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    The Collaborator
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    The Collaborator
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    The Collaborator
    Audiobook17 hours

    The Collaborator

    Written by Gerald Seymour

    Narrated by Laurence Kennedy

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Immacolata Borelli is an Italian accountancy student in London, and her boyfriend Eddie teaches at a language school. But Immacolata's family are the Borelli clan; major players in the Mafia-like Camorra organisation. When Immacolata announces to the police that she is prepared to collaborate with their investigation, she soon discovers that her family will do anything to prevent her from giving evidence against them...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateJun 1, 2010
    ISBN9781407405490
    Author

    Gerald Seymour

    Gerald Seymour was a reporter at ITN for fifteen years, where his first assignment was covering the Great Train Robbery in 1963. He later covered events in Vietnam, Borneo, Aden, Israel, and Northern Ireland. Seymour's first novel was the acclaimed thriller Harry's Game, set in Belfast, which became an instant international bestseller and later a television series. Six of Seymour's thrillers have now been filmed for television in the UK and United States.

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    Reviews for The Collaborator

    4/5

    267 ratings49 reviews

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    • 5/5
      In London, the daughter of a Naples crime family goes against everything she knows and decides to testify against her family. She leaves behind her innocent boyfriend, Eddie Deacon, without an explanation. Eddie goes to Naples to find her and walks into the stronghold of her family. They will use any means to keep her from cooperating with the police.Gerald Seymour creates knife-edge characters, builds the plot incrementally and infuses the entire story with exceptional research and writing. The Collaborator is a first-class suspense novel.
    • 5/5
      One of the better novels I've read so far this year. There's plenty of detail, complexity, and a decent plot. It's certainly not a cheery upbeat novel - kidnapping, torture, death, drugs, dismal life outlooks in copious amounts - definitely a rather dark mystery / suspense novel. Of note is the detailed depiction of Italy, especially the Sails of Scampia, in some sections though you did get the sense there was a bit too much detail and it took away from the pace of the story.Otherwise, a very good book.
    • 5/5
      The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy takes place on the island of Guernsey,the Germans are occupying it in June 1940. At first the changes are not big except there they are nextby. Later as time goes on hunger grows and the tension increases. A slow developing affair developes between a Vivienne and one of the Germans, it begins with a gift of chocolate and a ride in the rainstorm. Vivienne has two young daughters, her husband at war. Their marriage had become very distant soon after the second baby was born. She is taking care of his mother who has never liked her, and is sliding into dementia. There are people from concentration camps imported to the island to build a concrete wall around the island. They are gaunt and Vivienne saw a prisoner of war being beaten to death. Gunther, her lover told her that all the non-natives (including her) will be sent to German concentration camps. Who will take care of her children? It does not look like Gunther can do anything. This story is riveting and emotional, there are many themes woven in like the change of seasons and the garden, a mother's firm desire to protect her daughter and anguish that comes when she wants to something courageous that could put her child in danger. The problem of taking care of in-law growings more hard to be gentle wth when you know that she cannot help her demands. the unsureness of having to trust your enemy and then feeling guilty because you did. It is an unforgetable book and it deserves to be read and discussed. It raise many moral questions. I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      This is a great book no doubt about it, but somehow I felt a bit uncomfortable while reading it. I don’t know if I should rate it highly or not because of that. Personally, I think it’s a matter of principle. I don’t know if I can do what she did in those circumstances especially how everything turned out. It left me feeling a little raw at the end.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were short which made it fun to read. Sometimes when the chapters are super long it is hard to get into a book. I loved the story.This book is set during WW2 in Guernsey. During the occupation and how the people on the island dealt with it. I found myself wondering how we as a society would handle something like this. Would we act the same way? Would we try to defend ourselves more? Could you actually fall in love with someone from the enemy side?The ending was one that I had expected and was pleased with it.
    • 4/5
      Nazi occupation on Guernsey during WWII. Doesn't really conjure up images of a lovely romance for me but I think this is considered Historical Romance. The only thing I found romantic about it was the language and the setting but I did enjoy it. While reading it the star rating swung from 4 to 2 to 4 and finally settled on 3 but then just at the last page jumped it back to 4 again, at the last second. I didn't like the ending particularly but I didn't see it coming so it got an extra star for the shock factor.

      Vivienne, a soldier's wife, is living on Guernsey with her 2 daughters and her mother-in-law while her husband is away fighting for his country. When the German army come to occupy the island she learns to come to terms with restricted living. When a few Nazi soldiers commandeer her empty neighbour's house she's drawn to one of them in particular (Gunther), and so begins the 'romance'. Vivienne's marriage is an unhappy one and I get the impression that her marriage was over a long time before her husband left to fight but to be honest I still have no clue what she ever saw in Gunther. He didn't strike me as romance material but I think Viv was just miserably unhappy and lonely and whichever of the Nazi's had shown an interest in her would have had just as much chance to get with her.

      I didn't feel that the romance was actually the focal point of the story for me. It was always there in the background but I was more interested in the Historical aspects. The Resistance from the Islanders, the Prisoners of War, the shortages and rationing...in general the results of the Occupation on the island. There were some really touching moments and some harrowing moments, as you'd expect from a war-time drama and all the characters were really well written and I really cared what happened to them.

      I was frustrated with the ending though. I was all set to give it 3 stars overall and file it under 'a good read' but then I got to the end and I lost my footing. I'm still not sure how to deal with it. Not sure if I liked the ending, neither am I sure I disliked it. It took me by surprise and when I read it I wanted to know more and was annoyed that I'd never find out...then back pedalled and thought the shock ending was the right way to deal with it. Argh! I don't know. I'll just say it was a surprising end to a good book. Not sure if it was good or bad ending but it was surprising.

      It's a nice gentle read, despite the war theme and the occupation and I'd maybe read more by this author.

    • 4/5
      The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy is set during WW II on the island of Guernsey. And tells the story of Vivienne de la Mare, a woman who becomes torn by her conflicting emotions as she becomes involved with a German officer and ultimately must decide where her loyalties lie. Her husband has gone to be a soldier and she is left on the island with her two daughters and her mother-in-law who appears to be suffering from dementia. As the Germans arrive and the occupation begins, Vivenne is appalled when the house next door is used to house German officers. At first the situation, although tense seems liveable but with the arrival on the island of slave labour things change and her eyes are opened to what is really happening around her.The story itself I found interesting. The day-to-day conditions of living under the German occupation how the locals dealt with both the food and clothing shortages. The love story between Vivienne and Gunther was both adult and believeable under the circumstances. I loved most of the supporting characters, especially her youngest daughter Millie. As for Vivienne herself, I found her a bit of a trial. Extremely introspective but also tentative and uncertain in her ways. I do admit that she grew through the course of the story and by the end of the book I came to actually agree with her decisions and admire her.The Soldier’s Wife captures both the time period and the setting excellently, the relationships felt real. At times I felt the story bogged down and the writing felt a little stilted, but overall this was a good story of both war and romance.
    • 4/5
      I'm not quite sure how to describe this book. It's...feminine, without being chick-lit; WWII fiction, but imbued with light and even some romance. And yet, this book is filled with conflict. I'm not sure, even, how I feel about some of the characters and their choices.

      Regardless, it's beautifully written, and strongly evocative. I'd love to move into Vivienne's home. I feel I can see it and her village and island quite clearly. Sounds lovely!
    • 1/5
      I think this one suffered from the fact that I had re-read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society right before I read it. It does not come anywhere near in comparison, in my opinion. I didn't really like the main character, so I eventually just gave up. If you want to read about the Guernsey occupation, read TGLAPPPS.
    • 3/5
      A very romantic view of life during wartime. In general it is a very naively written book. It rarely gets into the true fears and feeling of an enemy occupied territory. The heroine seems to have no convictions about the Germans and their role as "the enemy”. The German officers seem to be very confused as to their role on the island and why they are there. "Those Who Save Us" is a much better book that deals with the same issues more realistically.
    • 4/5
      The main thing that I really enjoyed about this book was although it went at an enormously slow pace it was the detailed writing that made it really good. The story itself was also really good, despite the theme being bleak and only gets much more bleaker towards the ending. The writing throughout the book was very well done I especially liked the descriptions of the island, despite the war theme, the island was separated from all that and really seemed like a beautiful place to be.The beginning of the book goes pretty slow. Well, the pace is actually pretty slow throughout, however it’s fitting because it’s like living on this island, time seems to go slow since it’s not really directly involved in the war (not so much as other countries that is). It picks up a little through the second half although not considerably. The characters in the book seem to be very well done. Vivienne and Gunther together just seemed to fit well. I’d rather hoped the outcome would have been different for the both of them but their endings were very well done and realistic in accordance to the time period of the story. Despite the slow pace of the book, it’s still worth a read. The bleak theme and the idyllic setting is an interesting contrast but provides a good balance between the two. It’s a well written dramatic plot that will stick with you even after you finish the book.
    • 4/5
      Grab some tissues. Again, I am not usually a crier when reading, but this novel really yanks several emotional threads. The bond of a mother and her children and the personal dilemma of choosing what is right in your heart and what is best for your family are powerful elements for me. Throw in an illicit love story and complex friendships: stunning results. Margaret Leroy is a story weaver; reading her writing is effortless. Plus, she has a beautiful name ;)
    • 2/5
      The writing quality was good - and that is really the best that I can say for this novel. Set in WWII in the island of Guernsey, a woman begins a relationship with a German soldier and then is put in a situation where she helps a prisoner in a work camp. The "angle" of this is that she must make this big decision or choice - but it never really materializes. In fact, her emotions throughtout the book are muted and minimal for the weight of what would have really been occuring. I guess superficial is the what I would call it. She says she feels guilty about sleeping with the German soldier repeatedly, but never really shows in her actions that she feels guilty about it. She feels protective for her children but doesn't really change her own actions in order to secure her children. I just never believed this character so I didn't really care what happened to her or the people around her. Her emotions and actions were non-realistic. But the writing is quite deft. The uninteresting story was told well and was well crafted. I just didn't care.
    • 4/5
      A journey into a portion of World War II that is rarely covered in books, this novel portrays a woman's life during the Nazi occupation of her island in the English Channel. Margaret Levoy does an excellent job at showing how difficult life was and how strong women had to be to survive. It is a heartwretching story of pain, suffering, survival, love and hope.
    • 4/5
      For 90% of this book, I really loved it. I was engrossed in the story, the love affair, the angst and I was full of questions regarding the future but the last few chapters were just...deflating. The story is simple - a woman is raising her family in occupied Guernsey and begins a relationship with a German soldier who moves in next door. Her daily life is often at odds with her life after dark when she and her lover lay in her room and leave the war and everything else at the door.

      As someone not overly aware of what life was like during the island occupations, the book was interesting in that regard and as life became tougher and the information gleaned from gossip became more and more dark, it was easy to see how hard it could have been. Throw in seeing first hand the plight of some of the POW's and the brutality by some of the soldiers and it could have been just another 'bad German' book. This didn't happen though and the book is saved from the pure stereotyping by showing the humanity of some of the occupiers - be it a couple of the soldiers next door (Max, a former doctor who calls Vivienne's daughter over to see a butterfly) or Gunther, Vivienne's lover who worries over his son who was recruited into the army - at one stage we even see a party held by young German soldiers. I think this balance is often lacking in books - the lack of acknowledgement that not all Germans were bad, and to be honest I find books that can admit that to be a much more gratifying read. In a book like this in particular, where we are being asked to buy into a love story, it was absolutely necessary.

      The first person narrative means we never really get to know anyone other than Vivienne in the book. I found her a decent narrator, a little naive at times, a little abrupt at others but because we lived all these experiences with her it was easy to see why she reacted in certain ways, for better or for worse and the narrative was well written. I often find first person narratives lazy, but this suited the story and the experiences well. We felt what she felt and wondered about the same things and you couldn't help but wonder, 'how would I have reacted in her place?'

      It was easy to invest in her, and her life, and her lover - she had come from an unhappy marriage and had found an all-consuming love, but as the later chapters showed, in a lot of ways, it wasn't real enough. Realistically, even when the war ended she and Gunther were never going to have a happily ever after, yet reading it you tried to ignore the sense of impending doom and hope for the best. Naturally, the best doesn't happen and she ends the relationship after a POW who she was helping is shot and she blames him for turning her in. Even with the same information she has, it was clear to me that she was jumping to the wrong conclusions and that was one of the things that bothered me about the ending of the book - their relationship ending would have been tragic enough, but for it to coincide with Gunther's son dying and him being shipped off to Russia and THEN dying while Vivienne becomes pregnant just felt like melodrama that cheapened things. It irritated me that even after Vivienne learned that Gunther hadn't betrayed her and that the reason he was upset that last nigh wasn't because he'd betrayed her, but was instead because his son had died that she still didn't go and comfort him even knowing he was going to the Eastern Front - this was a woman who hadn't conformed to what she 'should' have done throughout the book, so it was hard to accept that there was that indifference in her. The man she had professed to love, who had helped her family, who had allowed her to stay in her home had just been horribly bereaved and she didn't ever speak to him after the break-up and wrongly accusing him (at least internally) of such an ooc betrayal? As I said...deflating.

      There were a lot of good things in the book - it was a quick read, the secondary characters were interesting, it was layered with interesting subplots with the children, the POW's and her mother in law, but I wish the ending had been different. The epilogue tied up loose ends (a little too neatly) but I will admit to almost shedding a tear as she got the bookmark back. In a way though, it still only served to make me more irritated with her behaviour at the end of the book - it was all a little too late and I wanted to nip back in time and hug Gunther that night, since she didn't do it!

      My criticism probably sounds a bit harsh for a book that I have given 4 stars to, but I genuinely did love most of the book. The silly flaws such as Vivienne's preferential treatment (not being deported) not being met with bad treatment from the other islanders, the lack of resolution regarding how everyone reacted to her pregnancy didn't really bother me that much. As I said, for 90% of this I would have given the story 5 stars but I needed more from the resolution than I got. I didn't need a HEA, I just didn't need the soapy melodrama.
    • 4/5
      Grab some tissues. Again, I am not usually a crier when reading, but this novel really yanks several emotional threads. The bond of a mother and her children and the personal dilemma of choosing what is right in your heart and what is best for your family are powerful elements for me. Throw in an illicit love story and complex friendships: stunning results. Margaret Leroy is a story weaver; reading her writing is effortless. Plus, she has a beautiful name ;)
    • 5/5
      The Collaborator, also issued as 'The Soldier's Wife'.I had never read anything by Margaret Leroy before, but I enjoyed this mix of histoical fiction and love story. Usually I read a book for a book group and end up giving it more stars after the discussion. Unfortunately this book was the opposite, after my fellow readers had picked out a number of flaws in the narrative, I was no longer able to give it 5 stars. Still, 4.5 stars is a good rating and I did learn a fair bit about life on Guernsey during WWII.Vivienne de la Mare is the mother of two girls, wife to a soldier who is off fighting and daughter-in-law to his ageing mother. Before WWII they live a quiet life in a beautiful corner of Guernsey.The German occupation of Guerney was much less violent than other parts of Europe, but it still had a huge impact on the residents of the island. Curfew, shortages and an influx of slave workers had a dramatic effect on the lives of the islanders, and The Collaborator illustrates this well.What has stayed with me after reading this book was, firstly, the interactions between the two girls, the older one fourteen at the start of the book and her sister, just four. There was a big age difference, yet they obviously loved and supported each other.Secondly, the ageing, forgetful mother-in-law, who is so sympathetically described.And finally, the love story side of the book, which shows the enemy as real people with family left behind and a human side.In spite of its flaws (which I can't mention without spoilers), this was an interesting book for discussion and was generally enjoyed.Also readThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (3.5 stars)
    • 4/5
      Vivienne de la Mare is the mother of two daughters; daughter-in-law to an elderly woman in the throes of Alzheimer’s; and wife to a soldier from whom she is emotionally separated. With her husband off fighting the war, Vivienne is responsible for feeding and caring for her small family as well as protecting them.Guernsey is a small island in the English Channel where the islanders had once felt removed from the war. All of that changed on the day the Germans moved in. Vivienne witnesses the horrors of war when the harbor town of the island is bombed and her best friend’s husband dies in front of her eyes. Her thoughts fly to her small family – her daughters and mother-in-law – and prays that they are alright on the family farm. She is relieved when she returns home and finds them alive and well.But the Occupation has begun and the German soldiers move in, requisitioning homes, vehicles, and other items for their own use. A handful of German soldiers moves in next door to Vivienne’s farm. As the Germans go about their business Vivienne is drawn to watching them. One especially piques her interest. In time she accepts the man, Gunther, as her lover. They are circumspect in their meetings so that neither Vivienne’s daughters or mother-in-law are aware of their affair.As things on the island go from bad to worse, Vivienne comes face-to-face with her emotions. She realizes that she has fallen in love with Gunther and he in turn saves her from being sent away from the island since she was not a native-born islander.Secretly, Vivienne helps an escaped prisoner who her youngest daughter has befriended. Her guilt at keeping this from Gunther takes on a life of its own when she hides the man, Kirill, in her attic and Gunther hears his coughing late at night. Vivienne passes it off as her mother-in-law being sick but worries that Gunther will report her nonetheless. When he goes off for a two week leave, the authorities raid her home. To take suspicion off of her, Kirill, openly walks through the orchard knowing full well that he will die. He is shot in full sight of Vivienne, Evelyn (the mother-in-law), and Millie (the six year old daughter). Thankfully none of the women are arrested.When Gunther returns Vivienne breaks off their romance, hating herself but feeling that Gunther had betrayed her before he went on leave. When he is reassigned to the Russian front, she belatedly realizes that she wants him back but misses him before his departure.This story was well-told and described. I felt that I was there during the different seasons on Guernsey and could feel the chill of the salt air in winter as well as the warm sun of summer. I would have liked a bit more of dialogue between Vivienne and Gunther but they didn’t seem like folks who talked a lot, even in private. There are so many conflicting emotions running through Vivienne at any given time as I’m sure there were with most people during the war.But the thread that weaves this story together is the question of what a person would do to keep their family safe, keep food on the table, and keep clothes on their backs. It is a question that we would do well to keep in mind in precarious economic times.A Soldier’s Wife gives us this different perspective of life during World War II. The islanders are at a distance from the fighting for one thing. Through the handful of Vivienne’s German neighbors, we see the occupying army not so much as a military body but as real men who had other lives and occupations; indeed, some of them dislike the war as much as the islanders. This book caused me to delve into my own emotions. What would each of us do to protect someone we love?
    • 3/5
      I don't think its necessary to leave ANOTHER review after 46 of them already, but I have to say if you like reading the details of every flower, bush, weed, vine, herb, tree, (not to mention the changing of the seasons in minute detail), found on Guernsey ( a tiny island in the English Channel off the coast of France) you found the right book. After awhile the flora and fauna descriptions got on my nerves, but besides that, an interesting, romantic story.
    • 4/5
      This is a slightly interesting historical novel set on the island of Guernsey during the German occupation of WWII. It is a bit slow-paced at times, but in some ways the slow pace captures the monotony and fatigue of a people who are held hostage by war, but who are not on the battlefield.
    • 5/5
      This is a beautifully written story set during World War II in Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare husband is a soldier faraway. She is raising young daughters and caring for her mother in law. German soldiers who take up residence next door to her home. Though Vivienne knows the danger of her love affair with a German soldier she believes that she can hide their relationship and still be loyal to her own.  As she becomes aware of the cruelty of the invasion, she must decide if she is willing to put everyone in danger
    • 4/5
      Really good book. Starts a bit slow but keep at it! I loved the storyline.
    • 4/5
      I absolutely loved this read. Margaret took me to Guernsey. LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS!
    • 4/5
      This was an interesting book that left me with somewhat mixed feelings. I liked the details of everyday life in World War II Guernsey, a setting I fell in love with after reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. There is some beautiful, lyrical language, and then there are some parts that seem overly detailed. It took me a long time to finish this book, and I am usually a fast reader, because there are some sections that really drag.I liked the narrator, Vivienne, and her small family of her two daughters and mother-in-law. I was less interested in her relationship with German soldier Gunther, although it does bring up interesting ideas of who the "enemy" is. I just didn't feel the connection between them, although the author tried to show me over and over that they were in love.I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, especially set during World War II. I would add, however, that for me the book never seemed to really fulfill its potential and that the pacing is somewhat off.
    • 5/5
      Vivienne de la Mare is from London, but now lives on Guernsey, after marrying an islander. Eugene is away fighting in the war and so Vivienne is alone with her two daughters, and her mother-in-law. When Guernsey is occupied by the Germans in 1940, she finds herself living next door to them and having to make a decision about whether to make them her enemy, or to try to live alongside them. She becomes particularly close to one of the officers, Captain Lehmann, and the story of forbidden love between them is absolutely beautiful.The story is told in the present tense by Vivienne. This doesn't always work well, but in this book it is exactly right as it gives the opportunity for the reader to really feel the love, the tension, the anxiety, and all the other feelings that she has.Margaret Leroy's writing is so elegant. I found myself not wanting to rush this book at all. Even near the end, when normally I find myself speeding up, I was reading slowly to savour every word. And when I did get to the end I found it so sad and moving that I cried.This book is definitely a candidate for my book of the year, and I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work.
    • 3/5
      While her husband is away in the army, Vivienne de la Mare, living in a farmhouse on World War II-occupied Guernsey in the Channel Island with her two daughters and mother-in-law, falls in love with a German officer and must make a difficult decision that could tear her family apart. From BPL websiteMs Leroy writes with period charm: the reader could easily mistake this for a book written shortly after World War II. Her characters seem real—except for Eugene, the husband away at war—and we feel their impotence and confusion under occupying German forces (Guernsey is roughly 30 square miles!). Ms Leroy said it was important for the characters to be unsure about the outcome of the war. Should they accommodate the German troops in, as it seemed then—the likely event that Hitler would win? Too many WWII novels forget that the Allies’ victory was definitely not a forgone conclusion. The Soldier’s Wife challenges our ideas of “enemy” and “stranger”.
    • 4/5
      After reading a previous novel that took place during the German Occupation on the Island of Guernsey, I couldn't wait to return there through the pages of The Soldier's Wife. We follow Vivienne's life during this hard time after making a life-changing decision to stay on the Island when so many others are fleeing.Vivienne lives in a more rural area of Guernsey, but not far from a village that contains all of their basic needs. Since her husband has joined the army and has left to fight against the Germans, she finds herself having to spend all of her energy and strength over the next couple of years to care for her aging mother-in-law and her two young daughters. I found admiration in my heart for Vivienne as she raises these girls, one on the verge of becoming a young lady, during such turbulent times. Raising children is a hard job and I can only imagine what it would be like without the support of a husband and father by your side. Not only for emotional needs, but for basic survival needs as well.The Germans take over the Island in such a brutal and swift manner that leaves many fatalities including some of her close friends. Once the Germans have control Vivienne seems to be unsure of the intentions of this enemy, as she sees many of them shopping in the same stores that she shops, and some even dating friends of her teenage daughter. This seems to send a mixed message to Vivienne and as she has problems understanding where her loyalty actually lies.Since many of the Island residents have deserted their homes in a search for safety, it is easy for the Germans to find random houses to occupy during this period of time. It just so happens that the home right next to Vivienne's becomes occupied by a squad of German soldiers. As she catches glimpses of these soldiers from time to time she seems to let down her guard against them as she is able to see that they are actually human just like her. Before you know it she develops a special friendship with Gunther, a German captain, and they begin to count on each other for companionship.I must admit to you that when I first started this book I was not appreciating the story that was unfolding before me. But then I realized that although I didn't enjoy the premise of the novel, I couldn't put it down! I let my mind explore what this situation would be like for a young woman caring for an elderly woman and two young children. A person does what one needs to do in order to survive, even if it is seeking solitude and comfort from the most unlikely of strangers.This novel turned out to be so much more than I expected it to be. Vivienne must find the strength and courage to do things that put both her reputation and her life at risk. Some readers may find that many of her actions were wrong, but when it counted, she did what needed to be done. I found myself enjoying this novel, although it did leave me a bit unsettled, but I feel that good books will do that to you from time to time. With themes of love, courage, war, and perseverance I believe that this book would be great for a book club discussion or for personal leisure.
    • 5/5
      As WW11 draws closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows their will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the German officers who move in next door.
    • 4/5
      War has come to tiny Guernsey, an island in the English Channel that during World War II was a strategic landing site for the German armed forces.  In Margaret Leroy's novel, The Soldier's Wife, Vivienne de la Mare faces indecision: to evacuate the island with her two daughters, or stay there and endure the German occupation. She chose the latter - a fateful decision for her.As the Germans settle on Guernsey, they live in houses left empty by evacuees, including the house closest to Vivienne's property. It's there that she meets Gunther, and as the war progresses, Gunther and Vivienne fall in love and begin a secret affair. For Vivienne, Gunther offers everything her soldiering husband does not - companionship, excitement and intimacy. However, when Vivienne's daughter starts to help a Belorussian war prisoner, Vivienne sees war's atrocities, and she begins to question her involvement with Gunther.The first three-quarters of The Soldier's Wife moves effortlessly. Margaret Leroy pulls the reader in with tales of love and survival. I was enthralled with how islanders managed some level of co-existence with the Germans, focusing on growing crops and darning socks. I was less interested in Vivienne and Gunther's love story, which may be why I was unenthused with the story's ending.My main quibble with the story, though, is the title. I wonder why it was chosen for this book. In my opinion, Vivienne was not really a soldier's wife. Certainly, her husband was away at war, but she didn't identify herself with him. Vivienne was more a soldier's lover, if anything, though I would have preferred a title that identified Vivienne as her own - a resourceful, caring woman who endured World War II with grace and charity. It's this woman who is at the center of my recommendation for The Soldier's Wife - an interesting selection for book clubs and fans of historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      This is definitely a great pick for a book club. It is a story that will spur excellent discussions within that setting. The book is set in Guernsey during World War II. It focuses on a woman who falls in love with a German soldier and begins an affair. The book is somewhat balanced - so many books written about the German's during this timeframe portray them all as monsters. While it does show the terrible side, it does also show that there were some good German's as well. The book explores many issues. Who should you trust? What would you do for a stranger? What are you willing to do for your beliefs? Who should you love? Overall a beautiful and hard to put down book. Reader received a complimentary copy through the Good Reads First Reads program. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book early!