The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society
Who Would Like This Book:
This book is a cozy, feel-good read with surprising depth, weaving together themes of friendship, resilience, and the magic of storytelling. Set in post-WWII England and the Channel Islands, the story unfolds entirely through letters, bringing to life a quirky cast of characters who create a book club as a lifeline during the German occupation. Book lovers, fans of historical fiction, and anyone who enjoys stories about the healing power of community will be charmed - and may just want to join Guernsey’s potato peel pie society themselves.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers find the epistolary (all-letters) format limiting and occasionally hard to follow, especially with so many characters introduced quickly. A few felt the plot was predictable, a little too sweet, or that the characters blended together. If you prefer fast-paced stories, deep character complexity, or dislike books labeled as charming or quaint, this one may feel a little light or even twee.
About:
'The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society' is a heartwarming and poignant story set in the post-World War II period on the Channel Islands, specifically Guernsey Island. The plot is revealed through a series of letters exchanged between characters, shedding light on the German occupation of the island during WWII. The writing style is described as charming, light-hearted, and engaging, with a focus on relationships between characters and the historical backdrop of the war.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for this book would include themes related to war, loss, imprisonment, and some instances of animal cruelty.
Has Romance?
The novel features a significant romantic thread, weaving Juliet's relationships in engaging and meaningful ways throughout the story.
From The Publisher:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NOW A NETFLIX FILM
A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
"Treat yourself to this book, please-I can't recommend it highly enough."-Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. . . .
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends-and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island-boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
Praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
"A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends."-People
"A book-lover's delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary."-Chicago Sun-Times
"A sparkling epistolary novel radiating wit, lightly worn erudition and written with great assurance and aplomb."-The Sunday Times (London)
"Cooked perfectly à point: subtle and elegant in flavour, yet emotionally satisfying to the finish."-The Times (London)
Ratings (247)
Incredible (42) | |
Loved It (114) | |
Liked It (59) | |
It Was OK (22) | |
Did Not Like (8) | |
Hated It (2) |
Reader Stats (429):
Read It (255) | |
Currently Reading (3) | |
Want To Read (111) | |
Did Not Finish (5) | |
Not Interested (55) |
14 comment(s)
A quick easy read. I enjoyed the formal of the letters going backwards and forwards so you were hearing about the important aspects of their lives. I also liked how they mentioned that reading one book can lead onto other books. I want to reread, or read as now I am not sure I have read it, Wuthering Heights. Also interested to find out about the occupation.
An unexpected view on Guernsey and life on the island. Interesting read which is well written.
Predictable? Sure, Elizabeth HEAVY?! Heck yeah, ok ok I get it, she was awesome, I know I know! But even with that the story is engaging and funny and what might have been called, back then, a mighty fine romp!
My favourite part was the first half, with the epistolary format. I didn’t find it light, sweet or sentimental at all. Charming, yes, and lighter than your average WWII novel, but the poignancy and simplicity of the Guernsey islanders’ accounts of the occupation eschew sentimentality.
I loved the Guernsey farmers’ opinions of the books at the book club, and learning about Guernsey. I also got a bit confused between all the characters, but that’s okay.
Unfortunately, I thought it fell off a little bit in the second half - maybe because it focuses too much on the love story and on Remy, who I thought was a completely superfluous character, and not enough on the book club. Remy barely plays a role and she’s a physical representation of the archetypal concentration camp victim. She doesn’t embody what we’ve already heard about the Guernsey natives’ experiences: she makes the war and its aftermath less unique to Guernsey. Having her blow in like a feather and be nursed back to health, as the boy at the end of the novel is nursed back to health, takes away from the immediacy of the Guernsey natives’ stories and makes her seem a generic ‘Holocaust victim character’ who lacks agency or development and is just there because they needed someone to, you know, have come from the concentration camps (contrast, say, Max from The Book Thief, who is actively sharing his story and working to recover, who is as much a main character as Liesel and her parents and who, by his arrival, creates a real element of risk for Liesel and her family even though he enriches it). The happy-dippy mention of love between her and another character is a bit too much.
I wasn’t at all taken by Kit, either, and a lot of the second half was about her.
I loved Isola but wasn’t so keen on Dawsey once we met him in the flesh. Like others, I thought the more dramatic parts of the last quarter were quite uninteresting.
A solid three stars because I liked, but didn’t love, it.
Here's a book I read after watching the movie that I actually still enjoyed!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, in addition to having a positively splendid title, is a quiet, uncomplicated, sweet book; and the full voice cast made the audiobook that much better. I laughed, I cried...it moved me, Bob. Exactly the sort of soft story I needed to refresh my reading palate.
The movie obviously took liberties to make parts of the story more compelling for the screen; namely, 1) changing Juliet's back-home love interest into a pilot instead of a publisher and 2) being more secretive about young Kit's origins. The book broadens the POV's and gives a deeper look at Guernsey's situation during the war. Also, Lily James lended more of a bold and spitfire interpretation to Juliet's character than I picked up from the books, though I love James's acting.
Dawsey remains positively swoon-worthy in his quiet, unassuming, gentle way. Turns out my type is dark-haired, sea-eyed men with hearts of gold who wander about islands and moors in fisherman's sweaters, being all down-to-earth and good with children. (See also under Book Thirty-Three: Sean Kendrick.)
The entire narrative is told in the form of letters and telegrams, so it's fun to read between the lines a little to see what's going on.
Also, it had a bunch of good quotes:
Am I too particular? I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life I can't talk to; or worse, someone I can't be silent with. - Juliet
In a good mood, I call my hair "chestnut, with gold glints". In a bad mood, I call it "mousy brown". - Juliet
And I say that if some toffee-nosed Brit wants to call being human "collaboration", they'll need to talk to me and Mrs. Godfrey first. - Sam
I thought this was a fairly interesting read - I enjoyed reading about how the 2nd world war affected the island of Guernsey, some of the descriptions and characters were interesting but it was a little bland, plot wise. Its an easy read, not by any means a gripping read but its ok.
What a great book, this was a surprise for me as wasn't sure if I would like it but I really did enjoy it. It was funny, witty, happy and sad and kept me hooked, loved the character development too. Even though the whole book was written in letters it was just a great read.
Since I haven't lived under a rock I've seen this book everywhere and raved by so many people. But I have and maybe still do stay far away from any war novels, especially ww2. But I saw this laying around, waiting for someone to pick it up and I decided to give it a try. It gets 4 stars from me. I enjoyed all the characters and it had some charming elements to it even though its set around or the end of a very bad time. I'm glad I finally picked it up.
This book makes me want to write letters to people and receive them in return. It makes me want to start an honest-to-goodness literary society where people are allowed to choose and read whatever they like; where we have actual discussions about literature and ideas. It makes me want to learn more about the occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII and read something by the much-venerated Charles Lamb and Seneca. It makes me feel like I know the people in the story and like I want to read a little more slowly just to draw out the time that I get to spend with them. It makes me long for days when people read things that were actually worth reading, or if they didn't then they were open to the idea of trying to read them as a way of improving their minds and Spirits, rather than simply reading trash. I can see that I will be revisiting this novel again and again in the future!
This was quite a delight. It's an epistolary novel with strong echoes of [b:84, Charing Cross Road|368916|84, Charing Cross Road|Helene Hanff|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1287338794s/368916.jpg|938626] and [b:Dear Enemy|67243|Dear Enemy (Daddy-Long-Legs, #2)|Jean Webster|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1343320830s/67243.jpg|1306914]. I had a little trouble tracking the many different characters at first, but the important ones came clear soon enough. It's set in the aftermath of World War II and slowly uncovers some of the horrors various people went through during the German occupation of Guernsey, a story I had not known anything about. The warmth I came to feel for the characters made these incidents more poignant than what I've read of straight history. It's all leavened with love of literature and beauty and romance and...well, I'm sorry it took me so long to get around to reading it.
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The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society?
About the Author:
Mary Ann Shaffer who passed away in February 2008, worked as an editor, librarian, and in bookshops. The Guernsey Literary…
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