The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

‘'Real dyed-in-the-wool readers can't lie. Our faces always give us away. A raised brow or a curled lip means that it's a poor excuse for a book, and the clever customers ask for recommendation instead, whereupon we frog-march them over to a particular volume and command them to read it.''

Following an exciting April, I chose to start May with a focus on more contemporary, approachable reads that are simple but rich in themes focusing on the relationships within a family, within the members of small communities. One of these choices was a a book with the striking title The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Now, this work and yours truly have been through a stormy relationship. Ever since it came out, I've included it in my list only to dismiss it again and again. It just didn't look like something I'd choose to read. However, I recently watched a documentary about the Channel Islands and I took it as a sign. And I am very happy to tell you that it is a delightful, meaningful novel.

Even though I'm not an admirer of novels written in the epistolary form, this is the kind of book that benefits from the style. It protects the reader from awkward dialogue and repetition. So. The story in a nutshell. Juliet is a rather successful writer who desires to finally write something that will be fulfilling to her aspirations. A letter of chance by Dawsey, a resident of Guernsey, brings the literary society with the astonishing name and the special background to her attention and what was meant to be a simple research becomes a journey of self-discovery.

I love the way the setting and the era come alive through the pages of this book. We are in 1946 and the island is trying to recover from the consequences of the German occupation. Juliet is going through a similar situation. She fights against dark memories, against prejudices and discriminations and bossy men who think she is incapable of producing a serious work just because she is a woman.The islanders want to be taken seriously. They're not there to be laughed at or to be pitied. So, Juliet and Guernsey have much in common. Their thoughts and feelings are vividly shown and the reader has the chance to feel a part of both stories.

‘'The bright day is done and we are for the dark'' Anthony and Cleopatra, William Shakespeare

I appreciated the way Shaffer chose to focus on human relationships. People so different and yet so similar, brought together by the primal need to survive and the unique love for reading. A society that starts as an excuse to fool the Kommandantur becomes a haven, a shelter for the islanders who derive strength from heroes and heroines of tales. Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Secret Garden, The Bronte sisters, Dickens, Wilkie Collins, the Bell siblings and, naturally, the One, the Greatest of the greats. William Shakespeare. The process of how people who had little to no association with books become dedicated readers was a joy to witness. And the fights, the antagonist, the passions that are inevitable in a small community where tensions have amounted for too long are always exciting...

I didn't believe that in an epistolary novel there would be space enough for the characters to develop but I was wrong. We have the sympathetic ones and those who suffocate the others because of their beliefs and their ego. And, of course, we have Juliet who is such a fascinating heroine, full of life and endless determination. I loved her from the very first letter. So, if character development is one of your concerns regarding this novel, fear not. You will come to know quite a few exciting people, you will love them while others will give you some trouble. Just as in real life.

I didn't come to think of this novel as a ‘'feel-good'' story. What is this term, anyway? For me, there aren't ‘'feel good'' or ‘'feel bad'' stories. There are well-written stories and badly written ones and many times, the most poignant tales are the ones that spring from togetherness and coincidences. They are told in a simple manner, in beautiful, quirky and sometimes sad prose. What could be more memorable than that? No pseudo-philosophical gimmicks or cheap sentimentalism but reality.

...plus there's a plethora of references to Wuthering Heights and yes, I'm completely biased..

‘'I didn't like Wuthering Heights at first, but the minute that spectre Cathy scratched her bony fingers on the windowpane- I was grasped by the throat and not let go. With that Emily I could hear Heathcliff's pitiful cries upon the moors.''

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I want to say that this book was a truly charming read, and it certainly is that, but ‘charming' can sometimes denote a lack of depth and that would be a disservice to it. Although the characters are wonderful, colourful and witty and although the ode to the power of stories is deftly woven throughout in ways that will make book lovers smile with a warm and fuzzy feeling, there is also a real thick vein of realness as well when dealing with the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War 2 - a history I know next to nothing about. Even seeing it from the perspective of fictional characters it is heartbreaking and filled with a sorrow I'm glad I will never know. The great thing about this book though is that it is not about dwelling on those sorrows, but how people found a way to deal with it. It is filled with hope, humour, the love for friends and neighbours, the power of the written word and how it connects us. I found it a treasure to read with a perfect balance of charm and something a bit deeper.

I'm usually not a huge fan of epistolary novels but this one is amazing!
Definitely recommend.

I loved this book. A totally different style of writing, it took me some time to figure it out but then the flow of the story was great. It is set in the aftermath of WWII. Even though the difficulties that people faced under the Germans were well documented, the book was not at all depressing. Its about the human spirit and how we find reasons to go on. I read many a page with a smile and a tear. Superb read

A sweet book, not great literature but a nice story for a vacation read. I could have done without the romanticization of the Nazi soldier with a heart of gold. If you're not part of the resistance to fascism, you are part of fascism. There were no good Nazis.

ספר נהדר, בהתחלה הפורמט קצת הקשה עליי אבל אחרי כמה עמודים הוא רק הוסיף לקסם.
עלילה נפלאה ולא קיטשית במיוחד אך מדברת גם על דברים שהם לא שחור ולבן , מה שלא תמיד נמצא בסיפורים על מלחמה.
כמו כן למדתי פרק חדש בהיסטוריה , מלחמת העולם באיי התעלה. מרתק.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, informative novel. I learnt quite a lot about Guernsey and WWII from this book, and the personal experiences of people in war time. I know it is a fictional novel, but it is the best example of art imitating life. It makes me want to learn more about what actually happened to the people during the war.

I cried several times during this novel, the descriptions of daily life during war time were so moving. I learnt to love the characters very quickly. I can see myself reading this book over again. It was a delight.

What to say? It's an award winner and I have several friends who have rated this book with a five star rating. So I guess I was expecting to love it and I just didn't. It took me way too many days to finish this book and maybe that's an issue in and of itself. If I read it in one sitting maybe it wouldn't have felt so disjointed to me. Anyway, I do love that the book features a “book club” of sorts that loves reading!

Empecé con esta lectura hace algunas semanas y lo deje un poco abandonado, avanzaba, pero muy lentamente. Tuve problemas con el primer tercio del libro, tal vez por el formato en que está escrito, ya sabía que era una novela epistolar, pero no estoy muy acostumbrada. Pero finalmente decidí retomarlo seriamente. Y pasada la primera, al conocer más sobre Guernsey y los miembros de la sociedad literaria, me fue ganando.

Y conforme iba leyendo me iba imaginado perfectamente el tipo de adaptación que podría ser. En verdad imagine una película que me llegaría a gustar mucho. Con esa isla británica, sus paisajes y personajes tan entrañables.

Aunque pueda tener algunas partes duras sobre la II Guerra Mundial, es una historia muy bonita y tiene uno de esos finales que te deja feliz y con una sonrisa.

J'ai eu un peu de mal avec le format épistolaire mais au fur et à mesure que l'histoire se déroule on s'y fait sans plus trop y penser (si ce n'est que chronologiquement la Poste semblait très rapide pour l'auteur !). Les personnages sont attachants, les relations nouées à travers les lettres sont étonnamment vivantes et l'on vit vraiment ces quelques instants de vie d'après guerre. Le récit est drôle, touchant à certains moments, d'une certaine légèreté malgré la noirceur des moments abordés.

After wading through/abandoning a string of subpar books, I was pretty down on reading. Many evenings and afternoons were wasted dithering on the computer because reading had become a chore; there was no joy. (Did I mention I'm a librarian?) Then this book came into my life and brought the electric love back to reading. I just finished the book a half hour ago and am wallowing in the book version of post-coital bliss, so this review is a little sappier than usual. I do not apologize.

Aahhh! This book was so good! When I first read the title I thought ‘whaaaaat?' And that it takes place after WWII made me a little hesitant since I don't read too much historical fiction, but I'm so glad I did.

Juliet is hilarious. She's smart and independent and doesn't take crap from anyone and I love her for it. But she's not the only good character in the book. Not by a long shot! Amelia, Isola, Kit, Sidney, Eben, Dawsey, Booker....but I think Isola was my favorite. Holy moley I wish that person existed in real life and she lived next door to me.

But it wasn't just witty. The stories from the villagers of the days of the occupation were sad and haunting and then the circumstances of the two authors was a story of its own. I have to admit I cried more reading the afterword than I did the book!

But I was so upset that it was over. I actually did cry a little, like a spoiled child because the book ended. I really and truly wanted it to go on forever. I wanted to read those letters everyday. Such a perfect treasure of a book.

A novel written entirely in letters. It takes a lot for me to enjoy these books, but this book is quite good. It was a slow starter, but became very compelling in the middle.

Loved it! Absolutely delightful. Great characters and well told. And learned something about the Guernsey occupation during WWII along the way. I will read this one again and again.

I can be skeptical of books written as a series of letters, but I thoroughly enjoyed that format for this book. It allowed the character nuances to come through subtly and develop over the course of the book. The story surrounds an author who befriends the literary society on Guernsey just after World War II. Her relationships lead her to write a book about the islanders' experience during the German occupation of the island. The characters are bright and fun, yet there is a moving and serious thread throughout. I whipped through the book and wanted more.

I loved this book about finding new friends in a new home while learning about their shared history of German occupation during World War II. I especially liked the way it was written through letters.

such a delightful but often emotional read. stayed with me for years.

This book taught me something history books failed to teach me in school: there was actual British soil occupied by the Nazis during WW II. Guernsey, a small island off the coast of Southern England was occupied for 5 years.

This story begins right after the war. Juliet, a London writer and journalist is looking for some new material. She finds it in the form of correspondences with people from Guernsey. Dawsey, a Guernsey resident and survivor of the war, is one of the founders of the literary group. The group formed out of sheer survival instinct. One day Dawsey, Elizabeth, and a few other residents break curfew and are caught. Elizabeth lies to the Germans on the spot, and says that she and her friends hadn't noticed time pass as they were in a book group discussing German literature. The soldier lets them go and Elizabeth convinces everyone to get their hands on any book they can find and meet up regularly at their neighbor's house just in case the soldiers decide to follow up on her story. They do just that and find solace in the books they read, and in the friendship and support they find in one another. 

Where does the Potato Peel in group's name come from? Since food was very hard to come by, especially sweets, one of the group members figured out a way to make a mashed potato type of pie and sweetened it with beet  juice (I think). This is what members ate during meet-ups.

Dawsey, a fan of Charles Lamb, finds a book with Juliet's name and address on it. He reaches out to her in hopes that she can send him another book by Lamb. His letter explains the hardship residents have had to deal with during the war and Juliet shares hers as well. Soon after, Juliet decides that the residents of the island are the story and she begins to correspond with them about their war experiences. 

The first third of the book really dives into the residents and their personal experiences with the war. The wartime recollections capture the desperation and deprivation of the time. The author loses the thread a bit, and the second third, and the heart of the story, is how most of the members– most of which never had an interest in reading, find a connection with a text or author – a connection which makes their existence on the war-torn island bearable. Although Elizabeth's positive influence on each of the members is mentioned throughout the whole story, the last third provides us with her own back-story, and how her kindnesses have helped everyone cope and see that there is a silver lining in all of this. Most of all, she helps Juliet center herself and recognize what is most important in her own life. 

I think the book started out very strong and then tapered off into a bit of fluff. I haven't been as forgiving of this trait in other books I've read - somehow it just works for this one. Maybe it's because of the subject matter. Wartime is so raw and devastating that one looks forward to sweetness and light at the end of it all. I can't quite place my finger on where or how the book lost steam. But, I think the book is worth reading if only for a lesson on how it came about that this piece of British soil happened to be occupied by Nazis.
   
I loved how a simple book club grew and grew. Each of the members had different tastes in books as well as different and personal reasons for reading and continuing to meet after the war. I felt like I was a silent member of the group and wanted to join in on the discussions! My greatest take away: “That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you on to another book, and another bit there will lead you on to a third book It's geometrically progressive – all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.”

During the first bit of this book I was not amused. I almost gave the book up, but decided to stick with it and I am so glad I did. The story picked up quite a bit with the trip to Guernsey and I began to love the characters. The book made me want a pen pal and to be able to write with Juliet's enthusiasm. Such a sweet and interesting story. I hope for a sequel!

Yes, the epistolary format does not always work, but on the whole the tale is charming, the characters believable, the pace and length allows for easy reading and i would strongly recommend it (although for a true letter long distance affair you cannot better 84 Charring Cross Rd

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11379904

Absolutely loved this. It's a quick read, cleverly written and witty. The characters fall a little too-obviously into their villainous or loveable categories and I guessed the ending long before I got there, but I didn't care. Enjoyed it all the way through.

This book was absolutely delightful! I found myself exclaiming in delight, mourning friends, and talking back to the characters as I read.

Delightful! I look forward to reading it again in a year or so, so i can fall in love with it all over again

I loved this book. I fell in love with the people and felt like I knew them. My favorite quote from the book is “I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be slient with.”