My Bookshelf: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Posted by Kate on April 6th, 2009. Filed under: My Bookshelf.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Read: March 2009
Description:
Set in the aftermath of World War II, Juliet Ashton, a single, thirty-something writer, is looking for her next book subject. So when Dawsey Adams, a native of Guernsey, the British Island once occupied by the Nazis, finds Juliet’s name in a used Charles Lamb book and strikes up a correspondence with Juliet, she discovers a whole community that peaks her professional and personal interest. Dawsey and his neighbors exchange letters with Juliet, detailing their lives under Nazi rule including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club formed as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans. Through their letters, Juliet learns about the island, the members’ taste in books, and the powerful impact the German occupation had on the Guernsey inhabitants’ lives. Captivated by their stories, Juliet sets sail for Guernsey and finds not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life.
My Thoughts:
This book came highly recommended, and I feel it lived up to the hype. A departure from the typical style of historical fiction, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is written as a series of letters. The format of the book is surprisingly refreshing. At first, I thought that these letters would not be as satisfying for the reader as a typical narrative format and jump haphazardly from character to character, but the authors were able to convey a cohesive, thoughtful story using this unique storytelling technique.
The entire book is written in the first person, yet the reader hears from a new “first person” in each letter. The letters have a unique way of communicating each character’s personality. Juliet’s letters in particular are witty while Dawsey’s letters effectively convey his sincerity.
The one hurdle I had with this book was liking the character Elizabeth as much as the authors wanted me to like her. I was not at all satisfied with Elizabeth’s fate. I actually had a hard time sympathizing with her given that I felt her final decision that determines her fate completely disregarded her responsibility as a mother. Elizabeth was a very corageous woman yet in all her concern for others she forgets the one person who truely needs her love and devotion — her daughter, Kit.
