The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Posting two in one day?! I know, that is the real shocker. Basically the last book was just lurking around, waiting to be reviewed and this one, just finished this afternoon, was demanding to be reviewed. Isn’t it weird how some books can be more patient than others?


Did you know that the islands in the English Channel were occupied by Germany during WWII? I had no idea, but then, my knowledge of the war is pretty limited to what I’ve been able to gleam from Hollywood movies. As far as I know, the US had nothing to do with those islands so no HBO special by Tom Hanks will ever give us that story. Not that I’m bitter.

The story starts in London, 1946, and the city is starting to rebuild after the war. Juliet Ashton is the centre of the story, a writer in search of her next novel. She receives a letter from a stranger asking if she might know of any other books by the author Charles Lamb. This kicks off a correspondence between herself and the people of Guernsey whom she finds herself falling in love with. The story is told in the form of letters, telegrams, and in one section, a journal.

The shining thread through out all is the love of books and how reading can help you get through some really terrible times. Or how books can bring people together and help you form unexpected relationships. Even though the subject matter is a little dark and heavy at times, the sharp wit of Juliet’s letters keeps you turning the page for more. It makes you wish you had someone as entertaining to correspond with in the old fashioned world of pen and paper, stamps and envelopes. Yet another book I liked and recommend to pretty much everyone.

Just think, this book didn’t have vampires or magic or any of the many other paranormal things I usually read. And the next one I finish might not either. Sign I’m getting old? A truly scary thought.