Finished Book #1 (SPOILER ALERTS!!!)

Well folks,
I finished it. And loved it.

As you can tell, I quickly became addicted to this book and needed to know what happened to the characters. Now I will share some thoughts I have about the book :)

1. I found out that the original author, Mary Ann Shaffer, was very ill towards the end of writing this book and had her niece, Annie Barrows, help her finish it. Unfortunately, Mary Ann Shaffer died before seeing how popular her book became.

2. I love Juliet. I admire her free spirit and quick charm and wit. I crave her desire for knowledge and truth. One part I especially enjoy is when either Isola or Amelia (can't remember which) wrote asking about her hair and if it was so big because the wind was blowing and Juliet responds saying that indeed the wind was not blowing and it was naturally like that all the time. She goes on to say that “Naturally curly hair is a curse, and don't ever let anyone tell you different.” I feel that way so many times in my life!

I also appreciate so much her views on marriage. She says “I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with.” Me being someone who enjoys having friends who I can talk about anything with, I also need friends who I can also be silent with and it's not awkward. Juliet has the perfect way of saying this.

3. Because I can't remember where it was and it's hard to find it using a kindle, anybody remember how old Dawsey Adams is...? Because for some reason, he always seemed to be an old man to me. But I guess not because of later events which I will address later.

4. I have always loved learning about wars and WWII in particular. This book allowed me to see new insights into the war from the perspective of a different country. I wikipedia'd (real word?) Guernsey to see where it was and read a little about it. Surprisingly (and it talks a bit about this in the book as well) is how Guernsey is protected by the defense of the UK but they technically have their own parliament. I don't believe the Germans knew this when they conquered Guernsey and yet they still treated the islanders so harshly, it's astounding. Additionally, some of the stories told from this book about the war (they may not be specifically true but i'm sure many things similar happened) are so crazy and horrible.

5. **big spoiler** OKAY. Here's what completely threw me for a loop in this book. Right after Juliet met Mark V. Reynolds and they started dating, I knew they weren't meant to be. Although his dates sounded exquisite and fancy-fun, he was much too hoity toity and demanding. So anyway, I decided in my mind and heart that Sidney was the man for her. He's the kind older brother of her best friend who's always been there - the perfect ending to a chick-flicky story, right? Apparently wrong. I was completely shocked when he revealed to the potion-making Isola that he was gay, and so sad. I had already imagined Sidney and Juliet living in Guernsey and having cute kids to play with Kit in the fields and with the pigs. Alas it was not to be. I guess I just have to come to terms with the fact that Juliet loves Dawsey and Dawsey loves Juliet. I do have to say, I was utterly giddy about the way the got engaged. This part I won't give away because I believe you should read it for yourself, but it was darling. Mostly I love Dawsey's reaction to it all.

6. **big spoiler** Though Elizabeth never quite makes an actual appearance in the story, she is someone to be admired. My heart broke dearly when it was revealed she had died in a camp. But the fact that she was executed for standing up for someone else was again admirable. From how the others on the island described Elizabeth, I could picture her as someone running through meadows with Kit, finding seashells on the beach and making up wild stories of where they came from, feeding pigs and then somehow ending up in the mud with them, and also simply sitting with a friend and discussing wishes and dreams. She seems to be a type of friend everyone hopes to have; loyal and free.

7. I may have looked up plane tickets to Guernsey... anybody wanna come? It looks like such a serene and charming island.

Overall, I loved this book. It may have taken me a bit to get really into it but I am so glad I stuck with it because I feel as if I've made some new friends.
If you haven't read it yet, i'm sorry for all the spoilers I gave away but you will still enjoy the book so go find a copy and read it!
If you HAVE read it, please share some of your insights or respond to some of mine. I would love love looove to hear your thoughts.