The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Review by Mindy
Wow, my first review… I picked this book, because it was one that I loved instantly. There was something about it that caught me right away. What I liked most was the humor, and the sweet story. It takes place in 1946, after WWII. A little back ground information: the occupation by the Germans in Guernsey happened during the war, and they stayed for five years. This book is based on those events, just with fictional characters. I loved the creative way in how this is written. It’s a series of letters written to, from, and about the main character Juliet Ashton, and others in her life. Juliet is a writer who wrote a collection of popular newspaper articles about the war, that were published into a book. She receives a letter from a gentleman named Dawsey, who lives in Guernsey of the Channel Islands. They share a common like for Charles Lamb’s writings. In one of the letters written to Juliet from Dawsey, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is mentioned, and over a series of more letters, Juliet is hooked on the islands history, the people, and a character whose story is told by many who live on the island. Elizabeth is her name, and she’s the reason the society received its name and most importantly, how it came to be. During the book, Juliet is pondering on what to write her next book about, and eventually choses to write about Guernsey, and there finds the true subject of her book. So many entertaining things happen to Juliet and her friends along the way as she makes her way to visit Guernsey to tell their story of the occupation.
I could go on and on, but I don’t want to give too much away. However, there are some great lines in the book. One I thought was so funny, and one that describes my love of reading. Isola (a Guernsey resident, writes to Sidney Juliet’s friend and publisher) writes: “Mrs. Gilbert has always been a nasty one, but now I know that she can’t help it–she’s got a big pit in her Benevolence spot. She feel in a quarry when she was a girl, and my guess is she cracked her Benevolence and was never the same since.” And the part that spoke to me was a line from Juliet when she writes that books have “secret sort of homing instinct that brings them to their perfect readers.” Ahhhhh. Love that :)
One of my favorite parts of the book was the end. Isola wrote detection notes because she was trying to figure some things that were happening, and she wanted to be like Miss Marple. I was laughing out loud. I also cried in a spot, but I can’t give that away. After you read the book, let me know if you cried, and at what spot, and we’ll compare notes.
(There is a couple instances of language in the dang family.)
I hope that everyone enjoys this book as much as I did. I really could go on and on and tell you so many more great things. Read it for yourself. It put a smile on my face, and I always have a smile when I think about it.
My rating: 5 stars
Would I read it again: Absolutely. Many, many times
Recommend it: Yes, yes, yes
Would I read others books from these gals: Already have
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Publisher: A Dial Press/A Division of Random House
Published Date: August 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-34099-1
Hardcover; 274 pages
Dearest FTC FYI: I received this book as a gift.
“If you have time to correspond with me, could you answer several questions? Three in fact. Why did a roast pig dinner have to be kept a secret? How could a pig cause you to begin a literary society? And, most pressing of all, what is a potato peel pie-and why is it included in your society’s name?”
“Chances are, photographs are the reason you jumped into scrapbooking in the first place. you wanted to do something with that growing pile of photos from your wedding, family vacations, birthdays, and other significant life events.”
“The boy swooped to an easy midair stop, hovering a few feet above the men’s heads. He looked to be twelve or thirteen years old; he had red hair, and freckles still visible in his deeply tanned face… and which the men could now see was what looked like a tiny winged woman.”