My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A genuinely strong and thought provoking story that sheds light on an unfamiliar piece of WWII history. When the Germans invaded Guernsey (a small British island between England and France) the residents combat their enemies by forming (quite by accident) a book club that brings them all together. This society creates bonds of unity for the Guernsey islanders as they wait through bombs, invasion, slave camps and constant threats on their lives from the Germans.
Shortly after the war, Juliet Ashton, an up and coming writer has just published a book of her newspaper war writings and is becoming a London success. However, she is feeling the need to extend her talent and starts to feel writer's block hitting her hard. Then a letter comes from a young man from Guernsey; opening up an unexpected door for Juliet and her writing. Eventually, Juliet comes across the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society and finds herself caught up in the lives, memories, laughter, tears, joys and sorrows of the Guernsey islanders. And how one young women inspired an entire island to never give in, never compromise and never stop hoping.
Told entirely though letters, the book is a little difficult at first because there is no general introduction to the characters. Yet, like Juliet, the readers learns about a history and a people that overcome the worst of times through genuine good will and no small amount of laughter. Every letter is a character in itself. As you continue to read each letter you get a better understanding of the character as they are slowly revealed in their own writing.
This was a wonderful read, but it did not shirk past the the dark and terrifying actions of the Nazi occupiers and the price that the islanders of Guernsey had to pay to stay alive. Charming and humorous, while at the same time filled with depth and reality. This book tells of the home front wars that defied enemy tyranny and fear and the courage to rebuild a new life.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is such a good book! It is really really great, one of the best, and I wish there were more books like this one, or that Mary Ann Shaffer could have written more books(It's actually a sad story, about Mary Ann Shaffer)
ReplyDeleteI was surprised with how well you get to know every character, when the book only exists out of letters. I love every character to bits! Even the less nice characters.
It's an amazing story and it has fantastic people and I really wish that maybe once I could write a book like this. A book everyone can't help but love. (I'd be stunned if someone told me they read The Guernsey Society and said they didn't like it)
By the way, was this the first time you read this book? I have only read it two times, which is low if you look at how many times I re-read a book :)
One of the reasons I picked the book up is that I had heard how so many people love it! I think that Mary Ann Shaffer has written another book. I’ll look it up...
DeleteIt can be a little daunting reading or writing a book that is primarily made of letters, but that’s the fun part as well. I think there is more freedom than having to write dialogue and balance out everyone’s part in the story. I would want to write a book similar to Guernsey as well! I’ve always wanted to tell a story that was written in journal/diary form too.
And yes, this is the first time I read the book. I had only heard about it because I found out that Lily James was going to be in the Netflix movie. So now that I’ve read the book, I’m interested as to how they’re going to make a film from a story that was told entirely through letters.
BTW, your English is perfect! I know that was somewhat of an uncomfortab dilemma you and your sister faced because English wasn’t your first language. You’ve come a long way since you first came to my blog. You’re doing great!
I never even heard of it when I read it :)
DeleteBut Mary Ann Shaffer past away, didn't she? Her niece Annie Burrows however might have continued writing, she finished the book for Mary Ann Shaffer.
Yes, I guess in a way it might be easier to write, but I don't think I could ever do it. To me, it just seems harder to write than a normal book.
Oh, I desperately want to watch the movie, only in the Netherlands, everything just goes so SLOW! Yes, I was actually quite surprised they were gonna make a movie. I mean, obviously it's a great story and worth making a movie out of, but how are they going to do it when it's all letters? Maybe there's some narrating or something...
Aw, thank you! Yeah. The Guernsey Society was my first book in English, and it was a little hard to adjust, but after a while I just got used to it and now I read mostly books in English. Really? Thank you! I like to think I at least got a little bit better ;)
I adore this book. The first time I read it, when I finished it, I just flipped back to the beginning and started it all over again because I didn't want to leave that world and those characters.
ReplyDeleteThe characters were wonderful! It's hard to have a favorite.
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