Present: Gill, Nathalie, Mark, Nic, Carl
Mixed responses to this one. Jen subsequently reported really enjoying this because it was engaging and easy to read but, for those who were present on the night, it was generally considered schmaltzy and disappointing. Some of us were moved yet felt manipulated.
There was general agreement amongst us that the various characters were poorly sketched and lacked substance - primary character excepted: she was reasonably well-developed and hugely likeable; strong, dry, funny; and reminded me of our very own Jane (an opinion which garnered some agreement when I mentioned it at our subsequent gathering for #54!).
The letters failed to bring most of the characters to life and did not present any significant shifts in style or vocabulary in order to differentiate between the characters, their personalities, educations, life-positions etc. Mark felt that the letters were just real-life stories the author had read about topped and tailed with Dear X and Best regards Y. Certainly all the Guernsey men spoke with one voice and followed a strict "I didn't like reading but then I joined this club and all that changed and by the way here's an interesting experience I had during the occupation" approach to letter-writing that was a lifeless and unconvincing.
This was not an awful book but it wasn't a good one, even though it was diverting for a time.
Best bit? Finding out that Oscar Wilde was called Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde. Worst bit? Imaging how smug the author was about weaving that bit of info into the book.