Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)'s Reviews > The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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I have read only very few books written in epistolary format.
The authors' way of writing this novel in a letter format is not usually seen in contemporary literature.
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows try to tell us the tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation and an extraordinary society through the characters of Juliet Ashton and Dawsey Adams. A letter from Dawsey to Juliet after the second world war brings us straight into the story. The authors beautifully delineate the relationship between Juliet and various other members of society, the effects of the war, their love of books, and many other topics in this novel.
What I learned from this book
1) Reading
Reading and books form an integral part of this novel. We can see the love for reading and the benefits of reading described in a beautiful way in this book.
2) The role of books in marital life.
How should a voracious reader select their life partner? We can see marriage being called off just because of the partner's dislike for books in this novel.
3) Marrying the partner of our dreams
Most of us dream about marrying the partner of our dreams. The authors tell us the secret about marriage in this book. Everybody dreams about the qualities that we need in our partner without thinking about whether we have the same qualities. It is better not to dream about qualities to be present in the partner if you don't have the same quality.
The authors tell us that engagement or marriage of the partner of our dreams is just the beginning, unlike as portrayed in many popular books and movies, and tells us how to view our life from a more realistic perspective.
My favourite three lines from this book
What could have been better?
There is a probability that some readers might find this book unrealistic and offensive in some places.
Rating
4/5 This book will be a good choice if you love to read books related to the world war.
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The authors' way of writing this novel in a letter format is not usually seen in contemporary literature.
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows try to tell us the tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation and an extraordinary society through the characters of Juliet Ashton and Dawsey Adams. A letter from Dawsey to Juliet after the second world war brings us straight into the story. The authors beautifully delineate the relationship between Juliet and various other members of society, the effects of the war, their love of books, and many other topics in this novel.
What I learned from this book
1) Reading
Reading and books form an integral part of this novel. We can see the love for reading and the benefits of reading described in a beautiful way in this book.
"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."
2) The role of books in marital life.
How should a voracious reader select their life partner? We can see marriage being called off just because of the partner's dislike for books in this novel.
"On the afternoon before our wedding, Rob was moving in the last of his clothes and belongings while I delivered my Izzy article to the Spectator. When I was through, I tore home, flew up the stairs, and threw open the door to find Rob sitting on a low stool in front of my bookcase, surrounded by cartons. He was sealing the last one up with gummed tape and string. There were eight boxes—eight boxes of my books bound up and ready for the basement!
He looked up and said, "Hello, darling. Don't mind the mess, the porter said he'd help me carry these down to the basement."
He nodded toward my bookshelves and said, "Don't they look wonderful?"
Well, there were no words! I was too appalled to speak. Sidney, every single shelf—where my books had stood—was filled with athletic trophies. There were awards for every game that could possibly be played with a wooden object. There were statues for everything a man could jump over.
All I could do was scream, "How dare you! What have you DONE?! Put my books back!"
Well, that's how matters started. Eventually, I said something to the effect that I could never marry a man whose idea of bliss was to strike out at little balls and little birds. Rob countered with remarks about damned bluestockings and shrews. And it all degenerated from there”
3) Marrying the partner of our dreams
Most of us dream about marrying the partner of our dreams. The authors tell us the secret about marriage in this book. Everybody dreams about the qualities that we need in our partner without thinking about whether we have the same qualities. It is better not to dream about qualities to be present in the partner if you don't have the same quality.
The authors tell us that engagement or marriage of the partner of our dreams is just the beginning, unlike as portrayed in many popular books and movies, and tells us how to view our life from a more realistic perspective.
"All my life I thought that the story was over when the hero and heroine were safely engaged—after all, what's good enough for Jane Austen ought to be good enough for anyone. But it's a lie. The story is about to begin, and every day will be a new piece of the plot."
My favourite three lines from this book
"I love seeing the bookshops and meeting the booksellers—booksellers really are a special breed. No one in their right mind would take up clerking in a bookstore for the salary, and no one in his right mind would want to own one—the margin of profit is too small. So, it has to be a love of readers and reading that makes them do it—along with first dibs on the new books."
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.”
"It was amazing to me then, and still is, that so many people who wander into bookshops don't really know what they're after—they only want to look around and hope to see a book that will strike their fancy. And then, being bright enough not to trust the publisher's blurb, they will ask the book clerk the three questions: (1) What is it about? (2) Have you read it? (3) Was it any good?"
What could have been better?
There is a probability that some readers might find this book unrealistic and offensive in some places.
Rating
4/5 This book will be a good choice if you love to read books related to the world war.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube First Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Second Channel - Dasfill - Malayalam | Twitter ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
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Reading Progress
April 22, 2022
– Shelved
September 6, 2022
–
Started Reading
September 7, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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Gabrielle
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rated it 3 stars
Sep 07, 2022 06:17AM
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![Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1570428322p1/16958299.jpg)
Thank you so much for your kind words. Happy re-reading :)
![Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill)](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1570428322p1/16958299.jpg)
I am glad to know that you loved this book :)