Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 An unexpected delight June 23, 2008
Sid Nuncius (London England)
57 out of 60 found this review helpful
This is a truly delightful book. I worried before it arrived that an amusing and whimsical title might have persuaded me to request something which would turn out not to be very good, but I was wholly wrong. I enjoyed it immensely; it is witty, erudite without being smug, interesting, laugh-out-loud funny in places and very moving in others.
The novel is set in 1946 and is in the form of letters, mainly to and from the central character, Juliet Ashton, a successful writer who becomes, wholly coincidentally, involved with a group of people on Guernsey who lived through the wartime German Occupation. The characters are thoroughly engaging and Mary Ann Shaffer (although born in the USA) manages to capture the English voice of the time beautifully: the prose is a pleasure to read.
It is very hard to summarise any of the developing stories without giving away more than I'd have wanted to know in advance, so I won't try, but the book has something to say about all kinds of things. Among them are friendship, suffering, forgiveness, goodness and wickedness, the resilience of humanity in desperate circumstances, how reading may influence us and the history of the Channel Islanders during the war. All this makes it sound a bit worthy and turgid, but it's neither - anything but, in fact. I never felt that I was being lectured, the history forms a really interesting and beautifully evoked backdrop to a thoroughly involving story and the observations on other things are either implicit in the doings of characters I really cared about or made directly with wit and flair. And there's a really tense will-they-won't-they love story which Jane Austen would have been proud of and which kept me in nail-biting suspense right up to the last page.
One theme in the book is the impact of reading on hitherto unliterary characters, which carries a risk of being patronising or sentimental. Shaffer has a sure feel, though, and avoids both. She does, naturally, use the device to give her views on some of her favourite authors, but it's very wittily and sometimes touchingly done. For example, one of her characters says of Wilfred Owen, "...he knew what was what and called it by its right name. I was there, too, at Passchendaele, and I knew what he knew but I could never put it into words for myself." As a definition of poetry, I think you could do a lot worse than that. And in the same letter there is a paragraph about Yeats's omission of Great War poetry from his Oxford Book of Modern Verse which made me smile and brought a great lump to my throat at the same time.
Another of Shaffer's characters writes, "Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books." That's a very dangerous thing to write in a novel lest it be turned against you, but there is no chance of that here. This is a very good book indeed and I kept wanting to get back to reading it. I was completely carried along by it and when it ended I was very sorry that there was no more. I urge you to read it. I loved it and I'm sure others will too.
Charming July 10, 2008
kehs (Hertfordshire, England)
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
Told in epistolary form this book is comparable to 84 Charing Cross Road but also has a charm all of its own. Set in 1946, we meet Juliet, a writer who is searching for inspiration to begin a new book. By a string of coincidences she learns about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and becomes intrigued by them. They all begin writing to each other and sharing snippets of their lives. Some of their wartime tales are of heroics; some of love, some are humorous and some are heartbreaking. Through everything that they endured they became united by a shared passion for books. Although, in fact, the book group was originally just a subterfuge to outwit the German soldiers, but became a reality as a love for books was discovered between them all. The surprise at the end is wonderfully warming and such a delight.
Mary Anne Shaffer has told a story of wartime horrors and hardships, yet kept the tone gentle and just bearable to read, without taking away the awfulness of the Nazi occupation in Guernsey. This book had me entranced from the very beginning and will stay with me for some time to come.
Sweet and funny tale of friendship July 8, 2008
Mr. Ian Thomas (Cambridge, UK)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The first thing that attracted me to this book was the unique title, and I'm so glad it caught my eye as this is a truly wonderful book. Made up of letters sent between friends, acquaintances and lovers just after the Second World War, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is a beautifully written book that examines mankind's ability to bond in times of sadness and violence, and to ultimately find hope and look to the future.
Juliet Ashton is an author looking for inspiration for her next book in post-war London, when a chance letter from Guernsey opens up new ideas and allows her to discover new friendships and ultimately a new life. Considering that all we know about them is through letters they send and receive, the characters are vivid and well-developed, and the relationships between them are touching, both intense and sweet at the same time. And while Mary Ann Shaffer does not ignore the horrors of war (to do so would have made the novel seem somewhat vacuous), there are also some brilliantly funny moments in this book, as characters tease one another and pass comments on those they are less than enamoured with.
Ultimately, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is an uplifting and romantic novel about human relationships and the power they have to heal.
Brilliant insight into early post war life July 8, 2008
E. Heckingbottom (U.K.)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
What an amazing read! In spite of a few initial doubts, I now think I may have found the next book for us to read in our Book Club.
The main character of the book, Juliet, has just written a book based on her wartime experiences. She is touring the country promoting it and, at the same time, searching for inspiration for another when suddenly, she receives a letter that intrigues her - from a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She wants to know more and, before long, the letters are flying back and forth as information is swapped, and we are swept up into the story of life in wartime and early post war Guernsey. Comparisons are made with UK at the same time - and we are left with no doubt as to who had it worse.
When I first opened it, I have to say that I wasn't too sure. The idea of reading a whole book of letters didn't really appeal ... but I soon changed my mind! The insight that this book gives is incredible. I had no idea how bad the war had been for the people who lived in the Channel Islands - but this book brought it all home to me.
Imagine sending your child away to the mainland in the evacuation and not hearing from them again for 5 whole years? Is it any wonder that one character wrote "I will never forgive the Germans for making me miss his childhood."
Imagine a good friend being arrested and sent to prison somewhere in France ... leaving her baby daughter behind ... and knowing nothing of what has happened to her.
The characters are well drawn, easy to picture and interesting; the letters are fairly well written - although almost all in a very similar, chatty style. you can't help but want to read more; and I found it really hard to put the book down!
If you want a great Summer read, give it a try! I'm sure you won't regret it.
Totally captivating July 6, 2008
Bookish (England)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
It is rare to read a book that is so totally captivating. I thought it would be a tedious read, as it consists of letters sent from and to Juliet Ashton. Nothing, nothing could be further from the truth: it brings a sense of immediacy and involvement like nothing I've ever read before. I was there! I was peeking at the inner lives of Juliet and the fascinating, plucky and diverse members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! I KNOW these people (or at least, I'm sure I'd recognise them the moment I set foot in 1940s Guernsey...)
Juliet herself is a great character and she made me laugh out loud many times. The book is set shortly after the end of the Second World War, and Juliet is a writer looking for something to write about.
What she unearths about Guernsey during the occupation is awe inspiring, amazing, and in some parts, very sad. Alongside her burgeoning friendships with the people of Guernsey, Juliet is also conducting a will-she won't she romance of her own... with a twist. So, this clever book manages to be a historical journal, a mystery and a romance all at the same time.
I can't find enough words to praise this astounding and wonderful book, and it must surely be the hit of the year, and a classic. I would like to thank the writer personally for her wonderful writing talent and for this first class, brilliant book!
I would recommend this book to just about anyone! No, really, I would!
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