The Soldier's Wife Paperback – 5 Sep 2014

It was interesting to learn a little of how the population of Guernsey were affected by the German occupation, but unbelievable that the Channel Islands appeared to have been forgotten about by Churchill, thus allowing them to just take over. I would like to have heard some anger from the Guernsey inhabitants in this story about the lack of support shown to them.The actual story itself is about Vivienne and her two daughters - their father is in the army somewhere unspecified. I'm not going to spoil this for anyone but my biggest gripe with this book was Vivienne. Although obviously a kind woman and loving mother, she is so indecisive about many things, yet seems to quickly make a decision regarding one of the German officers that put her daughters at risk which I found hard to believe.However it's a nice story, although sad in parts and worth a read.

Please note: I bought this book as a gift for someone, but the recipient commented that it was exactly the same book as 'The Collaborator' which she'd already read, so do please be warned that although this is a very attractively presented book and contains an interview with the author in addition to a reading group guide, it is the American edition of 'The Collaborator'.It is June 1940 and as the German army draws closer and closer to the island of Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare, a wife and mother to two girls: fourteen-year-old Blanche and four-year-old Millie, is a preparing to leave her home on the island for the relative safety of England. When Vivienne sees the small dimensions of the boat and the amount of islanders clambering aboard, she loses her nerve and, to the intense disappointment of her daughter Blanche, who was looking forward to the excitement of London life, Vivienne decides to take her chances under the occupation of the Germans. Her husband, Eugene, is away fighting, but as their marriage was already in difficulties before he left, Vivienne is confused about the depth of her feelings for him, and her relationship with her elderly mother-in-law, Evelyn, who is suffering from the onset of dementia, causes more anxiety and problems for Vivienne. When some German officers requisition the house next to Vivienne's home and make polite and friendly overtures to Vivienne and her family, she becomes even more confused about doing the 'right thing' - should she resist 'the Hun' as Evelyn insists she should, or should she cooperate with them for the privileges her cooperation could bring? And then Vivienne, starved of male affection, finds herself increasingly attracted to one of the German officers, Captain Gunther Lehmann, and when he lets her know that he feels the same, what does Vivienne decide to do?Margaret Leroy writes descriptively well of Vivienne's life on the island of Guernsey and there were some very enjoyable passages where the author describes Vivienne's daily activities in her home and her beautiful garden - however there were parts in this novel where the author introduced some interesting themes that I felt she didn't adequately pursue, but I cannot really discuss this fully without spoiling the story for prospective readers. I will just say that ** SPOILER ALERT - I was less than convinced at the speed with which Vivienne succumbed to Gunther's attentions; I expected Evelyn's dementia (and her teenaged daughter Blanche's increasing awareness of what was going on around her) to cause more problems for Vivienne and her clandestine romance than it did; I found it unbelievable that as part of such a tight-knit community Vivienne was able to carry out the risky activities she did, for as long as she did, and I found the ending rushed and overly sentimental - END OF SPOILER ALERT**. Overall, I felt this could have been a much deeper and more thought-provoking novel than it was and one that could have revealed more about the impact of the German occupation on the islanders. So, although this is not a book I would have bought for myself to read, I was rather disappointed that it failed to live up to the expectations obtained from reading the 'blurb' on the back cover of the American edition. That said, this was an undemanding and very easy read that I raced through and which, despite my criticisms, worked fairly well as a switch-off read whilst suffering from 'flu :-( However, I do have to say that although I enjoyed the author's descriptions of Vivienne's domestic life, this isn't a book that will stay with me, or one I would read again.3 Stars.

- SPOILERS -What a beautifully tragic love story.I read this book in just over a day as I couldn't put it down; I loved every aspect of this novel, which is a rarity. The characters were admirable and interesting, each one I felt was real. Leroy captured many aspects of WW2, from love, to betrayal, to fear, to difficult choices, to carrying on, to making do with what you had. I really felt I was living in the War with Vivienne and her family, I felt the things she felt, I saw what she saw, it was as if I was her. The imagery was beautiful, and I could picture the island perfectly in my mind. If you were to hand me some paper and a pencil I am convinced I could draw you a map.What I really loved was how Leroy spoke from both perspectives; from Vivienne's side of the War (Britain) to Gunther's side of the war (Nazi Germany). She highlights the difficulty of both sides of the War, especially during the final part of the novel where Leroy writes through one of her characters German soldiers were not always aware of everything that was happening in their country. This shows part of the true tragedy of the War, Germans were labelled as horrific people when in fact Germans were not always aware of how bad things actually were.I adored this novel, and I cannot wait to read more of Leroy's work.

The Soldier's Wife (The Collaborator) is part love story, part historical fiction. Vivienne de la Mare is an unassuming woman surviving life on Guernsey during the WW2 occupation with the enemy living right next door. In her situation I'd like to think I'd stand up against the Germans but it's not that simple with two children and a frail mother-in-law to care for and feed. Vivienne does what she has to do to keep her family safe and survive, and in doing so finds love in the most unexpected of places. The book meanders along at island pace and while it's not set on the battle field, still shows the horrors of war, gives an idea of the nazi occupation of the Channel Islands and reminds us that we are all human and feel loss, lonely and love. I really enjoyed this book, essentially a love story and a cheap and good summer read.

I very much enjoyed reading this poignant tale. Characterization is excellent, and the prose style fluid and accessible. There is perhaps an excess of zeal in the use of simile, but some examples are very felicitous. I found the ending really quite moving - maybe this is because I know Guernsey so well, but I suspect it is just that it is so beautifully written and touched my soul in precisely the way the talented author intended. I shall certainly be reading more of Margaret Leroy's works.