The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I cannot decide how to word this review — it is a wonderful book. I sometimes check Amazon, B&N and Borders websites for more info when choosing books and this novel has been prominently featured on all of them with amazing reviews. There is also an article in a recent issue of People magazine.

I know this means little to many readers and I, myself, try not to judge a book by other’s opinions. But, as I found with the Harry Potter series, if there is an abundance of rave reviews, most likely the book is very good. That being said — you have my word that this is an excellent book!

I never write reviews in this fashion, so something has obviously prompted this variation.  I think it has something to do with the author having been an Editor/Librarian/Bookstore Employee.  You can tell she loved books and knew a great deal about Literature.  I use the past tense because Mary Ann Shaffer passed away earlier this year.

I’ll post the book description because I’m afraid I may give too much away writing my own.

“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.”

I’m passing my copy on to my mom and then anyone else I can get to read it.  The story really affected me that much!