Reviews tagging 'Death'

Il Club del libro e della torta di bucce di patata di Guernsey by Annie Barrows, Mary Ann Shaffer

52 reviews

klajader's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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ramireads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Honestly, this book is such a fast read, and a lighthearted and sweet one too. I found it easy to fall in love with the characters and they felt very real, which I found expected from this book format. I loved the pacing, the plot and how attached I grew to the characters. I did shed a tear or two and that only made it better. 
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lostinpaper's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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davidup_15's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A heartwarming tribute to the power of books, writing, and storytelling; the plot can be cookie-cutter, but the loveable characters, so memorable you'll long to be with them after you finish, more than make up for it.
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leithbookstagram's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

“what we call cheek and Americans call can-do spirit”

I wanted to read this book after watching the movie, so snatched this book up when I saw it in a charity shop! 

I almost stopped reading when I figured out, after 20 pages, that this book was completely written in just letters (minus one entry near the end - I won’t say what it is to save from spoilers). I didn’t know how I felt about reading this format and thought it would lead, quite frankly, to a crap narrative.

But I’m glad I read on.

This is a really lovely, heartwarming, short read. Yes, at times it was very emotional reading about the things these characters endured during Guernsey’s Occupation in WWII, but this story was actually really funny (in an old-fashioned comedy way) and lighthearted! 

I really loved reading all the history (although I don’t know how accurate this is so don’t quote me on anything) and found myself continuing to read to find out more about Guernsey’s Occupation.

Even though I was reading this because I loved the movie so much, there were some big differences between the two. To be honest, it was quite hard in some parts of this book to realise that the story was the same. I loved the movie so much and wanted this to replicate it, but this book is completely different.

The movie, in my opinion, was very focused on the romance element. This book was not and, to be honest, I didn’t expect the relationship to happen (I won’t spoil it for you!). The romance happened right at the end and was rushed into a few pages, it felt like it was just chucked in at the end. I would have actually rather the romance didn’t happen and I got an epilogue about Kit! 

I’m giving this book 5 stars because it has left me feeling absolutely lovely and this will definitely be a re-read at some point. I wasn’t that fond of the letter format at the beginning, but got used to it and it wasn’t hard to follow and understand what was happening. 

Forgetting about the letter format and the rushed romance, I loved this book and story. It is absolutely beautiful and I want to read more! 
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eloiseisreading's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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rieviolet's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I went into this book not expecting much, I thought it would be just a pleasant and easy read to end the year and start a new one, but oh boy it was much more! I'm not the biggest fan of WW2 fiction but this book was a very pleasant surprise.

I really liked how the authors didn't shy away from and handled the heavy topics related to war, occupation and concentration camps. But, at the same time, the book was also very hopeful and filled with such lovely humour and funny situations.
I really loved the big cast of characters, with all their idiosyncrasies, they felt really well depicted and vivid on the page. 

I appreciated the narrative choice of telling the story through letters/telegrams and the theme of  "reading/loving books" that was an undercurrent throughout the story.

I'm not giving full marks because some plot points and situations felt a little bit too predictable or far-fetched/bizarre, although it made for a very heartwarming and feel-good story. 

All in all, a lovely way to begin a new reading year!
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rosinawrites7's review against another edition

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funny informative inspiring lighthearted sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A great insight into Guernsey during World War 2 and a satisfying read, though I don't think I'd read it again. I do like the story being told through letters, that's fun!
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rhosynmd's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This book was so much more than I was expecting. 
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feebee's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
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