“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” Book Review

“Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”

– M.A. Shaffer and A. Barrows (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society)

Rating: 5/5 stars

“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is the story of a writer, Ms. Juliet Ashton, during 1946 just after World War II. Located in London England, Ms. Ashton receives a letter from the island of Guernsey which is across the English Channel off the coast of France. From this message, she learns of a Literary Society on the island and becomes enthralled with the society and its members. She responds to the letter and so begins the story. Her strong desire to meet this miraculous collection of individuals eventually brings her to the island of Guernsey where she will come face to face with those whom she has only read about on paper.

I loved this book. Simply put, this book spoke to my literary heart! The title is quite a mouthful, but the book was well written, witty and meaningful. The main character is a writer and the story circles around a book club, so the literary theme is strong within the work. One of the interesting things about this novel is that it is written in the form of correspondences between characters. Letters, notes and telegrams are all used throughout the book to convey the story and with it the deep emotions that are developed. This format provides a more intimate and raw look into relationships of both the letter writer and the recipient. This historical fiction piece briefly touches on World War II facts, but dives deeper into the personal stories of the characters who were impacted by the German occupation.

Charmingly written with an undercurrent of romance, this book warmed my soul after lovingly breaking it a time or two. I found myself highlighting quotes and passages within the first few pages and couldn’t put it down.

Recommendation: If you are a book lover or part of a book club, pick this one up right now! If you aren’t in a reading mood, it is also out on Netflix as a full length movie. (As usually is the case though, the book was much better.)

On a final note, I listened to music while enjoying this novel. My playlist included a wonderful album by Alain Lefevre called, “My Paris Years.” To learn more about this music pairing and other albums that enhance the reading experience, check out this link.