Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society more than lived up to the hype. This one is going straight onto the all time favourites list. I was left feeling bereft when I finished reading, like I was leaving my friends behind. I want to move to Guernsey and live with Dawsey, Kit, Isola, and all of the many other wonderful islanders we meet throughout the novel. I want to be a member of the Literary Society, to walk the cliffs, grow my own veg and breathe the fresh sea air.
Juliet Ashton is a London writer searching for her next subject. When she receives a letter from a member of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, established during the German Occupation of Guernsey in the Second World War, her curiosity is piqued. So she writes back. And thus begins a correspondence between Juliet and the Society members that will change her life.
I hate to use such cliched adjectives as heartwarming and quirky, but that's exactly what this book is. It's written entirely in letter format which I was sceptical of at first, but it works so well. It gives a real insight into all of the characters - their thoughts, their way of speaking - that I quickly became attached to them all! The letters detailing the Occupation and the wartime experiences of various characters are harrowing in parts - there's no shying away from the grim and shocking truth - but the islanders have such an indomitable spirit, such kind and caring natures, that it's still somehow an uplifting, comforting read.
Whilst the focus of readers seems to be on Dawsey, a quiet, unassuming farmer (probably my dream man to be honest!), the real star of the novel for me was Isola. She is so wonderfully eccentric, the kind of person you'd want as your neighbour, as your relative, as your friend. I just adored her.
Juliet Ashton is a London writer searching for her next subject. When she receives a letter from a member of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, established during the German Occupation of Guernsey in the Second World War, her curiosity is piqued. So she writes back. And thus begins a correspondence between Juliet and the Society members that will change her life.
I hate to use such cliched adjectives as heartwarming and quirky, but that's exactly what this book is. It's written entirely in letter format which I was sceptical of at first, but it works so well. It gives a real insight into all of the characters - their thoughts, their way of speaking - that I quickly became attached to them all! The letters detailing the Occupation and the wartime experiences of various characters are harrowing in parts - there's no shying away from the grim and shocking truth - but the islanders have such an indomitable spirit, such kind and caring natures, that it's still somehow an uplifting, comforting read.
Whilst the focus of readers seems to be on Dawsey, a quiet, unassuming farmer (probably my dream man to be honest!), the real star of the novel for me was Isola. She is so wonderfully eccentric, the kind of person you'd want as your neighbour, as your relative, as your friend. I just adored her.
I started watching the film adaptation of this the other day and I wasn't at all keen. Of course the plot had to be changed what with a significant portion of the story taking place purely by letter exchange before Juliet even reaches Guernsey, but the warm welcome she received by the islanders was gone, replaced by her arriving much earlier on as a virtual stranger to the Society, greeted with awkwardness and suspicion. That's as far as I got. Best stick to the novel I think - I'm already looking forward to a reread!
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