War and love – conflicting emotions. 

Rosamund Wardle (Roz) is handed a letter by the family solicitor after her mother, Helene's funeral. In it, her father Justin reveals that he is not her real father. He explains how he met her mother when Roz was a very young child. They had met when Helene brought in paintings for him to sell. The paintings had been stolen by Nazi soldiers during WW2. He never questioned how her mother had come to possess them. 

The letter shatters Roz’s very comfortable world, and she decides to start investigating her mother’s past. With the bit of information that she has, she travels to Guernsey, her mother’s place of birth to see if she can trace her real father and to find out how her mother survived the German occupation of the island during WW2. 

Helene’s father had been the parish priest of Torteval. It was here, in the Vicarage that she passed the years of the occupation. Her brother, Edward and husband of a few days, Tom left in high spirits to join up.  It was also here that she met Kapitän Heinrich Schulze, a German soldier. He “adopted” the family and ensured that they received whatever luxuries he could find. 

It was also here, in the Vicarage, that Helene managed to hide Alexei, a young Russian who had managed to escape from the Germans. 

Madeleine Bunting has created a remarkable and moving story about Roz’s need to discover the truth about her birth and her real father. The story gives us the heart-breaking insight into life on Guernsey during the war. She has perfectly captured how love can occur between captured and captor, and the consequences of this love. 

The characters who we follow through this tale are strong, alive and make the story feel as though it’s a video we’re watching as events unfold as we travel with Roz as she tries to unravel the truth about her mother’s time living through the very dark days of occupation.

I loved every single beautiful word in this novel. I leave it feeling so sad. Sad that the islanders suffered the most appalling treatment at the hands of the Germans, even worse the “slaves” they brought from places like Russia, often just young boys who were starved, beaten and held in the most appalling conditions. I’ve learnt so much from this novel. Not just about conditions people endured but the research that has gone into reuniting owners of paintings stolen from them by the Germans. 

I think this quote sums the book, “We need to know where we come from – even if we only ever end up with myths. Without a story of origins, we’re at sea.” 

A truly beautiful story – thank you, Madeleine Bunting.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This novel was strikingly well-researched and intelligently written – the words flowed as if written fluidly by a pen. I’m in awe. It’s descriptive of places I’ve never been, particularly Guernsey. I felt as if I was involved in visiting Guernsey; it was so vivid. The other fascinating side of the coin was Heinrich’s vivid description of what it was like growing up in Berlin including the cultural side of Berlin at one point in time. It was a historical mystery but also a moving, touching, heart-rending and poignant love story. It filled your heart with joy, pain and the tense fear of detection that was experienced by Helene and Heinrich. Love doesn’t discriminate and transcends all boundaries. I came to the story with a basic knowledge of the German invasion. There was a series on TV years ago which was interesting, but after the first series, they decided the ratings were too poor to put on a second series. I didn’t realise that the Germans occupied the islands for five years. I would love to browse around the museum that the book mentioned. It amused me that the German soldiers viewed their role as 'a holiday at the seaside' and enjoyed decadent parties. It places the war on a plateau of understanding I’ve not read before keenly revealing both sides of the disruption it caused to countries, communities, families and individuals. Most astonishing was how it changed people’s personalities. I learnt such a lot from reading this novel. I’m not likely to forget its themes. Thank you to NetGalley and Granta Books.

I love books that switch between different time periods, and this did not disappoint.  We follow Roz on a mission to uncover the truth about her mother's past - and her own - and in the process move back and forth between the present day and Guernsey's German occupation during the war.

I've read a few other books set during the latter period - but this one seemed grittier in detail, and I suspect is probably closer to the truth of how people lived and survived those days.

A fabulously absorbing read - I couldn't put it down - and I'm looking forward to reading other novels by Madeleine Bunting.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

I have just finished this book and am slightly blown away by it. I'm a fussy reader at the best of times, but this marvellous novel drew me in right at the beginning and held me there until the end. The writing is so natural, so clever, I don't even really know why it is so effective, but it carried me into a world of wartime Guernsey and 1990s London I was reluctant to leave.

The premise is not an original one; mysterious mother dies leaving daughter to uncover the truth about her life, but the richness of the storytelling and the layers of complexity made it an absolute joy to read. Easily my book of the year so far and I recommend it withour reservation.

My subjectively low rating reflects that this really isn't the book I expected it to be: I thought it would be more literary fiction, but really it's historical romance with a large dash of commercial 'women's fiction'. Set on Nazi-occupied Guernsey, there are all the expected forbidden love triangles, unexpected babies and dark family secrets that the genre requires. The structure is that over-familiar one of a daughter 'now' uncovering her mother's past life with flashbacks to the war years.
.
This feels well enough researched though anyone even lightly  familiar with the occupation of the Channel Islands is unlikely to learn anything new. Roz's gasps of horror are markers of a ridiculous ignorance that's hard to credit ('That's terrible,' gasped Roz. She stood still. 'That's repulsive - people died.')

The writing is workmanlike ('Helene's heart would thud heavily and fear would constrict her throat'). The Oxford-educated handsome Nazi with barely a trace of a German accent has surely become a stock character - and there's a marked naivety as characters assure each other 'he knew nothing of the gas chambers'.

So this is a case of wrong book, wrong reader - do read all the other positive reviews to get a balanced feel for the book.

Madeleine Bunting has written a book that works on different levels.  It’s a story about how a young girl managed in the second world war in occupied Guernsey, a love story and a tale about the search of a daughter for her family history.

She has previously written a book about the occupation (The Model Occupation) so has done her research and I’m sure that many of the details were rooted in reality – and these don’t make for easy reading.  She also managed to create a very real Guernsey for me, bringing town, country – and modern bungalow-land - vividly to life.

In 1940, a young Helene Lacheur is living at home in rural Guernsey with her father and her nanna.  Her new husband has just gone off to war and the Germans have just invaded the island.  Over the next few years, we see get a glimpse of how difficult Helene’s forced interaction with the enemy is and how living in a small, closed community paid havoc with relationships.  

Skip forward forty years and Helene has recently died.  Her daughter Roz is faced with revelations about her family’s past and decides to do some research into her background, discovering a hidden side to her mother.  Her travels bring her to Guernsey, naturally, but also to Berlin and to modern day Russia.

Using the dual timeframe narrative device, Madeleine Bunting tells the story in a deceptively simple way which made me want to know how it ends.  And whilst the story is well worth reading throughout, keep reading for the twist at the end.

What an amazing read this story was. Madeleine Bunting has done a great deal of research into how the war affected The Channel Islands and in particular Guernsey.  This is love story of great depth, a mystery waiting to be solved laced with historical facts. I have not read a book that enthralled me as much as this one did for a while and cannot wait to see if this author decides to write more books as I will be first in the line to buy whatever she writes.

Island Song is a brilliant story told in two timelines ,during the German Occupation of Guernsey in WW2 and present day .Roz's Mother Helene has died and a letter left to her  tells her the person she always thought of as her Father was not !!!  Roz travels to Guernsey where her Mother was born in search of her Family history .This is such a well written  book a real page turner and the descriptions are wonderful ,all the characters come to life ,what an amazing book and I just loved the ending .10 stars if I could . Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

This is a really interesting read. I did not know a lot about the German occupation of Guernsey during World War 2. This part of Guernseys history is intriguing. It is told with an empathy that drew me in from the start. Roz is on an emotional journey to find out who her father is and what type of life her mother led during and after World War 2. Helene has kept her early life a secret so there are a few shocks for  Roz. This is a beautifully written story that had me gripped the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

When Roz's mother Helene dies Roz is given a letter that will tear her life apart and make her question everything she has ever known.
The man she thought was her father wasn't and with little to go on but her mother's maiden name and place of birth Roz tries to find out who her real father was. Her investigations take her to Guernsey where her mum lived during the occupation by Germany during World War II.
As Roz uncovers more about Helene's life and what she went through in the War she begins to wonder if she really does want to know who her father was.
The story is told from the point of view of the two women, Roz in the 90's and Helene in the 40's. It gives a good insight into what life must have been like under German occupation and of the hardship and dilemmas faced by the islanders of Guernsey during that time.

A marvellously descriptive book, that cries out to be made into a film. It is told through the dual narrative medium. Helene is the mother in 1940s occupied Channel Island, Guernsey. Roz is her daughter, whom we first meet at her mothers funeral. 
Helene bequeaths a letter to Roz ,which sets her on a journey to discover her family history. Who was her real father,and who indeed was her mother? Along the way, Roz finds her history is intertwined with a German officer , the theft of art treasures and the persecution of Jewish families during the Holocaust, and Russian slave labourers on Guernsey. Roz has to find out the connection between all these variables in order to complete her personal search for answers.
I found out some fascinating facts and real shocks about the German occupation of Guernsey. What life was like for the islanders, and how they must have felt being abandoned by the British, the sense of betrayal must have been unforgivable. The hardships and sacrifices experienced by the islanders ,and the cruelty shown to them and the Russian prisoners was intense. The bitterness expressed in modern times about the collaboration of the islanders during the war, when most people would have done exactly the same, in order to survive, is very telling.
It is a compelling story about forbidden love and many secrets. Roz has a search on her hands to find out the truth about her parentage and her enigmatic mother. There is a surprising twist in the tale, but I thought the ending was too abrupt and sudden. No sooner had you read the surprise, than the book threw you out of the story! I did enjoy this book, it sucked you in and created such curiosity , it was a real page turner. Well researched and gave a historical lesson along the way.

Roz has just lost her mother when she finds out that her father wasn't her father. He has left her a letter but who is her real father? Her mother has always kept her young life a secret and as Roz starts to investigate it seems that her mother, Helene, was born and raised on Guernsey and lived through the occupation. Roz wants to find her father but it seems that Guernsey holds many secrets. She travels to Russia and Berlin in the hope of finding an answer.
This is a lovely read which deals sensitively with the subject of the occupation and human relationships and who can say what is right and wrong?

I did enjoy this book although it took a little time to get into the rhythm of the writing. It’s not  a period of history I am too familiar with so good to learn something new and an interesting twist at the end.

I really enjoyed this book and although I expected it to be a typical romance with the added bonus of a daughter searching for her mother’s story, the reality was very far from my expectations. Madeleine Bunting has written a gritty novel based on real life stories of occupied Guernsey where people learned to adapt to survive. There is romance but there is also a very human story of acceptance and sadness and ultimately hope. I visited Guernsey on holiday several years ago so the descriptions of the island resonated with me - it’s a part of history we should really know more about.

A terribly sad story all round. The romances were odd and perhaps not as believable as they could have been. I did have to do a fair amount of skim reading to speed things along a bit as it was quite slow going. I was glad I stuck doggedly to it though to get to that final little twist. Without giving away spoilers, it’s quite similar in some ways to Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in terms of an illicit romance and a hidden Russian so it felt a familiar tale. I am however now intrigued by the author’s non fic book Model Occupation and will be buying a copy of that.

Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy for an honest review with no spoilers.

This is a book that I would be happy to recommend to friends and family. I had very little knowledge of the occupation of Guernsey during World War 2 but felt the need after reading this novel to learn more about this island.

The author really brought the characters (and the island) to life and I found myself willing them to solve the mysteries that I was waking up in the night and thinking about. I also found myself wondering how I would have coped with the situation Helene was in.

One of the reasons people like dramas set during war time is that the moral choices seem to be so much clearer and more absolute. In Madeleine Bunting's debut novel, however, the opposite is true. 

Set both in the present and during the second world war, Island Song examines the fate of Helene Le Lacheur, a young woman stranded on Guernsey during the Nazi occupation. She has lost touch with her husband who is serving somewhere in France, her father has been deported to a prison camp, she is hiding an escaped Russian slave-labourer,  and at the same time she finds herself gradually drawn into a love-affair with Heinrich, an intelligent, charming, but ambivalent German officer.

Helene's story is revealed both through glimpses of her own experience and through a series of imaginative conjectures, sometimes accurate sometimes not, on the part of Roz, her daughter who is trying to unravel her mother's history after her death.  Roz is assisted in her investigations by Antoine, a French academic trying to trace works of art stolen by the Nazis.
 
It's a story firmly grounded in a sense of place: the sights, smells and social life of Guernsey, past and present, are strongly evoked, making the island one of the strongest characters in the narrative. But it's precisely this intense insularity that is Helene's undoing. She can neither escape the watchful eyes nor the stern judgement of her fellow islanders and when her precarious balancing act finally comes to an end retribution awaits.

A novel about compromise and survival, Island Song picks apart the confused notions of history and identity that attach themselves to our understanding of Europe's past and of our own present, and in doing so demonstrates how courage can coexist with confusion. A brave story, delicately put together.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review 
Firstly I just want to say this is an utterly  brilliant  work of fictional  brilliance.
From the first page it has you totally captivated  such 
A brilliant plot with the twin timing that slipped so easy between the two era's  I want to give nothing away I really can't praise this book enough and will be telling family and friends  this book deserves more stars than I can give  utterly BRILLIANT  EXTRAVAGANZA.

Having long been aware of the turbulent wartime experiences of the Channel Islands I love reading books set in that location and time period. This one might even beat Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to my top spot of favourite fiction.
The nearly modern setting blends seamlessly with the historical sections and I could ‘see’ both fully. I loved both timelines and in setting Ros’s story just before the explosion of the Internet made it unfold at a clever pace, making it feel like an old fashioned mystery rather than a super sleuthing social media case.
I really didn’t spot the ending at all, and rather than being eye rollingly sensational it felt just right.

It has left me wanting to know more about two of the peripheral characters and their story arc resolution but over all I loved this, and can’t wait until it is published to buy copies for friends.

This poignant and compelling story begins with the death of enigmatic matriarch, Helene. She bequeaths a letter to her daughter, Roz, and the information left behind triggers a quest to unearth the truth about Helen’s past in 1940’s occupied Guernsey. This is a dual narrative set both in the present and during World War Two. As Helene’s backstory gradually unravels, a plethora of painful secrets from the past are revealed, which take Roz on a journey of self-discovery - in tandem with the wider quest of French art historian, Antoine. Together their joint research  pieces together her own personal family history and how it is inextricably intertwined with a German officer, the persecution of Jewish families in occupied Paris. and Russian slave labourers on the island.

This is a meticulously researched, authentic depiction of the hardships endured by Channel  Islanders under the Nazi regime, which evokes the brutality and sacrifices necessitated by the wartime occupation. Madeleine Bunting’s narrative is well-crafted and I was so hooked by this story of forbidden love, family ties and the wartime bonds of friendship that I read it almost continuously over one weekend. I cared about the lives of this credible cast of characters and like all the most enjoyable stories, felt sad to reach the final page and leave the characters behind.