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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

A book by Mary Ann Shaffer

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A Quick Tip by gwenbasil

Aug 9, 2010

by gwenbasil

Poverty and suffering are AWESOME, apparently. I threw the book into the wall when the author used the word "random" to mean "unexpected," in her faux-period letters, a meaning that emerged in the computer age. I give this book a big fat *fart sound*.

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More The Guernsey Literary and Pota... reviews

review by Sheri_in_Reho. May 04, 2011

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A total charmer of a story, told through letters.

I had heard people talking about this book ever since it was published--countless people I know had read it and loved it--so I bought it; but then I found myself passing it by on my TBR (to be read) shelf time and time again because I wasn't sure it was my cup of tea (as it turns out, I misunderstood what the book was about from the descriptions I was given). Then I met a new friend and neighbor and she kept at me about it, saying I must read it. FINALLY, after close to two years gathering dust … more

Comments (1) Compliments (12)

review by joytur. January 17, 2010

The Guernsey Society seems a bit old fashioned

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is a charming epistolary novel (for those of you who forgot your high school English terms, that means that the book is a series of letters) but perhaps too charming. In the novel, a young, unmarried British writer named Juliet has found success with a series of newspaper columns during WWII. Now (in 1946) the columns are compiled as a book and she's even more successful. As she searches for a new topic to tackle, … more

Comments (2) Compliments (59)

review by SheilaDeeth. March 11, 2011

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Literary letters, a really great read

Okay, that’s definitely a long title. It’s also a perfect title for a perfectly entertaining, intriguing and informative love story, world war II drama, and mystery with a twist. The twist is that the story’s told entirely in letters between the characters. The wonder is it works so perfectly. A writer looking for a book idea after wartime success finds herself accidentally corresponding with people who’ve lived through the German occupation … more

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review by Meliss. July 10, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Literature Lover's Summer Read

When my mother recommended this book to me, I took a look at the cover quotes and found myself immediately skeptical. Phrases like "New York Times Bestseller" and a recommendation from the author of "Eat Pray Love" don't always lend themselves as a marker of a mindful read. However, after giving it a chance I was pleasantly surprised. This novel explores the experiences of a collection of characters in both Guernsey and England and their coping mechanisms … more

Comment Compliments (36)

review by jellojiggler24. June 24, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Great book with a lot of humor

I admit; this was a hard book to get into. It is written in a series of letters between the main character (Juliette, if I remember right), and her publisher Sydney, plus many others, most of whom are members of a literary society that was formed by an unlikely group of people thrown together by events during WWII, on the Channel Island of Guernsey. This book has it all: romance, suspense, humor, horror. Once I got used to the manner of writing, I loved reading how each character … more

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Quick Tip by tfrasch. July 08, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by tfrasch

A book lovers book - I didn't want it to end. My book club loved discussing all of the characters in this one.

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Quick Tip by Jenniferjax. June 23, 2010

posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

A Quick Tip by Jenniferjax

Could not get into it. Not sure what the hype is all about.

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review by Lily45. June 02, 2010

Reading Good Books Ruins You for Reading Bad Ones...

Pros: Literary; entertaining; excellent character development; not formulaic; exquisite audio rendition. Cons: Irreverent and immoral in places; unrealistic ending; pacing concerns; similar styles among characters. The Bottom Line: Reading this book will help you discuss both tragedy and whimsy using a British accent--unless you already have one. In that case, this work may prove disappointingly inaccurate. Dear Readers, … more

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review by KonaCat. May 27, 2010

Sentimental tale

The year is 1946, and British writer Juliet is feeling restless. She wants to write something new but doesn't know what. As luck would have it, she receives a letter from a Guernsey man and a pen-friendship develops. He tells her about the island literary society and its unusual history, and before she knows it she is corresponding with all the members and planning to visit them in person. Written entirely as a series of letters between Juliet and her friends, this book … more

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review by bookwormygirl. July 23, 2009

A must read!

I picked this up on a whim and can say that there are not enough words to describe how wonderful this book really is. This is definitnely one of the best books I've read this year. Set in England and the Channel island of Guernsey immediately following World War II, we meet Juliet Ashton (our protagonist and writer) who suddenly receives a letter from Dawsey Adams (Guernsey dweller) requesting some information on author, Charles Lamb. Thus begins a correspondence that leads … more

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see all The Guernsey Literary and Pota... reviews (13)

About the reviewer

Noelle Reading (gwenbasil)
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Member Since: Aug 9, 2010
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About this book

Wiki

The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as will readers.(Aug.)
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