I was excited to watch this movie for two reasons - 1. It has Lily James in it (and I loved her in Downton Abbey) and 2. Several friends on my Facebook feed had good things to say about it. I also love period dramas so this all around seemed like a winner! The movie is based on a book published in 2008, but I have not read it.
The story starts shortly after the end of World War II and we see people learning to live again in the aftermath of the war. Young writer Juliet Ashton (Lily James) has just published another book, is supposed to be going on tour for it, and is being courted by an American soldier. She gets a letter from a man in Guernsey, who found her address in a used book he had purchased. They strike up a relationship, and soon Juliet is off to the island of Guernsey to learn more about this man and his friends in the "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society".
Guernsey was occupied by German forces during the war, so their experience was quite different from those who lived on the mainland. As Juliet learns more about the occupants of the island she starts to unravel the darker more hidden pieces of what went on during the occupation. There is conflict as she pries where people don't want their stories told, and she has to promise not to write about them (which is her natural instinct as an author). I loved watching the relationships grow between Juliet and the other characters, and I found the story fascinating as it unfolded. There were flashbacks that were hard to watch as they focused on the cruelty and hardship of war (though I much prefer this type of story over ones that focus on the full drama of war). I became very attached to each character and their outcome.
If you love historical pieces with fictional characters built into a real life setting you will love this movie. It's also a good one for lovers of romance and drama. It's a bit slow in the beginning but it is worth hanging on to when it gets to the more exciting parts. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey this one is definitely for you, and you will recognize several actresses besides Lily James!