The story line of The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy was very similar to the mini-series Island at War. The setting is one of the Channel Islands, Guernsey, during WWII, when the islands were occupied by Germans. As a child, when visiting one of the islands in the late 1950s, I felt some areas were eerie with a remaining feel of the occupation. There were many lookout bunkers around the coast line and a white tiled German hospital built into the side of a hill. I had trouble immersing myself into the Soldier's Wife, not because of the story, but it was in present tense and I've never enjoyed novels written this way. Otherwise, it was well written, moved along quickly. This would make a great book club read and contains book club questions. Another good book based on the occupation of the islands is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
From the Cover:
As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship - and her family - safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger.
