I can't tell if I'm just getting a bit tired of WWII stories--many times they're all very similar--or if this one just didn't hit the way I was hoping. But I found myself a bit disappointed with this one.

The setting was spectacular and in the beginning of the book, I was hooked. But at some point the author lost me.
It just wasn't as original as I was hoping given all of the positive reviews.

The author's writing was decent. I believe it may just be the tiredness of the subject for me. I was hoping for something that I didn't feel I'd already read before.

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.

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

a different type of war story. the war has come to their home island and they must now figure out where the future will find them. as they struggle with changes, they must also learn to enjoy the life they have left to them.

An emotional story of how life changed for people living on Jersey during the German occupation in WWII. Deborah Carr has written a story that shows just how the horrors of war devastated family lives but done so in a sensitive way. The book is based on true events of Deborah Carr's family. One that will really tug on your heartstrings. This is a beautifully written story.

I am always fascinated by how much I can learn from historical fiction because it's usually based on true happenings. A keep you entertained kind of read that I just couldn't put down. I felt as though the characters had come to life as I read.


I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A really interesting read - I loved that it covered a part of the war I’ve not read about before, and also really enjoyed the fact that it was influenced by the authors own family history

A wonderful read, hugely atmospheric. I loved every word of it. One of the best wartime reads I've found so far!

A look at what it was like to live under Nazi occupation in the channel Islands during World war two. Estelles father is killed, her younger sister sent to England, her fiance is interred, and she and her grandmother are left to look after the farm. Then they have a German officer billetted with them. During it all they try their best to survive, to stay true to what is right, especially when things get even worse, but also find that not all Germans are bad

This was an easy and enjoyable read with lovely characters that I really liked. For anyone that enjoys the historical genre this is definitely recommended.

Thank you Harper Collins UK and Netgalley.

Love, love, love this book!! It's gripping, emotional and knowledgeable. A fantastic read!! I liked this so much I purchased the paperback just so I can have it on my bookcart!

I loved that this story was based on true events. The story is emotional as it tells of the hardships the people of the island faced after the Germans arrived. This was moving historical fiction.
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the Germans take occupation of Jersey, Estelle and her grandmother must learn how to survive with ever increasing restrictions and food shortages. To make the situation more difficult, they are informed that a German officer will be billeted in their cottage.
Estelle's father was killed in the initial attack and her little sister was sent to England to live with an aunt before the occupation. This story is told from both sisters perspectives on their experiences during the war.
Historical fiction readers are going to savor this story that has a little bit softer side than a lot of books from this time period.

Brilliant book about a part of history i didn't know. It was very well written with great characters telling a story that had me rapt.

A well written story of occupied Jersey where the islanders had to endure such hardship and were resilient. I liked the fact the story was written as true facts of the family.

Estelle we see what she went through with her Grandmother surviving together on a farm with hardly any help. Hans the German officer who came to live with them was actually a nicer German than what some of the islanders had.

I wonder what happened to the characters in the book would be interesting to read more about them.

A well written book set in Jersey when the germans took over but not really much in the way of story lines. Some interesting characters but felt the ending was a bit rushed and didn't really find out what happened at to some of the people. An average read

The German occupation of the Channel Islands during WW2. in 1940..The island was suppose to be safe from the Germans but they invaded. I read a lot of WWII novels as I want to be more aware of want can happen when evil takes over. The islanders learn to live with the german soldier"s but keep their distance.. The story is told in two parts with Estelle and her younger sister who is sent to London to live with her aunt. Estelle is on the island with her grandmother and father but her father is shot down the day before the german's land. I was unaware the Germany invaded so many countries. I think Deborah Carr gave us a great story that will enlighten you as to how far the german's went during WWII. .

This was such a great book that I got lost in the pages. A wonderful story that left me on the edge of my seat with what would happen next. This was a brilliant read and I really enjoyed it.

An Island at War by Deborah Carr

It is June 1940 and the people of Jersey are under no illusion – the British government has announced that the island has been demilitarised, effectively leaving Jersey open to conquest. Rosie Le Maistre is one of the lucky ones. The little girl is sent away on one of the last evacuation ships, heading to her Aunt Muriel in London. Estelle, her much older sister, is left behind to work on the farm with her father and grandmother. It’s not long before the German army arrives in force, a catastrophe for the men in Estelle’s life, her father and boyfriend. Life on the island changes entirely, everything from a conversion to German currency and time to the arrival of slaves who will turn Jersey into a fortress island. But it’s not just the island that’s occupied. Soon Estelle and her grandmother have a German office, Hans Bauer, billeted on their farm. Life becomes a struggle for survival.

I’ve always been fascinated by the German occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War and have read several novels on the subject over the years. I was therefore drawn to An Island at War. There is definitely something of The Guernsey Literary Pie Society about An Island At War, albeit on a different island, and that’s no bad thing. This is another very human story, focusing on the impact of war and occupation on the lives of otherwise ordinary people who happened to live in the only part of Britain that was occupied.

Most of the novel tells Estelle’s story on Jersey but there are a few extracts from Rosie’s journal, written in London. I found these tantalising and would have liked much more of Rosie’s life during the Blitz. It’s clear that tumultuous things are happening to her but it’s all in the shadows and all too brief.

I liked Estelle very much and enjoyed reading about her relationships with her grand mother, their friends and with the Germans on the island. It’s mostly black and white but there is some interesting grey as Estelle and Hans struggle to reach a compromise. But it is very difficult to have sympathy for Hans when the horror of the German occupation and what is happening on the continent to Jews and people from the east is such a big part of the book. In a way, there is a conflict between the fascinating historical detail of the novel and its emotional element. The author lives on Jersey and knows its history well and that adds so much to the book. I’m not quite sure that other parts of it – Estelle’s relationships, Rosie’s experiences in London – live up to that. My main issue with the novel, though, is its ending, which is far too abrupt and unsatisfactory.

An Island at War is an enjoyable light read, which shines with the author’s knowledge about her island and its history. I learned a great deal about the little details of life under occupation. I had no idea about much of it, and that is what I’ll take away from the novel.

An Island At War reminded me of a holiday in Jersey when I saw the remnants of the German occupation. It is a reminder of how close Germany came to ruling over us, and how brave the Jersey people were in resisting them. Rosie and Estelle may be separated, but we are reminded how scary and dangerous life was in London. It is hard to believe how recent all of the events were and it is important never to forget what happened.