Author:       Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Publisher:    Dial Press/Random House

ISBN:          978-0-14-311350-8

Website:      Here and Here

 Type:         Fiction:Historical

Pages:        279 Trade Paperback

Purchase:    $7.70 @ Amazon.com (HERE)

The Story

“January, 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, Dawsey Adams, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name in a book? 

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of Dawsey and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—a book club born as a spur-of-the- moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts an outstanding cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable conversation in letters with the Society’s members, learning about their lives, their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on all of them. Over time, and despite a demanding and dramatic life in London, she finds herself drawn to the self-contained Dawsey Adams, and to the story of Elizabeth, a young woman whose bright spirit and strength live on in the daughter she left behind when she was sent to a concentration camp. Juliet knows she has found the subject of her book, and possibly much more, and sets sail for Guernsey, changing the course of her life forever.”

(Above excerpt is from http://www.anniebarrows.com/otherbooks/)

My Thoughts & The Review

Ever since I caught great reviews about this book on the Internet, I have been wanting to read it.  I finally ordered the book from Amazon.com and was very much looking forward to a big cup of tea and a few hours to read it.  Shortly thereafter, I was invited to tour the book for TLC Book Tours.  WOW!  The consequences of this little tale:  I’ve got a shiny, brand-new copy to give away to a lucky reader (below).

I think that my excitement about the book stemmed from the reviews which suggested this was a book that had heart, memorable characters, and a distinct storyline.  After reading the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, I am in total agreement.  This book has all of the heart that you could want and story that you need.  This book is written in the format of letters written from and to the central character, Juliet.  We get to read letters to & from her publisher, best friend, acquaintances and the pen-pals-turned-friends  from Guernsey.  The benefit of this format is that the reader gets the enjoyment of reading from the minds of many characters, not just the central one.  It enables an intimacy with the characters in which the reader almost feels as if he/she is building the friendship with the writers of these letters.

This is a book that also exposes the war-time injustices when occurred during the German invasion of The Channel Islands off England.  It’s hard to imagine having your homeland invaded and your rights completely stripped of you.  Further, the rations of food and household items became so scarce that there was little or no inventory for the islanders to share.  We learn, through this story, that children were shipped off the island to England after the German occupation in hopes for their continued safety.  I cannot imagine shipping off my children to another country without knowing who would care for them and how they would fare.   

The authors share the story of how it was written at the end of the book.  I am saddened to hear that Mary Ann Shaffer passed away in 2008 and is no longer with us to share more of her beautiful stories.  Annie Barrows, her niece, completed the book and performed all the needed re-writes.  Their real-life story promotes joy, yet is sad in that Mary Ann Shaffer didn’t get the full enjoyment of seeing the incredible success of her novel. 

Memorable Quotes

This book is about a group of people who are brought together for a good meal, but who get to really know one another by forming their “literary society” (aka bookclub).  It is through the they share books that they are able to open up and show sides of themselves that have normally been hidden to these neighbors and community members.  I thought about this influence in my own life.  I do find that I have opened myself up to my readers as well as my book club friends when I express my opinion of a particular book that I have read.  I believe this is because your tastes and opinions really do divulge themselves when you are discussing literature.  Take for example how Isola’s discussion of a book opens up her personality to the readers:

“You will want to know why I admired those girls.  I like stories of passionate encounters.  I myself have never had one, but not I can picture one.”

Isola said:

“… reading good books ruins you for enjoying the bad ones.”

Without a doubt!

Would You Like To Win A Copy?

As mentioned above, I am pleased to present a giveaway of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to UP TO FIVE of my lucky readers!  Here are the details:

• Contest is open through August 20, 2009
• Contest is open to residents of the United States or Canada
• For every 20 comments I receive, I can give away 1 copy of the book…up to 5 books!
• 1 Entry:  Leave your name and email address
• Additional Entry:  Post about the giveaway on your blog or sidebar
• Additional Entry:  Follow me On Facebook
• Additional Entry:  Follow me on Twitter.
• Additional Entry:  Tweet about the contest on Twitter
• Additional Entry:  Tell me about the ”story teller” in your family in your comment below.

This book is a well-written novel that offers so much to the reader in the voices of its characters.  I would most definitely recommend this book and for the genre Fiction:Historical, I am going to rate this book an 8.5 OUT OF 10.

My thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me in the tour of this celebrated read!

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