Why a Booktrail?
1940, 2016:A world at war. One woman will risk everything. Another will uncover her story.
The Girl from the Island
What you need to know before your trail
1940: When the island of Guernsey is invaded by the Nazis, two sisters are determined to rebel in any way they can. But when 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 Guernsey after the death of a distant cousin. As she prepares the old family house for sale, Lucy discovers a box of handwritten notes, one word standing out: resistance. Lucy’s search for the author will uncover the story of a forgotten sister who vanished from the island one night, never to be seen again.
Locations
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Discover the Island of Guernsey with Laura Cook
The island of Guernsey is evoked in both the present day and during the time the Germans invaded. The war period and the German invasion is not something that is evoked much in fiction and this was a heart-breaking yet often heart-warming story.
To get even further under the skin of this location and the stories of the inhabitants there, the author recommends visiting the German Occupation Museum. It even contains a mock up street during WW2.
The effects of the Germans on this tiny island was astonishing:
“the street signs – crude, wooden structures, made to inform the Germans where things were in their own language- had been taken down.”
“And what they had left behind were the enormous concrete fortifications – grey scars on the landscape – that start reminder than the Channel Islands had been part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall, part of his island madness. But what they Nazis had left behind could never compare to what they had taken.”
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Girl from the Island
Destination/location: Guernsey Author/guide: Lorna Cook Departure Time: 1940s, 2016
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