The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Author: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Publisher: The Dial Press

Genre: Historical Fiction, World War II, Romance,

Source: Library

My review:

If I am being honest, I did not expect to enjoy this book. It is not something I would normally read. However, several people recommended it, and it's a book about books, so I thought I would try it.

Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. 

I find epistolary stories fascinating, and was quickly drawn into the letters. With so many people writing letters, I was worried I would get lost, but I easily kept everyone straight. I loved the bluntness of the letters, the heartfelt words, and the humor. I loved the idea of becoming friends through letters. 

That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. 

I was amazed at the small bookstore sending a book with the invoice, trusting that it would be paid. I really miss the personal touches of a small bookstore, and this book brought back those feelings. We are so used to the big chain bookstores, but it would be lovely to take a trip back in time to visit the small bookstores where the owners knew their customers and cared about them. 

I was surprised at the doses of humor in the story and the wealth of emotions I experienced. At first, I was just curious, yet the more I read, the more invested in the story and characters I became. While there are doses of humor, there are also heart-warming, and gut-wrenching moments as well.

Since I typically read "clean" reads I want to mention there is some language in this book. It was not enough to be distracting and made sense in context. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to those who like epistolary stories, stories about WWII, and historical fiction.

★★★⋆/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

“Treat yourself to this book, please - I can’t recommend it highly enough.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love)

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb....

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends - and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island - boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.