Emily Parker reviews the film based on the international bestselling novel.

When you think of World War II and the German occupation, most people's first thoughts on location would be mainland Europe. There has been a lack of awareness over the years about the German activity and how they occupied the British Channel Islands in 1940-1945. During the Nazi rule in Jersey and Guernsey children were evacuated, rationing was put in place by the Germans who ordered the islanders way of life, and if any local stepped out of line they were sent to concentration camps on the continent.

Based on the international bestselling novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has now been turned into a film starring Lily James as the enchanting author Juliet Ashton in 1946. Juliet receives a letter from Guernsey resident Dawsey Adams, who found Juliet's address in a copy of an old Charles Lamb book of hers. The pair become pen friends, sharing their love for literature, which is when Dawsey introduces Juliet to the story about the formation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

An idea for a book takes her to meet her new pen pals and so ensues a beautiful tale of friendship, love and the loss of loved ones to war. It's a simple story with multiple plot lines as we also meet Isola, Kit and John Brooks. I love how well established and strongly opinionated these characters are. They are all quirky and have such a variety of characteristics, and you really do feel that you have the time to get to know them all individually.

In the space of two weeks I watched the film and was fortunate enough to lay my hands on a copy of the book. If you've read the book already, like most book to film stories, it doesn't follow the story line, but the charm and loveable characters still transfer to the big screen.

It was also great to see Jessica Brown Findlay play the role of Elizabeth McKenna, who I don't think I've seen in anything since her exit from Downton Abbey, which also stared fellow cast members, Lily James (Juliet Ashton), Matthew Goode (Sidney Stark) and Penelope Wilton (Amelia Maugery). To add to their reunion, it must have been nice for the four of them to return to the former set of Downton, the Charterhouse in London, where the exteriors for the film were shot.

I have never been to Guernsey and I was surprised to recognise a lot of the film locations from Clovelly, Devon, and parts of Cornwall, which personally I found highly disappointing. Thankfully reading the book encouraged my imagination as to what the country is like, based upon the beautiful descriptions in the text, and this alone encourages me to want to make a trip to Guernsey one day.

Rated by the BBFC as 12a in the UK, viewers will see a scene where one of the characters is drunk and subsequently vomits. There is one scene which shows the beating of a prisoner by a soldier, which isn't particularly harrowing to watch, and an off screen shooting where a gunshot is heard.

A book written in the form of a continuous series of letters was always going to be a challenge for screenwriters, producers and the director. However, with a team that includes director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and the producers of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, they were able to create the charm and warm-hearted feelings towards characters that they had achieved in their previous work.