When Lucy’s cousin Dido dies Lucy returns to Guernsey to help her sister Clara pack up and sell Dido’s house, Deux Tourelles. While staying at Deux Tourelles Lucy meets neighbour Will, who used to help Dido out with gardening and other odd jobs.
Together they discover some documents and photos that lead them to look into the past of Dido and her sister Persephone.
In flashbacks the book takes you back to 1940 and the story of Dido and Persephone during the German occupation of the Channel Islands. A time of secrets, lies, heartbreak and breathtaking acts of bravery that changed Dido and Persephone’s lives forever.
This book is beautifully written, well researched and brings to life an event from the recent past that many people may not know much about. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

1940: When the island of Guernsey in invaded by the Nazis, two sister are determined to rebel in any way they can. But when they are forced to take in a German .soldier, they are shocked to find a familiar face on their doorstep - a childhood friend who has now become their enemy.

2016: Two generations later, Lucy returns to Guernesy after the death of a distant cousin. As she oreoares the old family house for sale, Lucy discovers a box of handwritten notes, one word standing out - resistance. Lucy's search for the author uncovers the story of a forgotten sister.

This is a story of trust, relationships and sacrifices. The story has a duel timeline: WWII and 2016. We learn the history behind the occupation of Guernesy during WWII. A story of two sisters in the past and two sisters in the present. The characters are well rounded, believable and likeable. At the end of the book we get a brief history of the occupation of Guernsey and some of the people involved. This is an intriguing read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AvonBooksUK and the author #LornaCook for my ARC of #TheGirlFromTheIsland in exchange for an honest review.

This book was given to me as an ARC via the publisher and netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is the second book of Lorna Cooks’s that I have read and I loved it just as much as the first one. She is a brilliant author who does her research on historical events and brings them to life on page very well. The struggles and pain is felt and it’s melancholy and heartbreaking and happy all at once. I love how she creates characters so vividly and I really enjoyed this.

Dido La Roy was ready to move on to the afterlife, but she has left a mystery for her descendants to figure out more specifically her cousin's daughter. Dido was young when the Nazis came to the Channel Islands but when they did she was torn. She had her sister Persephone by her side and soon came Jack and old friend Stefan, but also came rules and restrictions, and this all came just after losing her mother. Persephone did her best to look out for Dido who was singing in a cabaret, but everything changes near the end. Lucy and her sister Clara have inherited the house after Dido passes on but Lucy begins to unravel Persephone's secrets during wartime. She is joined by neighbour Will who has his own past that becomes connected with the war. Lorna brings between 1940 and 20016 easily as she goes back and forth between Lucy and Clara's story and Persephone and Dido, she guides us through the journey. Persephone took to help others and Lucy's to discover lost family secrets. It has you guessing right up to the end of what happens with both sets of sisters and why Dido left the house to the younger generation.

Beutifully crafted novel in which Lucy returns to Guernsey after many years to attend the funeral of her elderly relative. She finds some letters from the war, at the time when the islands were occupied by the German forces. Lucy sets out to find out what happened to her mysterious relative Persey with the help of her neighbour Will.

One of the many facts we in the UK would like to forget is how close we came to being invaded and the high cost the Channel Islands paid. This book gives insight into the ways in which island life was challenged, its freedoms removed and its hidden secrets that many would like to forget.


Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of the eBook in return for an honest review.

Another dual time novel by Lorna, this time we are in Guernsey and St Peter Port. Having been to Guernsey a couple of times, I can picture certain places. One of them the shell church.

The time is 1940 when the Germans invade, and centres on 2 sisters and two of their friends from 10 years previous, only problem one of the friends is German. and 2016 just after Dido - one of the sisters - has died. Two more sisters are clearing her house, Dido had left it to them in her will.

There are numerous people in this story, but Lorna introduces them gradually and it is easy to follow.

At the end of the book is a section that gives you a brief history of the occupation and some of the people involved. I urge any reader to read this as well to enable you to understand the story 0f 'The Girl from the Island'

This is another brilliant read and one I can fully recommend, I was sorry when I had finished reading.

A thoroughly good read! This novel has great characters and a very interesting historical setting. I learnt a lot about the history of Guernsey in a very entertaining way! I enjoyed the split timings of present day to World War 2. The book is easy to read, and draws you in so you carry on reading! I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this novel, the characters, the story and the history. Clara and Lucy, sisters, both very different characters. Guernsey in Spring 2016, we find Clara, married to John, they have a 5 year old daughter, Molly.. Lucy, who is single and free and lives on mainland England, travels to Guernsey to assist her sister with the selling of an old Manor House, Deux Tourelles, after the death of their second cousin, elderly Dido.

The chapters alternate from 2016 to 1940 Guernsey, telling the story of sisters Persephone & Dido Le Roy in 1940 in occupied Guernsey during the German occupation. I found the novel light-hearted, informative, sad and would recommend this book.

I give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

This was a gripping read. The story is told over two different time frames and I found the histological time frame a lot more interesting. I enjoyed learning about something I wasn't aware of and found myself absorbed in the story.

I loved this book. This is the third novel I've read by this author and she didn't disappoint. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes stories set around world war 2. Loved the fact it was set in the channel Islands giving a completely different take on the usual wartime romance. Looking forward to reading the next book from this author.

“Making choices that can change your life forever”
Duel timeline: Guernsey under Nazi control during WWII and 2016. Two sisters in the past and two sisters in the present....what a story they have to share.
A emotional story full of sacrifices, secrets, love and family. Mystery, suspense and intrigue abound throughout the story.
Good book for anyone that enjoys historical stories about England.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl from the Island by Lorna Cook.

I loved this book, and for me has everything in it to make a great read.
This title hops from German invaded Guernsey in 1940 to a much more peaceful one in 2016.
Lucy and her sister has just inherited a large house on the Island left to them by Dido
their aunt. The story tells of hardship during the occupied years on the Island and what the islanders had to do to make it through.
Lucy finds some paperwork in her aunt's wardrobe and it sets her off on the quest to find out more.
The author has cleverly entwined the lives of both sets of sisters and this brings the story to life . It was also very interesting to read about some of the history of that time. Fascinating and heart wrenching .

I have read Lorna Cook’s two other books and this is my favourite one. She just keeps getting better and better.
The storyline of two sisters in two different time frames was really enjoyable. I adored Persephone as a character and wanted to remain on Guernsey during the German invasion. I love books with a great setting and this one delivered. The dual timeline and the plot which was all pulled together at the end was just fantastic. There were more than a few surprises in this book. The story of independent women in a time where they had to take risks to follow their dreams was just so page turning. There were heart-breaking moments but I loved the atmosphere of wartime on the island and the sense that time was limited for life to go as it had been.
I loved this read - a clear 5 star read and thanks the to author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review. Lorna Cook is fast becoming one of my favourite writers.

The island of the title is Guernsey, and the girl in the present day is Lucy, who has returned to the island to help her sister to sort out a property they have been left by a barely remembered second cousin, Dido. Dido's story is gradually revealed, along with that of her sister Persephone, as Lucy is drawn in to research and discover more about the rarely spoken of history of Guernsey under Nazi occupation. This is both uplifting and heartbreaking and another triumph for Lorna Cook.

I'm particularly partial to reading books that are set in the Channel Islands. I find the wartime history particularly fascinating and having spent a most pleasant holiday there some years ago I have enough firsthand experience talking to locals and visiting points of historical interest that it helps the story come alive for me. This particular novel, one of several that I've read recently situated in the Channel Isles, makes an excellent addition to my collection and it is one that I would highly recommend to friends.

The novel is told in dual timeline - 1940, soon after the island of Guernsey has been invaded by the Germans and 2016, which is actually one year after my husband and I travelled to Guernsey. In the modern day portion of the story, Lucy, a freelance writer, returns to the Island from the UK to help her sister settle the estate of a distant cousin that she never really knew. For some reason Lucy finds it hard to return to the place of her birth and her relationship with her sister is a strained one though she doesn't really understand why. While staying at the home of her deceased cousin, a pretty imposing and large old building called Deux Tourelles, Lucy is surprised at how very little there is in the house to tell the story of her cousins life. She does however, find some photographs and papers that seem to indicate there might be a very interesting story in her background. One picture that captures her attention is of two young women and two young men. She isn't sure who they are, but suspects that one is her cousin Dido and the other is a woman named Persey - perhaps a sister. Lucy's sister Clara is the practical sort and wants Lucy to grow up and take on the responsibility of preparing the house to go on the market. When one of the papers that Lucy has found has the word "resistance" written on it she knows that she must dig deeper to learn more about the cousin that she now wishes she could remember. She soon meets a nearby neighbour who had known Dido at least a little and together they begin to research and explore the story of the residents of Deux Tourelles.

Back in 1940, the reader meets Dido and her sister Persephone. Their father has been dead for some time and as the Germans have invaded the island their mother dies quite suddenly of natural causes. Before her body has even been removed from the house, there are German soldiers at the door commandeering a room for an officer - their mother's room. Persephone is the main narrator here and she quickly recognizes that the German soldier is someone who had spent summers on the Island and been part of her teenage years. One summer they had the barest beginning of a relationship only for him to suddenly leave and never be heard from again until this fateful knock on the door.

Persephone speaks for the past and Lucy speaks for the present. In the modern day there is a mystery to be solved, a sibling relationship to be mended, a coming of age of sorts along with a new relationship still in its infancy. In the past there is a forbidden attraction between Persey and her German soldier while Dido also develops a fondness for a German soldier becoming what was locally known as a Jerrybag. Persey at times seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders and she carries it pretty much on her own. She resists in what ways she can knowing that all their lives may well be in peril as a result. The author has done an excellent job incorporating the real history of what life was like under the Germans into her narrative.

I really felt for all the characters in the story, both past and present. I shed some tears while reading and felt at times as if my heart would break. This was a book that made me want to read and read if only real life didn't get in the way. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the wartime history of the Channel Islands or women's literature. I think Lorna Cook did an excellent job!

I received an advance reader's copy of this book from #NetGalley, #AvonBooksUK and the author. The opinions stated above are completely my own.

This novel takes place during WWII and the occupation of the Channel Islands. It deals with complex characters and explores sisterhood snd friendship and what one will risk and endure n times of war. I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley.

My rating:

Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Character development: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
Historical Fiction



Review:

Beautifully written and well researched the plot is told over a dual time line. The location the Channel Island of Guernsey which I thought was a interesting location. As the writing is very vivid and captivating, the scenery and the characters truly come to life. The characters were nice and felt realistic their actions were explained well.

Overall:
This is a well written book, the historical time line taking place during the WII occupation of the Channel Islands, was very interesting from a historical perspective as it was the only part of the UK that was invaded. The characters are complex and interesting. The plot is very captivating and the surroundings are vividly depicted. This is one of those books that are hard to put down and you have to know what happens next. I loved it!

Review copy provided by NetGalley at no cost to me

In 1940 Germany invaded the Channel Islands and everything changed overnight. This is a story of what might have happened to the people there.
Centred around two sisters from the 1949 Persephone and Dido and two sisters from the present day Clara and Lucy the story goes between the times to tell the story of war under occupation. Although this is a work of fiction you can believe that maybe things like this happened.
A wonderful read that brings the characters to life.

This is the first book I’ve read by Lorna Cook and I loved it. A totally compelling story about sisterhood, relationships, trust, sacrifices and choices during two time lines which are connected. I also enjoyed reading the author’s inspiration at the back of the book alongside interesting historical facts about the Channel Islands under the Nazi regime. I thoroughly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from Lorna Cook.
Thanks to Lorna Cook, HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC book in return for my honest review.

Guernsey 1940.
Two young sisters have just lost their Mother when the islands are occupied and they are ready for the Germans. However, they find a German soldier billeted with them but not any soldier, a childhood friend of the both. How will this change their plans?

2016 and two generations later two sisters meet after the death of a distant cousin to sell the family property. Lucy, one of the sisters, starts looking in to the past history of the cousin, her house and the period of the Occupation with the help of papers she finds.
Can she piece the puzzle together and find out their stories?