Imagine yourself enjoying a pig roast with friends—good conversation and good food hidden away from the Nazi soldiers that have invaded your hometown. Keeping a pig is a crime, as is staying out past curfew…fortunately, however, one of your creative and quick-thinking friends informs the German officers that you’ve been attending a meeting of the Guernsey Literary Society and the discussion of Elizabeth and Her German Garden was too lively and interesting to keep track of time.
The group is saved, but challenged to keep up their ruse when the German Commandant hopes to join them…and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is born, becoming a way for Guernsey locals to forget the war occurring around them, discover the joys of reading, and develop friendships.
Review
This first novel by Mary Ann Shaffer, a former editor and librarian, with assistance from her niece Anne Barros, a children’s book writer, is a charming exploration of life on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between England and France, during the Nazi Occupation of World War II.
The well-researched book reveals the power of reading, bravery, and camaraderie during difficult times. As one of the members describes their group: “We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another. Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively times—we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside.” The countryside with its unique inhabitants comes alive with the well-written prose as a backdrop to a little known aspect of a well-known time in history.
Written as a series of letters, telegrams, and a few diary entries, the novel traces the members of this society before, during, and after the war as a London author, Juliet Ashton, attempts to bring their story to print. It also follows Juliet’s friendships, relationships, and writer’s block. While the format is interesting and makes for a quick and easy read, it is somewhat confusing and sometimes difficult to keep track of characters.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a light read that doesn’t make light of its serious subject. Readers will be reminded of two of the greatest comforts in life—books and friends. The novel would be an ideal choice for a book club and a reader’s guide is available.
Book Information
Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer & Anne Barros
Publisher: The Dial Press, Random House
Copyright: July 2008
ISBN: 978-0385340991
Format: Hardcover, Audiobook, or Ebook
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