Guernsey Fiction
There have been many novels set in the Bailiwick of Guernsey over the years. Here are a selection that are still in print. They are grouped into three categories: Classics (including Ebenezer Le Page and Victor Hugo's Toilers of the Sea), World War II (including the many novels based in the islands during the German Occupation) and Other (which includes some less well known novels with a Guernsey connection).
New
Adventures of the Islanders by M J Vermeulen
"Set in Guernsey's familiar coastal surroundings, the author introduces us to his cast of young characters and launches them into what will surely be the first in a series of adventure stories which will make the most of the island setting. Five young people meet during their school holidays and decide to explore the area round Guernsey's rugged north coast. They find much there to interest them - from pre-historic tombs to Second World War German bunkers - and there is the added pleasure of their learning to sail in the friendly waters of Grand Havre ... Reminiscent in atmosphere of the popular books of Arthur Ransome."
Review of the Guernsey Society, Summer 2009
Harriet and Edward, both only children, are brought up together on the small, beautiful island of Riduna, the ancient name for Alderney. Their relationship changes as they grow into adulthood and not only do they have to face the problems of falling in love on an island governed by the strict moral rules of the late nineteenth century, but also a realisation that they have conflicting desires for their future. Edward's dream has always been to travel and he sets sail with Harriet's blessing, because she believes that one day he will then be more content to share a quieter life with her. He joins a ship for faraway places and leaves her 'waiting' for him at home. Slowly the peaceful, unchanging life on the island gives way to a wider world as tragedy, poor communications and changing life expectations all play a role in their destiny.
Diana Jackson lives happily with her husband in Bedfordshire and is a teacher at a local college. Her passions are gardening, cooking her own produce, travelling and following her husband's Rock and Roll band. Although her great grandmother, an Alderney girl, has been her inspiration, Diana stresses that her first novel Riduna is purely fiction. Hoping to take the reader to a time before the much documented World War II Occupation and Evacuation, she chose the name 'Riduna' to conjure up the mystery and beauty of an island which holds a special place in her heart.
Classics
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
A novel set in Guernsey shortly after the German occupation. The story is told through a series of letters between an author living in London and members of the oddly-named Society.
This is a charming, often funny, book, and while, on occasion, it may not quite reflect the Guernsey we know or knew, it nevertheless recaptures brilliantly the atmosphere of those years, and weaves an enthralling tale which is difficult to put down
Review of the Guernsey Society, Summer 2008
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by G B Edwards
This wonderful book was reprinted in June 2007 by the New York Review of Books - order your copy today !
Fictional autobiography of Guernseyman, Ebenezer le Page, tracing his life from the late 19th century through to the 1960s. Foreword by John Fowles.
See our new page dedicated to The Book of Ebenezer Le Page.
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page (New York Review Books Classics)
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page (New York Review Book Classics)
Equipped with love, Mr Pye lands on the island of Sark; his mission is to convert the inhabitants into a crusading force for the undiluted goodness that he feels within. Mr Pye is, however, prone to excess and this is very nearly his downfall.
Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo (Hardback edition)
A new hardback edition of the novel written by Victor Hugo during his exile in Guernsey & dedicated to the people
"It is only now being recognised as an important moment in the history of the novel".
"Victor Hugo" Graham Robb (see Hugo books)
Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo (Paperback edition)
Paperback version of Victor Hugo's novel dedicated to the people of Guernsey
Guernsey Fiction - World War II
Life in the islands during the five years under the Jackboot was hard and freedoms severely curtailed, but the spirit of a teenage Guernsey boy called Tom Le Breton was never dampened. This is the story of a dramatic wartime rescue and the romance that grew between Tom and a young Jewish girl imprisoned on the nearby island of Alderney. The story moves from those dangerous but somehow magical days to the heady 1970s when long-since forgotten events return to haunt a small family now settled on the Western coast of Guernsey. Impregnated with the atmosphere of remote islands and their unique history, Rachel's Shoe is an adventure story about the survival of innocence in a world dominated by obsessions for power and wealth.
the Author, Peter Lihou
Not The Enemy by Damian Cavanagh
German occupied Guernsey, May 1944, just one week before D-Day. One local girl, Rose Le Page, has fallen in love. But her love is forbidden, as she has fallen in love with one of the enemy. Glorious Guernsey, fifty five years later, a young Englishman arrives to train as a helicopter pilot. For William Sweetman it will be the fulfilment of a lifetime ambition. However, for Stella Vogel, a wealthy German businesswoman, her visit to Guernsey is something of a mercy mission, to accompany her ageing father as he pays his respects to his comrades who perished during the German occupation of the island in World War Two. A chance encounter brings William and Stella together into a passionate and thrilling love affair. But their discovery of a disturbing secret from the island's wartime past puts their whole relationship in jeopardy. As preconceptions are shattered they both need to know the truth about what really happened to their families fifty five years ago. Moving between the present and the wartime past, the book explores the dark secrets that families keep and the effects they have when they are revealed generations later.
Izette - The Last Days of Childhood by Viv Packer
Imagine that the Second World War had turned out differently. Imagine there being a swastika hanging from every public building and seeing German soldiers on every street corner. Imagine having to witness the forced deportation of people you care about. To some, this is an nightmare scenario but, for the people of the Channel Islands, such as teenager Izette, it is a stark reality. For Izette's family and friends there is food rationing, fear, illness and murder but there is also defiance, bravery and passion. And there is, too, the tricky problem of having to tread that very thin line between co-operation and collaboration.
Novel (published Nov 2004) set during the WW2 German Occupation of the Channel Islands.
Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge
Bestselling romantic novel written in 1944, set in the 19th century. The story of a young woman, Marianne Patourel, who emigrates from Guernsey to New Zealand to marry Royal Navy deserter, William Ozanne. Made into a film in 1947 starring Lana Turner & Richard Hart.
Guernsey Fiction - Other
The Guernseyman (Richard Delancey Novels) by C Northcote Parkinson
"The Guernseyman" recounts the earliest adventures of Parkinson's hero, Richard Delancey. Ranked as a midshipman, he is no sooner aboard than his ship sails for the port of New York. But when the events of the American Revolution and the ongoing hostilities between England and France send him back across the sea, Delancey finds himself instrumental in defending the Island of Jersey and, later, the Rock of Gibraltar.
Ransom Island by Christopher Nicole
Sophie Gallagher drives a tour bus on the island of Guernsey, with nothing more important to consider than how to show off the sleepy little island to its best advantage, and perhaps her eventual marriage to her partner, Assistant Harbourmaster James Candish. But when she picks up from the airport a group of Arab visitors, Sophie's suspicions are aroused by the strange behaviour of her guests. When she uncovers the truth she can hardly believe it, for the plan is to hold the entire island to ransom. Having taken control of the infrastructure and planted bombs at strategic points, the terrorists also kidnap the island's leading figures and inform the British Government that they will commence shooting if their demands are not met.
A Place of Hiding by Elizabeth George
A Place of Hiding is a solidly crafted novel by one of the queens of the traditional detective story, Elizabeth George. Someone killed millionaire Guy Brouard by slipping him a sedative and popping a stone in his throat and the Guernsey police have opted for a suspect who has, from their point of view, the advantage of being an American stranger. However, China has the good fortune of knowing English friends who are determined to see that justice is done, and who feel considerable loyalty to her and her brother Cherokee (Amazon Review)
"This exquisitely plotted mystery bursts with well-developed characters ... With her flair for language, George reinforces her reputation as one of today's finest mystery writers." Publisher's Weekly
"Excellent holiday reading from one of the queens of the traditional detective story." Sainsburys Magazine (June 2004)
A Perfect Marriage by Jean Saunders
Robert Jarvis dies from a heart attack, leaving his wife Margaret a widow at 42. Family and friends rally round, but their attentions only serve to stifle her, and her increasing suspicions that her marriage had not been as perfect as it had appeared to be make her long to get away from it all. Six months later she revisits Guernsey, the scene of her honeymoon 25 years earlier. There she meets and becomes attracted to the confident Philip Lefarge, but after a night of torrid passion Margaret is filled with guilt and indecision. Philip's self-assurance and commonsense force her to re-examine her life, and try to come to terms with the betrayal by those whom she trusted most. Facing the truth will determine her future life and happiness.
The Reincarnation of Isaac Brock by AB Robinson
How did Great Britain bungle away her colonies in North America? How did she manage to save Canada from the Americans? And how has Canada managed to survive in the face of American imperialism, and a divisive French-speaking minority? These questions are the main subject matter of the novel, with a modern love story thrown in for good measure. In 1993, widower Fred Bonney, 55 years old, a dreamer and social misfit, is downsized from the Canadian Public Service. To save himself from alcoholism, he decides to write a book about his North American ancestors. The title is inspired by Guernseyman, Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who led the defence of Upper Canada during the war of 1812.
A Wrinkle in the Skin by J Christopher
"After cataclysmic earthquakes have destroyed most of Guernsey and drained the English Channel, this novel follows the story of a vinery worker's attempt to reach his daughter in England, by walking!"
Duncan Smith, Trans. Soc. Guern, 1987.
Two Men and a Woman by James Marr
"Romance and rampage. Read about: An armed underground resistance movement against enemy occupation - the storming of Castle Cornet to eject the French - a Guernsey woman's appeal to the King in person to uphold the innocence of honourable men - a brave girl's constancy in love in the face of adversity - La Clameur de Haro curtailing worship in the House of God - Guernsey privateers exploits under Elizabeth I - larceny, lust and lechery on the part of wreckers and smugglers ... and all involving genuine historical characters in the islands' past"
from Review of Guernsey Society, Summer 2003
Witchery Hill by Welwyn Wilton Katz
Children's thriller about an young boy who gets caught up in witchcraft in the island of Guernsey.
"...A skilful and highly exciting rites-of-passage novel." -- Toronto Globe and Mail, 1987
