The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in Crazy Challenge Connection

Sep 10, 2011 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it really liked it

Shelves: spring-2012, womens-fiction, permanent-library, good-fiction, literary-fiction

I’m still smiling after reading this delightfully wonderful novel! Much to my shameful prejudiced attitude of the title, I kept putting off reading this warm, uplifting little book until my friend, Michelle's review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Told in epistolary style Annie Barrows and her late aunt Mary Ann Shaffer have written the best book to cheer the heart of this cold- riddled bed-ridden reader! “January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stra ...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Nancy rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-books, 2010-books

3.5 stars. This was my second time reading this book as my book club picked it for this month. It was a 3.5 star rating for me nine years ago and it is the same today.

I liked learning/remembering little tidbits of the German occupation of the island of Guernsey during World War II and I think I would love to visit there some day but the story was just okay for me. I don’t care for the format of the whole book being told through letters. It felt flat.

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Sep 13, 2013 Mary Bronson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, romance, women-fiction, books-about-books-and-booknerds, historical-fiction, women-reads-2016

I thought this was a very interesting book I really enjoyed reading it. I thought the characters and plot were well written. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I loved that the format of the book was made up of entirely of letters, telegrams, and one diary entry. At first you would not think that this would flow so well, but it did. Each letter tied the story up nicely and made it flow. While reading this I wanted to be a part of the literary society and be surrounded by all those great ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Allison Ann rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, library, src-fall14, bbtc-round-4

This book was recommended to me for years, gushingly, by various people. I tend to avoid recommendations - they generally don't live up to expectations. This book was written in epistolary form - which I generally don't enjoy and actually find tedious. This book is full of pointedly quirky characters - which generally make me roll my eyes and stop reading. I should have hated this book, but I loved it. I found it sweet and charming and thoroughly enjoyable. I won't bother recommending it, but if ...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Connie N. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: feel-good

Loved it! The main character was adorable, with a wonderful sense of humor. The rest of the characters were described so completely and enjoyably that I wanted to take a trip to Guernsey myself, just to be a part of the community. The history of the Occupation during WWII was fascinating. And, best of all, I really liked the letter-writing format, which gave the book a bit of a twist and made the whole story seem as though I were looking through old letters from an attic or something.

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Dec 12, 2010 Sue rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 01-flc-reading-bee, zf-favorites-audio, zl-crpl-club-kit, historical-fiction, literary-fiction, world-war-ii, zl-crpl-cd-reread, zhf-europe, zc-challenge-atw24, europe

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is one of my favorite books of all time. This book is unique in that the story is told in correspondence (letters, telegrams, notes, and in one memorable instance, a personal, private, 'Detection Notebook'). The correspondence is primarily between the main character, Juliet Ashton, an English writer, and (1) her colleagues and friends in England and Scotland and (2) residents of the island of Guernsey.

Through the accounts of the Guernsey Island "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is one of my favorite books of all time. This book is unique in that the story is told in correspondence (letters, telegrams, notes, and in one memorable instance, a personal, private, 'Detection Notebook'). The correspondence is primarily between the main character, Juliet Ashton, an English writer, and (1) her colleagues and friends in England and Scotland and (2) residents of the island of Guernsey.

Through the accounts of the Guernsey Islanders, we learn of the hardships suffered by the residents of the Channel Islands during the German occupation of 1940-45. However the book is full of warmth, humanity, and humor. The character of Elizabeth McKenna, absent in person, but the soul of the story in spirit, is a model of 'heart' and courage. The Islanders find solace and strength in shared humanity with one another and with the voices found in the great books of past generations, and in the small simple things of life (hence the "Literary and Potato Peel Pie" society.)

The chance connection between Juliet and the Guernsey Islanders comes about because once upon a time Juliet sold a spare copy of Charles Lamb's "Essays of Elia" (which had her name and address written on the flyleaf.) Somehow the book found its way to Dawsey Adams on Guernsey. Dawsey has come to love Lamb's writing, and, once the war has ended, he writes to Juliet asking her to recommend a bookshop in London from which he can order more Charles Lamb. Thus begins a correspondence which soon widens to include many of the wonderful and colorful members of the GL&PPPS. Learning of their experiences during the occupation inspires Juliet with an idea for her next book, and she travels to Guernsey to stay with the Islanders. We continue to follow her experiences through her letters to her longtime friends, Sidney Stark and his sister Sophie Strachan, and we see how Juliet is being taken into the hearts and lives of the islanders, and how the island is becoming part of her. Can she establish the closest connections of all that she has come to long for with two very special island residents, and find a permanent home for her heart?

The audio version of this book is especially delightful, with narrators Susan Duerden, Paul Boehmer, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet Mills giving wonderful voice to the plethora of characters whose letters make up this story. ...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Arow rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, fiction, 2013

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows took my completely by surprise. I came upon the novel as a recommendation from my friend who mentioned it was written in letters, which inspired me to add it to my TBR pile. After finishing my last cozy mystery I decided I needed something of substance and I was not wrong thinking that ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ would offer me just that.

The story begins with letters from the central c ...more

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Apr 23, 2010 Rusty rated it liked it

Many people have rated this book highly. It was a quick read and the characters were believable. One should read the book to discuss it with one's friends. ...more

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Jul 06, 2010 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Tell me a book is going to be about the German occupation of the Channel Islands, and that's not what I expect. And there are some serious moments, and a few grisly pictures I can't get out of my mind. But this book is full of fascinating characters, and the things that happen to them in the present are sometimes just plain funny. I also liked being along for the ride as Juliet figures herself out.

The story is told in a series of letters, mostly to and from ...more

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