Friday, September 9, 2011

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows


THE GIST:

An epistolary novel about an author who connects with a community in the Channel Islands over their shared love of reading in the aftermath of World War II.

THE VERDICT:

I bought this book to read on the beach in Bali. This review is a little late, but the book is an ideal beach read: sweet, funny, full of quirky characters, and it makes you want to read more. It is a book about the ability that literature of any kind has to bring people together. It left me wanting to talk to people about books and form a literary society of my own (I'll have to settle for this blog).

English writer Juliet is trying to think of a new book to write after her role as a wartime voice has ended. She begins corresponding with a man in Guernsey who has found a used book containing her address. She learns of a literary society that developed under the German occupation of the Channel islands, and is soon merrily exchanging letters with half a dozen inhabitants of the island town. She is drawn to their stories from afar, and soon finds herself on a boat to Guernsey. The love of reading, even though it is a new passion for most, is what ties the group together.

The epistolary style shows off the many unique voices of the characters in the book. They each have their own reasons for participating in the literary society, and they unexpectedly find themselves reveling in the joy of reading during a dark time. Their letters contain humor, rivalry, and sadness, and you can easily see why Juliet falls in love with the group. The authors weave their story through different voices, but it does not feel too fragmented and the storytelling is superb. This is a feel-good read that I can recommend unequivocally.

THE LINK:

Annie Barrows' website (includes a bio of the late Mary Ann Shaffer)

THE COST:

$10.99 for the Kindle edition

THE QUESTION:

What book has helped you connect with someone you would not otherwise know?

5 comments:

  1. I own this and from your review, it looks like I should get around to reading it!

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  2. I love this book! Good question - which book helped me connect with someone I wouldn't have otherwise known... One that comes to mind is Obasan by Joy Ogawa. I had absolutely no idea what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII. I love it when fiction throws open a door that you didn't even know that was there to knock on.

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  3. Thanks for your comments! I think fiction can open doors in a way that non-fiction just can't. I think it helps with empathy more than anything else.

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  4. I loved this book! A somewhat similar book I also enjoyed is 84 Charing Cross Road. If I still have it, I'll bring it back for you.

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  5. I listened to this book recently and was enchanted. The audio version is well done, with different narrators taking on the different charachters. The book is written in a series of letters, with the correspondence creating the entire narrative. It is a fun and unique way to learn about the charachters and the author has done a good job of giving each charachter a different voice. I was entertained and touched by the people of the Potato Peel Pie Society. Not too predictable or sappy, but a very pleasant ending all the same.

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