The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Everything you need. (12/5/2013)
I am not going to lie, I was skeptical of this book. My mother suggested it and she has a questionable background for good literature, but I am so happy to have nothing but good things to say about this book.
It takes place back in World War II England. London initially and then changes scenery when an early thirty-something female writer (Juliette) begins receiving letters from a strange group of Guernsey Island Citizens. Juliette has grown tired of writing about the sunny side of the war and desires to be in the thick of it. Her correspondence with a group of odd and delightfully entertaining strangers pulls her into the thick of war stories and the tale of a wonderful heroine.
This group of letters will make you cry and get excited for people you have never met, but already feel like you know. From the firecracker wit of the main character to the soft spoken support, I wouldn’t change a thing about this book, and even though it may not be the most fast paced book you ever read, it will make you feel like you are peering into another’s letters and experiences. I commend the author on how she was able to capture the different voices and writing styles of so many genuine feeling characters. When you finish you will have come to know and appreciate a new family. This is a book I will read more than once in my lifetime.