Clouds in my Guernsey Sky: a memoir of love, truth & hope

by Jag Sherbourne

June 1940 and in Guernsey, Kathleen is about to board a ship that will take her to safety. Charles tells her he will see her again soon; but his plans are soon to be thwarted by the arrival of the Germans.
Decades later, when an email from a stranger brings a whisper from the past, Charles and Kathleen’s legacy begins to unfold.
As the cold, lonely echoes of war begin to rewrite her family’s story, their daughter is left to discover that, sometimes, it is the people closest to us that surprise us the most.

264 pages, Paperback

Published May 4, 2023

About the author

Hello and thank you for looking at my author profile.

After encouragement from family and friends, and many attempts at writing and rewriting it, I finally launched my book, Clouds in my Guernsey Sky, at the Guernsey Literary Festival in May 2023. And, though it has received great reviews in Guernsey, I still find it strange to think of myself as an author.

I have a degree in Biology and have taught Maths to Advanced level for the past 45 years. Hardly the credentials for a writer! But in 2009 I received an email from a stranger that changed my life; suddenly I had a story to tell, I just needed to work out how best to tell it.

The email was from a girl called Charley claiming to be my sister’s granddaughter. Yet I was an only child, or so I had always believed. But Charley had irrefutable evidence to the contrary. She had birth records for 2 babies, born in England during the war; both with the same unusual Guernsey surnames as my parents.

But my parents lived apart during the war, Mum had evacuated to the UK in June 1940 and was living in Bridgwater with friends of her family, whilst Dad was living in Guernsey under German Occupation. So who were these 2 wartime babies? What was their relationship to me and to each other? What part had they already played in my life, and what part would we all play in each others lives moving forwards?

Clouds in my Guernsey Sky is the true story of the social impact that Guernsey’s evacuation and occupation during world war 2, had on my very ordinary family.

It is a story of devastating loss and heartwarming reunions that is not wholly mine to tell and I have felt an overwhelming responsibility to tell it sensitively and authentically.

The paperback is available to order online from Blue Ormer publishers in Guernsey as well as Amazon and will shortly be released on kindle.

Reviews

[Emma Le Bargy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable story made all the more marvellous because it's totally true! Clouds in my Guernsey Sky is a beautifully written memoir of the Occupation in Guernsey and the secrets that were unveiled decades later.

An extra special read for me, being a proud Guernsey person myself (and relative of the author)! It's so excellent to see the unique surname "Le Bargy" in print 😃

[Caitlin Rydberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends. Please buy this book. It’s a true story of what happened on the island of Guernsey 🇬🇬 during World War 2.

But more than that it’s a story of sisters who find each other. It’s a story of family. Of remembrance. It’s a story that reminds you that each and every one of our family members is a living history book. That life is a the messy bits.

Please if you read one nonfiction book this year, make it this one.

Thank you @jagsherbourne for this opportunity!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#theislandofguernsey #guernseypotatopeelsociety #guernsey #theguernseyliteraryandpotatopeelpiesociety #worldwar2 #history #memoir #sister #family #foundfamily

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is just amazing. So emotional and gripping, it's my new favourite "Guernsey book". Beautifully written and heartfelt.

[Bethany Rouget · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of love, hope, family and grief.
Written beautifully by a beautiful lady.

I’ve read it twice just because this story is simply so captivating!

[Laura G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The occupation of Guernsey is such a fascinating topic and it was completely news to me how many people were evacuated. I think I always thought it was only children. The messages back and forth between Kathleen and her family really struck me - it’s so hard to imagine months and years with no contact and then just relying on 25 words. Then when the letters do come they’re all about food - truly Guernsey letters! Jag’s journey to find her sisters was beautiful and it was a privilege to read it. I was slightly confused at some points in the story as to who people were or the chronology. I think it part that was a reflection of it being pieced together but also possibly that this has been mainly read by people who know the people and the story. It was also hard to really understand what happened - memories are unreliable, stories are half told and people act in unpredictable ways. As a piece of history this was so interesting, as a story I’m left a little confused.

[Karen O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start with, I loved learning about Guernsey, as living thousands of miles away I didn’t know anything about these islands.

Next, I appreciated the authors heartfelt sharing of her personal journey, lived and told with so much care and love.

She did a beautiful job of reaching back and resetting childhood memories within new context when her parent’s war time challenges, an unexpected dimension of their love in unimaginable times, reached forward through the decades like a slowly opening time capsule to offer so much more of their own story than she could ever have guessed as the child among them.

I had to complete this one in less than two days and read unbelievably far into the night after a very long day in a sequence of very long days such as are holiday times, particularly when one is under the weather. That is what happens when you must turn the next page.

[Lisa Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do we ever really know those closest to us? Even ordinary, ‘normal’ families can harbour secrets. Secrets which stay buried for an age but whose effects echo down the years.
Part mystery, part history lesson, part thriller, part detective story, this fascinating and emotional memoir by Jag Sherbourne takes the reader on an incredible journey keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. If this were fiction, I’d be shaking my head at the unlikeliness of the storyline – but it is, unbelievably, all true.

[Michele Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! I found it unputdownable!
Stories set in Guernsey during the Second World War are many but few are based on true events like this book. This book was a real investigation into the lives of people who lived through the war - those who left the island to create new lives for themselves and those who remained to continue as best they could.
This story is sensitively written, well researched and totally believable. I hope Jag decides to write more books as she has a creative style of writing that is a pleasure to read and made her amazing story so fascinating to read about.

[Sara Jonkmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a most beautifully written book which is the true story of the author who discovers secrets that her parents took to their graves. The reader learns about the evacuation of many of the islanders (mainly children) from Guernsey to England just prior to the occupation of the Channel Islands by the Nazis in 1940. We also hear the stories of the author’s father who stayed behind and her mother who left. I sincerely hope that Ms Sherbourne has another story to write.

[Linda Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating, well written read by the author.
First, it tells of World War Two, set in Guernsey and about islander life and the separation of families. Who was evacuated and who stayed! What happened to them?
Secondly, if you enjoy the ITV show “Long Lost Family”, you will be riveted to this true story. Emotional, poignant, uplifting, compelling reading. An amazing journey of discovery into finding a long lost family.
Highly recommend this wonderful book

[Sandra Martel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotionally charged narrative and beautifully scripted journey by a Guernsey woman sensitively unearthing family secrets long buried. Not what anyone expects to discover at any age, but what a blessing to receive that stranger’s email and to have the opportunity and tenacity to reveal the truth. A very “Good Read”. More please Jag!

[Christine Sealley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god, what can i say about this book? It is absolutely beautiful. The way it has been written, you can feel the emotion in every word that it actually made me cry.

This book is amazing. Well done, jag, and thank you for sharing such an amazing story.

[Katy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Jag writes beautifully and with such honesty, I felt so invested in her journey and excited as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together to uncover her family’s story!

[Helen Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is so beautifully written, full of emotion and empathy for her parents and the challenging times they lived through. It was hard to put down!

[Jerz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully researched and well written book. Fascinating story. Well worth reading. I would look forward to a sequal. Nicely done.

[Mr Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow Jag on a true tale of family intrigue and revelations. A joy to read, though it might bring a tear to your eye.

[Sam McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really lovely book, my wife is from guernsey and this helped me on honeymoon learn all the historical politics, so many outloud “whoaaaa” moments.