Located off the coast of Normandy, the English Channel Islands are rich in history. Visiting these islands is like stepping back in time. Before travelling to a country, I enjoy reading novels set in that locale. If you plan to visit the English Channel Islands, or just want to learn more about them, I’ve compiled a list of historical fiction books (and a couple of non-fiction books) for you to choose from.

JERSEY

Jersey, the largest of the English Channel Islands, was once a part of the Duchy of Normandy. Its ties to England began with the invasion by William the Conqueror. In 1204 AD, it officially became a Crown Dependency. Blessed with beautiful, lush landscape and sandy beaches, many vestiges of the medieval period remain. Interesting fact: Jersey contains one of the oldest sites in the world, La Hougue Bie which dates from the Neolithic period.

15th and 16th Century

The medieval and Tudor eras are filled with political intrigue, fascinating people, and tales that have become part of island’s lore.

The book, TOKEN OF BETRAYAL, tells the history of the French Occupation (1461-1468) which was precipitated by the Wars of the Roses.

BETRAYAL OF TRUST begins where Token of Betrayal ends. It details the rebuilding of Jersey after the French occupation and recounts the amazing story of one of the island’s female heroines, Margaret Harleston.

19th Century

In the novel ISLAND MAGIC by Elizabeth Goudge, a stranger shipwrecks on the Channel Islands and falls under their spell, changing not only his life, but that of a young boy and the beautiful woman who offers him refuge.

World War II

The Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands was a horrifying period, and remnants from that time remain on the island, including the War Tunnels, fortifications along the water’s edge, and at Elizabeth Castles. By far the most written about event, here are 10 novels to choose from that let the reader experience this tragic time period.

THE GIRL FROM THE CHANNEL ISLANDS by Jenny Lecoat tells the story of a Jewish girl from Vienna who fled to Jersey to escape the Nazis. Now they have occupied the island.

THIS ROYAL BREED by Judith Saxton details a young girl’s struggle to survive when the Germans take away her adopted father.

AN ISLAND AT WAR by Deborah Carr is inspired by real-life stories of the author’s family. In this novel, a young girl remains on the island to help her grandmother manage the family farm while her younger sister is sent to the UK for her safety.

WHEN THE SKY FELL APART by Caroline Lea tells the story of the German troops landing on the beaches of Jersey and the danger the citizens faced.

The first four books of THE JACK RENOUF SERIES by John F. Hanley are set during the WWII era, beginning in 1940, with Jack focused on qualifying to swim in the Helsinki Olympics, and ending in 1941, as he fights against the Germans.

Jack Higgins, author of NIGHT OF THE FOX, sets this thriller on German-occupied Jersey. It is a story of an American colonel, who knows too much, that washes ashore. He must be rescued or silenced.

A DOCTOR’S OCCUPATION by John Lewis is a autobiographical, non-fiction, first-hand account of the German occupation of Jersey. Lewis’s book records stories of some of the brave individuals, the traitors, and the Russian Todt workers.

GUERNSEY

Guernsey, the second largest of the Channel Islands, is another European getaway with beautiful beaches, medieval buildings, and the German Occupation Museum. Each of the ten books on this list includes some element of life on the island under the Nazis.

World War II

THE DARING GIRLS OF GUERNSEY by Gayle Callen portrays three women fighting against the Nazi injustice; one forced to house a German officer while another hides a British spy.

In THE GERMAN NURSE by M.J. Hollows, a Jewish girl hides in plain sight, always in danger of her heritage being exposed and the unthinkable happening.

With her husband away fighting in the war, a woman falls in love with a German soldier, a relationship fraught with peril, in Margaret Leroy’s novel, THE SOLDIER’S WIFE.

THE BOOK OF EBENEZER LE PAGE by G.B. Edward chronicles the life of a man who lived on Guernsey for eighty years and experienced both the Great War and the German Occupation during WWII.

LIFE IN OCCUPIED GUERNSEY by Ruth Ozanne is a non-fictional autobiography covering the years from 1940 to 1945. Ruth kept diaries of day-to-day life, recording rumors, scandals, and the struggles of life during the occupation.

20th Century

THE GUERNSEY SAGA by Diana Bachmann is a three-book series beginning before the occupation and continues after the war. It follows a family through three generations and the challenges of a changing world.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer is probably the best-known book set on the Channel Islands. Delightfully written as an epistolary, it takes place after WWII. A reporter learns about the impact of the German Occupation through a series of letters and travels to Guernsey to meet the people she has come to know through her correspondence.

ISLAND SONG by Madeleine Bunting is a dual timeline set in the 1940s and the 1980s. A young woman strives to survive the occupation, and decades later, her young daughter searches for the truth about her parents.

SARK

I look forward to visiting the small island of Sark one day. A little-known fact: Sark remained a feudal fiefdom past the year 2000 AD. Maybe that is why the only books I could find set on Sark were written by the female seigneur, Sibyl Hathaway. A tough lady, she ruled Sark during WWII and insisted that the Germans follow her rules. Her books are still available.

16th Century

A historical fiction romance, MAID OF SARK gives a vivid portrayal of life on the island.

World War II

In the DAME OF SARK: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY Sibyl recounts her life as ruler of the tiny island, including during WWII, which claimed the life of her son and saw her husband taken to an internment camp.

ALDERNEY

This island has an area of only three-square miles and today has a population of just 2000. Almost every citizen of Alderney evacuated the island before the Germans arrived. There, the Germans built two work camps and two concentration camps.

19th and 20th Century

Book 1 of THE RIDUNA SERIES by Diana Jackson, is an atmospheric piece that explores how every day, ordinary events affect and change our lives. Book 2 continues the saga into the World War I.

World War II

THE ISLAND OF DREAD IN THE CHANNEL by Brian Bonnard tells the story of a teenage boy brought to the island to work in the slave camps, detailing how he escaped the island and his life after.

ISLAND REICH by Jack Grimwood is a thriller set during WWII in which a man must chose, hang for his crimes or serve his country. His mission, go to Alderney and steal the Nazi invasion plans.

Do you have any favorite historical fiction books set on the Channel Islands that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below!