What readers think of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, plus links to write your own review.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It was interesting and unique. I loved the true historical background about the Islands and it's occupation during WWII. I especially loved the diverse and quirky characters on the Island. I would highly recommend this book to others.

A truly heart-warming novel that I didn't want to end. Full of humanity and humor and beautifully written.

I enjoyed every minute of this book. I felt that I had gotten to know these delightful characters and shared their lives. My horizons were widened by learning about the Channel Islands and their situation during World War II.

Loving all things English, this novel begged to be read. Reminiscent of 84 Charing Cross Road in its presentation, I expected there to be attachments made through letters. Such friendships and relationships that can be made when people get acquainted through writing! Shaffer's characters are fully fleshed out with interesting quirks. She keeps the story moving forward with furtherance and hindrance, thus keeping the reader turning the pages. Such an enjoyable novel. Wish there could have been more from Mary Ann Shaffer.

This little book is a gem! The authors take readers through the gamut of emotions from laugh-out-loud to lump-in-the-throat; you care about the finely drawn characters because they are so real. Book clubs should have wonderful discussions about this story.

Initially I had difficulty engaging in this, an epistolary novel that takes place in the years following WW II. I had difficulty giving it a context. It begins at a place that feels like the middle of things (as if I missed something), but then eventually gathers the far-flung bits of fabric that make up a life and the texture of many lives.

The story is like a tapestry; it starts wit a solitary bit of material and then stitches an epic microcosm of life on the Channel Island of Geurnsey during the second World War. As the tale unfolded, I fell in love with the eccentric, rowdy, and often ribald cast of characters and my heart bled and broke more than a few times, also, over the beautiful comedy that emerged from the tragedy of war.

As I kept reading, the story strengthened and became deeper and enfolded me completely in its tale of hope in a hopeless situation and endurance in an almost unendurable time of German occupation and starvation, a story of courage, dignity and integrity in a time of moral ambiguity..

These rural characters are unsung heroes. I feel like I met each and every one of them personally and that they touched me in all the vital places where love resides. Additionally, it is a history lesson of a place that time will now not forget.

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!

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.