Tatiana's Reviews > The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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Update 8/13/2018
Just saw the movie adaptation. Very faithful to the book, if not in plot (can't remember details 7 years later), certainly in tone. Saccharine and especially annoying in its watered down portrayal of Nazi occupation. Suffering-lite.
The words that immediately come to mind when I think of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are nice, cute and, unfortunately, hokey(ish).
I certainly understand its popularity (#4 most popular book of 2007 on Goodreads!). There is a distinct air of wholesomeness, inoffensiveness about it, plus it is occasionally funny (in a cute, inoffensive way), with a bit of tragic war business thrown in.
But it got tiring for me very quickly. From the moment the main character, Juliet, a young writer, came to Guersney to visit her pen pals, the whole story just got way too cute for my taste. Everyone on the island was so nice, so into doing the right thing, so in love with Juliet, I just couldn't stand it. They were not real people. Even the dark parts of the novel - about the war, occupation, and concentration camps - were sort of glossed over.
The story simply needed more complex characters, more drama, edgier experiences. As is, it is your standard feel-good commercial fiction with no depth.
Just saw the movie adaptation. Very faithful to the book, if not in plot (can't remember details 7 years later), certainly in tone. Saccharine and especially annoying in its watered down portrayal of Nazi occupation. Suffering-lite.
The words that immediately come to mind when I think of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are nice, cute and, unfortunately, hokey(ish).
I certainly understand its popularity (#4 most popular book of 2007 on Goodreads!). There is a distinct air of wholesomeness, inoffensiveness about it, plus it is occasionally funny (in a cute, inoffensive way), with a bit of tragic war business thrown in.
But it got tiring for me very quickly. From the moment the main character, Juliet, a young writer, came to Guersney to visit her pen pals, the whole story just got way too cute for my taste. Everyone on the island was so nice, so into doing the right thing, so in love with Juliet, I just couldn't stand it. They were not real people. Even the dark parts of the novel - about the war, occupation, and concentration camps - were sort of glossed over.
The story simply needed more complex characters, more drama, edgier experiences. As is, it is your standard feel-good commercial fiction with no depth.
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Reading Progress
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![Flannery](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1312843258p1/652877.jpg)
I think I 4-starred it because I was so fascinated with Guernsey history and read all about it after finishing. Nerd alert.
![Hannah](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1272561978p1/2411388.jpg)
![Jami](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1627874205p1/276443.jpg)
![Tatiana](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1249783659p1/2250020.jpg)
So yes, it's worth checking out IMO. A lot of people enjoyed it. You might be one of them.
![Jami](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1627874205p1/276443.jpg)
![Kat Kennedy](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1537750381p1/3270188.jpg)
Don't think I'll get around to it any time soon.
Tatiana wrote: "I know very little about this book, but the letter format is one of my favorite, so we shall see."
T, are you into diary format? I recently read A Brief History of Montmaray and think you'd like it.
T, are you into diary format? I recently read A Brief History of Montmaray and think you'd like it.
Great. I really liked it. I heard the second book (it's a trilogy) is even better.
![★ Jess](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1466182835p1/2683062.jpg)
![Manleen](https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_25x33-ccd24e68f4773d33a41ce08c3a34892e.png)
![Janet](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1309808922p1/5619249.jpg)
![Junebug388](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1384204788p1/25484897.jpg)
![Nikki](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1258672515p1/2958674.jpg)
![Gloria Mundi](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1312494055p1/4600483.jpg)
Look forward to reading your review.