The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in Some Like It Hot!

Aug 19, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, nazi-horrors

Parts were wonderful and entertaining, but too many Nazi horrors took it out of the realm of pleasure reading.

REVIEWER’S NEGATIVE OPINION:
I would have given this book 5 stars for the writing, the personalities, the interactions, the community, and the sweet, lovely, uplifting ending. But the authors ruined it for me by having eight to ten episodes of Nazi torture and death of good people. (The eight to ten is an approximate, I didn’t count them.) I would have loved the story if the Nazi parts we Parts were wonderful and entertaining, but too many Nazi horrors took it out of the realm of pleasure reading.

REVIEWER’S NEGATIVE OPINION:
I would have given this book 5 stars for the writing, the personalities, the interactions, the community, and the sweet, lovely, uplifting ending. But the authors ruined it for me by having eight to ten episodes of Nazi torture and death of good people. (The eight to ten is an approximate, I didn’t count them.) I would have loved the story if the Nazi parts were eliminated and/or less horrible conflicts were used. I wish the front cover had a warning about the Nazi horrors. Publishers Weekly also did not warn me, they just described it as “Geurnsey was under German occupation.” Had I known, I would not have read this.

I want to feel good when I read. Years ago I watched several movies about Nazi atrocities and decided to watch no more. To this day I still shudder with some of those memories. This book added more horrors to the memories, and they haunt me. Recently I woke up from a nightmare about it. What the Nazis did to good people makes me cry. I hated certain Guernsey people informing on their good neighbors, which caused Nazis to send the good neighbors to concentration camps. This is fiction, but it’s based on the author’s research. I believe these kinds of things happened. I just don’t want to experience them in my pleasure reading.

STORY BRIEF:
Juliet is a writer in London. She receives a letter from a farmer in Guernsey which starts a series of letters between Juliet and several people in Guernsey (an island between England and France). It’s 1946, just after the war. The Guernsey people tell of their experiences during the Nazi occupation of their island. There are wonderful stories and horrible stories. After receiving many letters, Juliet decides to visit Guernsey. She loves the people there. The entire book consists of letters. I was surprised at how nicely done it was.

A group of locals have book club meetings and call their group The Guernsey Literary Society. There is a story in the book about why they formed that group during the Nazi occupation. Potato Peel Pie is another story told in the book.

REVIEWER’S POSITIVE OPINION:
I loved the people in this book. I wanted to move to Guernsey and be part of their community. Many of the stories were uplifting, warm, and welcoming. I loved Juliet’s style of letter writing – so interesting and pleasant. I wish I wrote letters the way she did. I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator for Juliet was wonderful. She sounded like Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music). There were several actors doing the narration, and all were good.

DATA:
Story length: 8 hours. Swearing language: probably none to mild. Sexual content: none. Setting: World War II through 1946 in Guernsey, London, and Europe. Copyright: 2008. Genre: historical fiction, Nazi horrors. ...more

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Jul 11, 2020 Xee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-epistolary

Read for #romanceopoly 2020 Roll Past Eaves

I dont do HF. I simply don't esp around WW2 and for 2 very good reasons one of which I wont mention coz it's just personally political. And the other major reason is the usually inevitable sad or bittersweet endings which I cannot stand.
So this is my first ever HF, I believe and now I'm dying to read more.

description

A sweet, soft story narrated in letters and occasionally telegrams. I had some moments where the book lost me and some where I cried even though I kn ...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Katie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This was a great read! It took a few chapters to get used to the writing, as it is made up of letters going back and forth. But once I got the hang of it, I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the history as I didn't know much about Guernsey before I started reading. And I really loved the spirit of the people and how they came to be in the book club together. I would recommend this to anyone who loves to read! ...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Jennifer Lynne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm reading this one because my mum's family was from Guernsey and I'm shamefully aware that until now I knew next to nothing about the Channel Islands. This book is such a moving story of what the people of Guernsey lived through during and just after WWII. The horrors are there, but the story is conveyed with such wit and humour that I am laughing and crying at the same time. I love these characters! Still reading, but even at the three quarter mark I can safely say I love this book and thorou ...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Michele Driscoll rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book! :)

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Feb 15, 2011 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

i loved this book....

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Feb 07, 2011 Ladyamelia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Absolutely one of the best books I've read! I went back to the book store to buy an extra copy for my best friend to read. The writing is so witty, there's a smidge of romance, lots of historical references and references to classic literature. Please do yourself a favor and read this book!! ...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Katie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book is truly AMAZING!! I started it, and didn't put it down until I finished it 12 hours later. It is one of those feel good books that leave you giddy! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!!! I won't say anymore, because nothing else I say will do this book justice. Go read it! ...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Andrea (mrsaubergine) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Reread May 2019: Love it still. So much showing, as opposed to telling, and I just adore the letter format.

Loved this book. The style in the form of letters was easy to read and perfectly captured all the characters' little quirks. Highly recommended. ...more

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