The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Hi people. My mom told me about a book a few months ago called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Marie Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows. She said that her book club was reading it and that I would like it. Well, I took her advice and read it. And I liked it. A lot. I might even take her advice again some day. Ha ha ha ha.

It is just after WWII in England. Juliet is a writer who spent the years of WWII doing articles about the lighter side of the war. The war's over; she's tired of being sunny and wants to do something different. She gets a letter out of the blue from a guy on Guernsey Island who happens to have one of her old books (it had her name and address in it). Guernsey Island is a British possession in the English Channel that was occupied by the Germans at the beginning of the war. It was completely cut off from communication with England and is still fairly isolated even after the war. He wants her recommendations on a bookshop in London that can send him some new books. They start a correspondence that leads her to find out about much of what happened on the island during the occupation, including the happenings of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, of course.

The book is written entirely in letters. It's a device that can go either way. I think it works really well in this book. Partly because the letters are not just between two characters. Letters, telegrams, and notes go between many of the different characters, so you get all sorts of perspectives. What I really like about the book, though, is it made me want to jump on a plane and visit Guernsey. I want to learn all about it. Also, the book is funny and sentimental without being sappy. I hate sappy. Sentimental is ok as long as I don't cry my stinkin' eyes out, which I didn't. All in all, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks Mom!