The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Because I have always been interested in history, I have read a lot of books about or set in World War II.  Books about the aftermath of war tend to be full of sadness and loss.  I was delighted to find in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society a post World War II book that, without undermining the reality of the suffering of war, spins a tale of happy moments and friendships forged in hardship. 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is written as a collection of letters written to and from a London writer, Juliet, and members of a reading society on the Isle of Guernsey shortly after World War II.  The literary society was created as a cover for a subversive barbecue conducted during the German occupation of the island in the English channel. To protect themselves from imprisonment for their clandestine barbecue, many nearly illiterate farmers began reading whatever was available and the society was born.  Juliet is intrigued by the stories the people tell of the way they lived, loved, and lost during the occupation, and how they all found solace in books.  She becomes wrapped up in the stories of one courageous member of the society, Elizabeth, and finds a second family in the quirky and kind people who survived the terrible five year ordeal.

I could not put this book down!  I got completely wrapped up in the beautifully flawed characters.  From the quiet farmer to the self-righteous busybody, I loved following these neighbors as they learned to love, rely on, or at least tolerate each other in the course of their shared experience.  I literally read this book in two days, and that is saying a lot.  Although the book is historical fiction, the story was very believable. 

 I was heartbroken to learn that this was the first and last novel ever authored by Mary Ann Shaffer, a librarian, who died before it was published.  It is cleverly constructed, but most of all I loved the characters and wanted them for my friends.  If you love to read, you must read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  You are certain to love it as much as I did.

Devil's Cub

by Georgette Heyer

All of my girlfriends have been raving about an author named Georgette Heyer. While at the library searching for a book to read on a busy week, I decided on Devil's Cub because it sounded vaguely familiar from a previous conversation, so I was pretty sure of having someone with whom to discuss it when I finished. 

Devil's Cub, set in 18th century England, is the story of a proper young lady, Mary, of the bourgeoisie who is abducted by a wild young marquis and carried off to France based on a misunderstanding as she attempts to defend the honor of her foolish, and much less honorable, younger sister.  When the young Marquis of Vidal discovers his mistake, he determines to marry Mary to rescue her reputation.  When Mary blames herself for the misunderstanding and refuses to marry him and disappoint his father, a wild series of events ensue.  These events culminate in a chase across France involving nearly all of the characters. 

I approached Devil's Cub with some trepidation because it is set in an era with which the author has no experience and is marketed as a romance.  To my great delight, I found it to be first a comedy and second a romance.  It also turned out to carry themes that are anachronistically applicable; unsuitable love, defying social constraints, and the impossible quest for parental approval.  

Before you scoff at the shallow (and fairly predictable) plot, know that the great entertainment value of Devil's Cub is found in the dialogue.  Consequently, I had a little trouble getting through the introductory chapters, but it was well worth it when the banter reached full swing. I do not recommend reading this book on a busy week. I did not want to stop reading.  Devil's Cub is a fairly formulaic romantic comedy, but the characters show a depth of insight and understanding that is only possible in a well written novel, and the comedy made me laugh out loud.    

Devil's Cub is the sequel to the novel These Old Shades, but I read Devil's Cub first and loved it on its own.  I can't wait to read These Old Shades as soon as I get a chance.  

A Suitable Boy

by Vikram Seth

I picked up A Suitable Boy with no idea what to expect.  I almost put it down again immediately because it weighed roughly the same amount as the four month old baby I carried on my other arm.  The only prior knowledge I had about the history of India came from Mohandas Gandhi's autobiography, The Story of My Experiments With Truth, which is set in colonial India and delivered with a very heavy ideological slant.  It turned out to be well worth the effort it took to schlep A Suitable Boy home from the library.

A Suitable Boy is a novel about the clash between tradition and modernization in post-independence India.  The plot follows two families, the Mehras and the Kapoors, as Mrs. Mehra searches for a suitable husband for her second daughter, Lata, a student at the fictional Brahmpur University.  The families are swept up in political conflicts, interfaith friendships and romances, personal turmoil, and private and public catastrophes as India struggles to govern itself and avoid war with Pakistan.  Youth reared in a world of movie theaters and automobiles must decide how to integrate their parents' beliefs, superstitions, and traditions into modern living, or whether to reject them altogether.  

Seth's novel manages to be informative about historical context without becoming unbearably dry.  There are a few portions where speeches, mostly about land reform and conflicts between Hindus and Muslims, tend to drag on, but many of these topics remain relevant, so the speeches will be interesting to anyone who follows current events.  The characters are very human and easy to relate to, admire, and despise.  Despite the large number of characters (and the intimidating family trees in the front of the book), I had no trouble remembering familial relationships.   

My verdict: satisfying and still surprising after 1349 pages.  I liked the ending much more than the beginning, which tended to be uselessly repetitive.  A Suitable Boy was a great introduction to the history of modern India which made me want to learn more.