London, 1946. A young author, Juliet Ashton (Lily James), is having difficulty coming to terms with her new found success and wealth at a time when so many are still suffering shortages soon after the war. A letter from a pig farmer in Guernsey intrigues her and develops into a correspondence, with her sending him books. He is a member of the eponymous book club, which she feels she wants to know more about. Spurred on by the prospect of getting an interesting article to write, she takes the boat to the island to meet the club members.
When the pig farmer turns out to be the hunky Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman) it doesn't take much to figure out which direction this film is heading in. He's backed up by a selection of eccentric and loveable characters, and the group are clearly hiding secrets from their recent wartime past. Ashton starts investigating, quizzing, putting the pieces together, and the tragedy underlying the book club gradually emerges, with shame and guilt and regret mixed in. But a happy ending is always on the cards....
With able support from reliable old stagers Tom Courtenay and Penelope Wilton, and an enjoyably fey performance from Katherine Parkinson, it's a pleasant enough watch and doesn't drag. But it's largely predictable, 'goodies' and 'baddies' clearly identified, and with one of the most cliched and naff devices used in the ending, while the more compelling elements of the backstory to the club are glossed over all too quickly. Central to the secrets of the group is what befell one of their members, Elizabeth, and how it affected the others. Underlying that tale is the wider impact of military occupation on a small, close knit society and how the citizens react, be that resistance, collaboration or passive acceptance. All are obliquely mentioned, and Elizabeth's storyline could so easily have been used to show that the line separating resistors from collaborators is not as clear cut as the histories wants us to believe. I wanted to know more about her, but this is not a film looking to explore the bigger issues.
If you want the escapism of a feelgood melodramatic romance then this is certainly one of the better offerings in the genre. And there is much to be said for the love of books and reading the script brings out. But if, like me, you prefer something with a bit more substance, this feels like a frustratingly missed opportunity. If someone wants to make a movie about the drama of Elizabeth they might come up something of much greater interest.
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