Ok, I'm back and ready to give you my .02 on the book. I loved it and I do like this style of reading between the lines of the letters. It lets you form your own opinions.

As soon as Dawsey wrote to Juliet, I had a special affection for him. He seemed to take the time to mention or send her things that were particular favorites of hers. Whereas Markham just tried to sweep her off her feet but giving her things that he thought "any" girl would love. At first, I thought that Dawsey was a lot older than Juliet so I took him for an old man, but the minute she stepped off the boat and they were all introducing themselves and I found out that Dawsey was around her age, I was rooting for him. I'm sorry, but I need some romance in my fiction!

It was profound the way we saw Elizabeth's character build with every letter and conversation throughout the island. It always saddens me to think of the war years and realize that in some parts of the world, this is still happening. But for the Grace of God, go we. The starvation and abandonment everyone on the island felt from the residents to the occupiers. I appreciated that the story also told of the Dr. Christian who was caught in the middle of it all but finding ways to help the residents even before he fell in love with Elizabeth. It wasn't a complete tale of good vs evil, but showed that there were good and evil on both sides, including some of the residents who would turn their neighbors in for favors.

I agree with Lady Jayne in that one of my absolute favorite parts was when Kit showed Juliet the contents of her box. I totally lost it at that point.

It was as if Juliet was being called to the island to return to the way of life and the kind of people that she would be happy amongst.

I have mixed feelings about the quote that good books spoil you for bad ones and it's only because I have so much respect for writers and storytellers who put themselves out there, that I can't really say out loud that I don't like their work. It just isn't my cup of tea. But, it is true for me that if I can't connect with a book, I have to move on and when I do connect with one, like this one, that I can't move away.

Just a thought regarding the 'good books - bad books' issue. I suppose the first thing we must do is clarify what is a 'good book' or a 'bad book' before we can decide whether good ones spoil a reader for bad ones. If one wants a book to read while lying on the beach, semi-asleep and slightly affected by rum punch, then one does not want 'War and Peace' - but does that make 'The Impetuous Pirate' a bad book? Conversely if one has several hours of quiet time and is feeling intelligent then the reverse is probably true. The extension of this might be to ask if someone was, well, not the brightest bulb on the tree and 'The Impetuous Pirate' is pushing the limits of their intellect wouldn't you rather see them reading anything than nothing? The 'crap' my daughter (12) reads makes me slightly nauseous but I would far rather see her reading what she likes than numbing her mind in front of the idiot box. (And, to be honest, that's what I read at 12 also.) In fact I would go so far as to say there are no 'bad' books, only books I do not care for. ps - if you are not familiar with 'The Impetuous Pirate, remember what Claire likes to read. *G*

edited to say this sounds a little pompous - I'm off the soap box now.

jayn - I don't think that sounded pompous, I think you said exactly what we were all trying to, that a "good" book is entirely subjective. And on top of that, it's entirely subjective to the mood the individual is in at the time

I agree that book content is entirely subjective and open to mood, situation and connection with the characters.
The older I get though, the more I realise that life is too short to read a bad book -if it doesn't grab my attention by page 100 I ditch it.....there are too many fine authors still to read ,so I have no hesitation in moving on to the next book...

For me TGLPPS book was a beautiful book, and whilst I'm not a great fan of reading through letters, I did find myself quickly drawn into the story and read it almost without stopping for breath.

Books do and will continue to unite people - we've got this fine forum to thank for the power of books to unite.

Sass, I'm with you. "Too many books...." If I don't enjoy a book, I stop reading it and look elsewhere.

I absolutely loved this book. I laughed through the whole thing. To tell about such a horrible time in history, and to be able to use humor with out making it come across cheesy or disrespectful is truly an art. Bravo!