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.
