by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 
United Kingdom. 288 pages. 2008.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society begins in January 1946, when popular author Juliet Ashton, much like her fellow British citizens, is emerging from the dark days of World War II. As Juliet exchanges a series of letters with her publisher and her best friend, readers immediately warm to this author in search of a new subject in the aftermath of war. By the time Juliet receives an unexpected query from Dawsey Adams, we are caught in a delightful web of letters and vivid personalities and eager for Juliet to find the inspiration she seeks.
Dawsey, a farmer on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel, has come into possession of a book that once belonged to Juliet. Spurred by a mutual admiration for the writer, the two launch an epistolary conversation that reveals much about Dawsey’s Guernsey and the islanders’ recent lives under Nazi occupation. Juliet is especially interested to learn about the curious beginnings of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” and before long she is exchanging letters with its other members — not only Dawsey but Isola the vegetable seller, Eben the fisherman, and blacksmith Will Thisbee, creator of the famous potato peel pie.
As Juliet soon discovers, the most compelling island character is Elizabeth, the courageous founder of the society, who lives in the memories of all who knew her. Each person who writes to Juliet adds another chapter to the story of Elizabeth’s remarkable wartime experiences. Touched by the stories the letters deliver, Juliet can’t help but travel to Guernsey herself — a decision that will have surprising consequences for everyone involved.
Drawn together by their love of books and affection for each other, the unforgettable characters of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society collectively tell a moving tale of endurance and friendship. Through the chorus of voices they have created, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have composed a rich tale that celebrates the power of hope and human connection in the shadows of war. (Barnes & Noble)
About the Authors:
Born in 1934 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Mary Ann Shaffer made a career working with
books — as an editor, librarian, and bookseller — before her death in February 2008. She died knowing that her novel was scheduled for publication and in the good hands of her niece and coauthor, Annie Barrows. Also a veteran of the publishing industry, having been an editor at a textbook company and at Chronicle Books before becoming a writing teacher, Barrow has written nonfiction for adults under the pen name Ann Fiery. Her energetic series for young readers, Ivy and Bean, has received multiple awards, including an ALA Notable Children’s Book designation. She lives in northern California. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the first novel for both authors. (Barnes & Noble)
Click here for the readers guide by Random House.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I may be one of the odd ones out, but I liked this book. It is by no
means in the same league as many of the books we’ve read (I’ve jumped
to a Saramago; the man is truly a brilliant writer). However, I
thought this book was lovely for what it sought to achieve: to tell
the stories (yes, plural) of the people of Guernsey during &
immediately after warfare in a popularly accessible way. It was just
like you’d hear it around a table and through friends, no frills, and
what you’d turn to tell someone else as “an interesting family story
of the war.”
I thought the book was entertaining but I lost interest about half the way through when it became apparent how things were going to work out–that Mark the Rich and Worldly was definitely losing out to Dawes the Genuine and Earthly.
Maybe it was the circumstances under which the book was written and completed, but can there really be that many colorful characters in one place? and everyone had the same kind of sense of humor? To lesser to greater extent. But the exact same kind of humor. It was weird. They all sounded like each other!
I wondered why this book was so wildly popular among book groups and I think it may be because books groups like books about book groups. Which is completely understandable. I enjoyed the Jane Austen Book Group with all its flaws. (Sort of like enjoying books about sheep cause you knit, right?)
>>Mark the Rich and Worldly was definitely losing out to Dawes the Genuine and Earthly
Great way to sum that up. Urgh! Those were the points where I felt I was reading a Harlequin romance novel. (Naturally, that’s also an admission to having *read* one.)
I have to say, I got a kick out of that love triangle however conventionally drawn. I mean, here’s war-ravaged, weary, long-deprived London where things are necessarily rather gray and dusty, and then along comes this technicolor American with money. You have to weigh those issues. Do I take the money and go out to dinner every night or ….
Oh, and by the way, the University of Rochester, NY, where I went to school in the early ’90s, bought all the Harlequin series for the Comp Lit Department popular culture studies majors. “Intellectuals” can always find a “cover” for reading trash
Soup recipe (sorry for the non-metricness of the units, got it from am American site…)
Spinach, Garlic, Garbanzo Bean Soup
* 2 T olive oil
* 4 crushed cloves of peeled garlic
* 1 coarsely chopped onion
* 2 t. Cumin to season the onions and garlic
* 5-6 cups of veggie stock (I only used salt because stock was out of stock)
* 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch or so chunks
* 15-oz can garbanzo beans, sans liquid
* 1 cup of cream
* 4 T. tahini (not essential – it tastes fine without it, but adds a nice touch)
* 2-4 T corn meal
* 1/2 pound or more spinach
* Cayenne pepper or chili pepper flakes (I used sriracha sauce)
Saute the onion and garlic in the heated oil, and season with cumin when tender. Add the stock and potatoes, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. While that is cooking, mix the cream, tahini and corn meal together, and add with the garbanzo beans to the cooked soup. Heat through, then stir in spinach and cayenne/chili pepper flakes, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes more.
(T: tablespoon, t: teaspoon)
I enjoyed the book as a (very) simple read but would hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is over the age of 14 or someone who is in need of a book that doesn’t take too much thought (like a new mother…)
I completely agree with Laura G. that the storyline and characters turned out to be too predictable…The flighty journalist whom everyone loves regardless of how many silly things she does finally falls in love with the stoic man on the island instead of the rich worldly city boy and finally finds her perfect subject: a girl who is eerily similar to herself.
I also found the style of the book a bit gimmicky. The letters, although easy to follow, were confusing at first between the characters. Some characters, who never had a voice, never really seemed to develop for me such as her BF. I wonder if perhaps this book would not have been so popular had it been written in a more traditional style.
I put this in the same category as Sweet Valley High books. (Naturally, that’s also an admission to having *read* one.)
I was blunt in my comments about this book during our discussion. The characters were like colorful cardboard cutouts – no depth to any of them. All the letters were written in exactly the same voice; they project the author’s persona more than anyone else’s. The tone of the writing was too cute and precious for my taste, and the plot was predictable.
That said, I learned something from this book about the Channel Islands and the German occupation of them during the war. I would have liked a bit more solid history as part of the story.
I have to add, the one great thing about reading books we may not like is they provide us “fodder” for years to come. On one end, we have The Box Man as our standard for impenetrable avant guard. And now on the other, the Potato Peel Society anytime we detect a whiff of sentimentality in an author.
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Of course, some folks here in DC liked the Potato Peel Society and made their case well. Good! We can jibe each other for at least the next year or so