Author /
Writer / Book Lover - which are you?
JH ~ I
am all three.
Title of book and year published
The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, 2008.
Authors ~ Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Shaffer died shortly before the book was published. Her niece, Barrows, completed work on the
book.
Type of
book: Historical Fiction
It’s set in London and on the nearby island
of Guernsey right after the end of World War II.
What is
it about this book that pulled you in?
JH ~ The book
is told exclusively in letters written back and forth between a considerable
number of characters. It’s a very clever
and effective storytelling technique.
The characters are quirky, funny, slightly eccentric yet
always-likable—sounds like me—no wonder I like it!
The story
built quickly, grabbing my attention immediately. The main character, Juliet
Ashton, a clever, quick-witted writer (my hero!), leaves London for Guernsey to
meet the members of the book club she has corresponded with. The book club
never existed until the residents needed an alibi to protect themselves from
punishment by the Germans. The residents
quickly captivate her, as they did me.
The book
made me laugh and cry. It’s truly about
the enduring power of friendship and love.
I love “feel good” books and this is one of the best.
Is there
a relationship in the story that resonated with you?
JH ~ This book
is all about relationships. That’s what
makes this book truly remarkable. Even
during the five-year occupation by Germany, the residents remained true to who
they were. I’d love to live next door to
this wonderful group of people.
It’s difficult
to pick out only one relationship but the one between Elizabeth and everyone
she touched in the story was the glue that held the story and the citizens
together. Her humanity and compassion
never wavered even when her courageous actions meant she might have to pay the
ultimate price of imprisonment or even death.
Do you
think that relationship was portrayed realistically?
JH ~ Yes. Many characters revealed Elizabeth’s
character over the course of the story.
Like an onion that is slowly peeled, we learned the enormous impact
Elizabeth had on the islanders during the war and eventually on Juliet.
I also
loved the relationship between Juliet and her publisher, Sidney. The humorous and touching banter back and
forth between them elicited many smiles from me.
Anything
else you want to tell us about the book without giving away too much of the
plot?
JH ~ My
favorite books seem to posses many of the same qualities—they are chock full of
likable, funny, interesting characters who when faced with adversity, never
lose their humanity.
In fact,
the authors cleverly made several references to one of my other favorite books,
Pride and Prejudice. Was it a coincidence that Juliet’s love
interest was named Dawsey? I think not!
Poignant,
warm, life affirming—a real gem!
JHA ~ Thanks so much, Joan for recommending a book I've heard so much about but have yet to read. It sounds very entertaining!
If author
or writer, your social media links:
I don’t
have links yet but will in the near future.
I hope to have my humorous book titled: We Don’t Care Who Wins, as Long as Joan Loses published in the not
too distant future.
Thank you for recommending this book. It has an interesting title. Given the atrocities that happened during WW ll, was the author realistic in portraying the residents survival techniques? Another question I have is about how a community under the duress of occupation could maintain their sense of control ghroygh humor and creative ways to meet their needs behind the backs of the Germans?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great question Sue! The book doesn't so much focus on the horrific acts of war but instead the author cleverly presents situations which reveal and display character. For example, the parents on the island must hastily decide whether to send their children alone to the mainland. The parents didn't know where or who the children would be housed with. How people respond reveals much about the character and their motivation. The author never paints in black or white strokes but prefers shades of gray. She presents several situations when the Germans act with compassion toward the islanders. In fact, one of the Germans turns out to be a somewhat heroic figure. The book focus more on the life affirming aspects of the characters under a background of war. That's one of the reasons I love the book. Thanks again for the great question Sue!
DeleteSue you know me, I always have something more to say! I'd like to add that this book is a kinder, gentler, warmer war book. Sophie's Choice it ain't! But that's what makes it so wonderful!
DeleteMy TBR list just keeps getting longer.... Thank you, Jill and Joan!
ReplyDeleteMine too, Christine. I just picked up a copy of this book last night from the library and hope to crack it open and read it soon!
DeleteI'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did Christine!!
DeleteAnd I know you'll love it too Jill! As a writer, I believe you'll appreciate how the author is able to create so many likable characters. Even the ones who are more flawed are presented warmly. It took a very skilled writer to pull that off.
DeleteI picked up this book last night from the library, Joan, and after reading your review of it, was far more intrigued by the book. The title never caught my interest before because it gave nothing away of what the book was really about. I'm very curious to read about how all of this is handled, as Susan's question asked the same thing. It sounds like a great read. Thanks for recommending it!
ReplyDeleteI agree Jill it is a quirky title but so is the book. The potato peel pie is a pie made out of potatoes. The peels are used for the crust. As the war progressed, the islanders relied on turnips and potatoes for survival. Don't think I'll try it anytime soon! I like my fruit pies :)
DeleteJust added it to my goodreads. But then Christmas is coming soon
ReplyDeleteMaybe your good friend Jill will buy it for you! :)
DeleteThis is another one of those books that keeps passing my sight lines and I agree with Jill, this review might finally be enough for me to add it to the list.
ReplyDeleteWow........I'm reading this book right now based on this blog! So awesome! I wasn't quite sure what I'd think about reading a story in letter format, but you do get to feel close to all the various characters. It has literally made me laugh out loud, and cry!
ReplyDeleteIt is great, isn't it, Laura? I know, I didn't think I'd like it, and probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I'm glad I did as it was a wonderful book and I fell in love with the quirky characters!
Delete