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There are currently 20 member reviews
for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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Kathy (Durham NC)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
I absolutely loved this book and was so sorry when I finished it because there was no more. It is reminiscent of 84, Charing Cross Road, but to me it was even more engaging. Epistolary novels either work really well or they don't work at all and this one really works. You really feel you have gotten to know all the characters and you laugh with them and you cry with them. I can't recommend this book enough. Read it!
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Madeline (Venice FL)
A Love Affair...
This whole novel is a love affair of books and reading, of letters and friendship, set against the background of war and its aftermath. It is also a reminder of how perspectives change when friends and enemies are forced together by circumstance. A heartwarming, enjoyable read!
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Cheri (Grand Rapids MN)
This is a MUST Read!!!
I have always heard of those people that read a book in two days or stayed up all night to finish a book, and I always thought what show-offs. But now I know what they mean. After receiving this book on Thursday I could not put it down. I seriously considered calling in sick to work to finish it. This book takes place after WWII with people, regular people, just trying to put their lives back together. I have read many WWII books, but this one captivated me and let me believe that it was going to be okay for all of them.... for all of them. And that my friends is how a book is supposed to make you feel. In the end you are supposed to think everything is going to be okay... even for yourself. So thank you Ms. Shaffer and Ms. Barrows for letting me think that things are going to be okay! I needed that.
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Shirley (Batavia IL)
My highest recommendation
Having to say goodbye to the people in this book is like losing close friends. The format of a book written in letters put me off at first glance thinking characters could never be developed properly in this manner. Was I wrong, I loved this book, loved the people I met in its pages. Never a dull sequence, never without wit and reverence, one becomes kin to these people and experience the joys and sorrows along with them. The descriptive quality of the writing makes you want to visit the very island itself and to even believe you could walk up to one of the cottages and know the person living within. Each letter writer has their own impression of what is happening and each has a unique way of describing detail. I found myself dreading each turn of the page because it brought me closer to the end. Alas, it is over and I miss them already.
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Karen (Pittsburgh PA)
Maisie Dobbs meets 84 Charing Cross Road
What a delightful read! I received the ARC this afternoon via UPS and could not put it down! The novel, set in London just after the end of WWII, centers around the islanders of Guernsey and relays their experiences during Nazi occupation, The novel unfolds solely through letters sent between Juliet (London writer of some success) and members of the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
What delightful characters! It makes one mourn the lost custom of corresponding via letters and wonder what source future historians will mine for their information. E-mail?
While I believe that the use of letters to unfold the story was used effectively by the authors, I felt that the first few letters could have been expanded in order to provide a little more background. However, by the end of Juliet's 1st letter (the post script to be more exact), I wanted to know more about Juliet and, by page nine, was hooked!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone. I could already picture the BBC or PBS adapting this book into a successful mini series. Readers would certainly welcome more time spent on the island of Guernsey.
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Elizabeth (Fairfield OH)
Charming and Unique
This creative novel has a lot to offer. Formatted in letter-only narrative, a wonderful story unfolds in post-war England. Although the basic history is known, it offers a perspective of how hard hit England was and how difficult it is to recover from the horrors of war and the legacy it leaves. But this book isn't depressing or preachy--it's lovely and chronicles the wonderful journey of a writer. Fun stuff for people who understand how writing can bring people together and create a powerful bond. This novel would be great for book groups--it's not long and offers a beautiful humanity as well as interesting history of the English island of Guernsey which was occupied for five years by the Germans. A great read--I'm already looking forward to re-reading it!
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Laurie (Nellysford VA)
Beach Read for Bibliophiles
What a delicious beach read for lovers of books, book clubs and historical novels. Presented as a series of letters written among friends, acquaintances and business associates during 1946, the story includes charming “reviews” of literary classics by readers with very fresh views of those classics, and touches on an aspect of WWII history which was new to me.
When I found myself weeping over the letters recounting Holocaust experiences, I regretted my cranky reaction to what seemed to be a whiney, preachy paragraph on book store profit margins found in Juliet’s letter of January 23.
In some ways, the book is a light read, and the main character a post-WWII Bridget Jones. The characters, however, are memorable and, in the short time required to read the book, the reader will experience a wide range of emotions and, perhaps, come away with a desire to learn more about the German Occupation of Guernsey and other Channel Islands.
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