Guest Review by Judy C. (Thanks & glad I found one you liked)
5 *****
The Soldier’s Wife is a well-crafted story set on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation of WWII. Vivienne struggles to deal with the hardships of war while raising her daughters and tending to her increasingly senile mother-in-law. I was intrigued and engaged after the first pages. The characters were well drawn and the plot moved at a good pace.
This book might be simple in its premise--forbidden love between two people whose countries are at war--but it encompasses so much more than that. Vivienne is charged with not only providing for her family but also taking risks for others throughout her island community. With her own marriage loveless, Vivienne finds solace lying in Gunther's arms late at night, but she knows how much she is risking should a discovery be made of their illicit affair. Is the love contained in one small bedroom worth the risk of an entire way of life? Can Vivienne justify the possibility of being taken from the family that so desperately needs her? The emotions are raw and the images evoked are heart wrenching.
ReplyDeleteThe essence of The Soldier's Wife is quite different than the other famous book set on Guernsey, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The Soldier's Wife highlights the deprivations of both war and marriage, with no light activity to make life bearable.