just after the war, Daniel’s father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it, and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That night he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author, but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man - calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil - who has been seeking out Carax’s books for decades, buying them all and burning them.

    Review:

    I like: the characters, the suspense but I will borrow the Entertainment Weekly’s review which says: “There are places in which the book might seem a little over-the-top (doomed love, gruesome murders) but for Zafon’s masterful, meticulous plotting and extraordinary control over language. While managing to hit just about every genre, The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature, intended for readers as passionate about storytelling as its young hero.”
    I know, for sure, that I will be very sad to close it.
    Rating: to be announced

    Books which are waiting in my library to be devoured:
    “The Room of lost things” by Stella Duffy (in English);
    “Chopin, Prince of the romantics” by Adam Zamoyski (in English)
    And “The Genius” by Jesse Kellerman (in French)… I am already frightened…

    And you, what have you read recently?

    Category: Reading
    Tags: >

    Comments

    2 Responses to “The Guernsey Literary Crownhill of the Wind”

    1. Chocoralie
      May 13th, 2010 @ 2:07 am

      Tu devrais adorer Sarnia (qui bizarrement n’est plus edite en anglais). Tres prenant, tres touchant, la vie a Guernsey racontee dans ses details, tres drole aussi.

      http://www.amazon.fr/Sarnia-G-B-Edwards/dp/2757802038/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273734343&sr=8-2

      Ravie de t’avoir rencontree hier soir et a la prochain fois!

    2. Julie
      May 31st, 2010 @ 3:27 pm

      Hello miss!

      Désolée d’avoir mis trois plombes à répondre :-( Merci beaucoup pour l’info! Je note!
      C’était super le premier Apréro-blog! Je ne serai malheureusement pas du deuxième (annif de monsieur mon amoureux) mais j’attends déjà impatiemment le troisième :) A très vite!
      Ju

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