Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽'s Reviews > The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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![8734459](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p2/8734459.jpg)
Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽'s review
bookshelves: favorites, wwii, historical-fiction
Aug 09, 2013
bookshelves: favorites, wwii, historical-fiction
Read 2 times. Last read March 19, 2018 to March 24, 2018.
I loved this book - it's on my favorites shelf. So obviously I recommend it!
In my March 2018 buddy read with Trish (which kind of disintegrated because she raced ahead and finished the whole book in like one day :p) I was impressed with how well the authors melded actual historical facts about the island of Guernsey during WWII, and people's wartime experiences, with the novel's storyline. I could see the seams a little - interesting true stories and anecdotes tend to show up in the book as random people's letters to the main character, Juliet - but I have to say overall I still enjoyed this book thoroughly. While it deals with some harrowing experiences, it does so with a fairly light hand, which some readers may roll their eyes at, but others will appreciate. It tends toward the "cozy" type of read, which isn't a bad thing in my book. There's a rich cast of characters, just a touch of romance, and some truly delightful humor. I'll definitely reread this a third time someday.
This historical fiction novel is set shortly after WWII, with frequent wartime stories being related in letters between the characters. Through these letters (this is an epistolary novel), we follow Juliet Ashton, a fairly successful author of a British humor column, who is searching for a new topic to write about, and trying to decide what to do with her life and her boyfriend. She gets a letter out of the blue from a man on Guernsey Island, Dawsey Adams, who saw her name in a book and asks her for the name of a London bookshop, and tells her a little about his local book group, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
One letter leads to another, both from Dawsey and others on Guernsey, and gradually Juliet finds out more about her new friends on the island, what they experienced during the German WWII occupation of the island of Guernsey a few years before, and how their book club was formed and got its name. When she decides to go visit Guernsey and her pen pal friends there - upsetting her current boyfriend in the process - her life gradually becomes intertwined with theirs.
This book includes some fun and often quirky characters, quite a bit of interesting (and sometimes harrowing) WWII history, a love for literature, frequent humor, and just a little bit of romance.
In my March 2018 buddy read with Trish (which kind of disintegrated because she raced ahead and finished the whole book in like one day :p) I was impressed with how well the authors melded actual historical facts about the island of Guernsey during WWII, and people's wartime experiences, with the novel's storyline. I could see the seams a little - interesting true stories and anecdotes tend to show up in the book as random people's letters to the main character, Juliet - but I have to say overall I still enjoyed this book thoroughly. While it deals with some harrowing experiences, it does so with a fairly light hand, which some readers may roll their eyes at, but others will appreciate. It tends toward the "cozy" type of read, which isn't a bad thing in my book. There's a rich cast of characters, just a touch of romance, and some truly delightful humor. I'll definitely reread this a third time someday.
This historical fiction novel is set shortly after WWII, with frequent wartime stories being related in letters between the characters. Through these letters (this is an epistolary novel), we follow Juliet Ashton, a fairly successful author of a British humor column, who is searching for a new topic to write about, and trying to decide what to do with her life and her boyfriend. She gets a letter out of the blue from a man on Guernsey Island, Dawsey Adams, who saw her name in a book and asks her for the name of a London bookshop, and tells her a little about his local book group, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
One letter leads to another, both from Dawsey and others on Guernsey, and gradually Juliet finds out more about her new friends on the island, what they experienced during the German WWII occupation of the island of Guernsey a few years before, and how their book club was formed and got its name. When she decides to go visit Guernsey and her pen pal friends there - upsetting her current boyfriend in the process - her life gradually becomes intertwined with theirs.
This book includes some fun and often quirky characters, quite a bit of interesting (and sometimes harrowing) WWII history, a love for literature, frequent humor, and just a little bit of romance.
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Reading Progress
2009
–
Started Reading
2009
–
Finished Reading
August 9, 2013
– Shelved
October 2, 2013
– Shelved as:
favorites
December 12, 2017
– Shelved as:
wwii
December 12, 2017
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
March 19, 2018
–
Started Reading
March 19, 2018
–
4.12%
"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto 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."
page
12
March 19, 2018
–
29.21%
"Now, about Markham V. Reynolds (Junior). Your questions regarding that gentleman are very delicate, very subtle, very much like being smacked in the head with a mallet. Am I in love with him? What kind of a question is that? It's a tuba among the flutes, and I expect better of you."
page
85
March 21, 2018
–
37.11%
"I remember lying in our hay-loft reading The Secret Garden with a cowbell beside me. I'd read for an hour and then ring the bell for a glass of lemonade to be brought to me. Mrs. Hutchins, the cook, finally grew weary of this arrangement and told my mother, and that was the end of my cowbell, but not my reading in the hay."
page
108
March 23, 2018
–
60.14%
"I am trying hard to remember my parents' ideas about child-raising, but, as the child raised, I'm scarcely a good judge. I know I got spanked for spitting my peas across the table at Mrs. Morris, but that's all I can recall. Perhaps she deserved it."
page
175
March 24, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-50 of 63 (63 new)
message 1:
by
Melissa
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rated it 5 stars
Dec 12, 2017 09:08AM
![Melissa McShane](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1216147749p1/1329059.jpg)
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![Dave](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546007745p1/7858442.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Thanks for commenting, Dave! I hope I've given you a recommend that you'll enjoy. :)
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
"
Sweet! Let's do it! When do you want to aim for?"
Let me check my little black book (yes, I love notebooks and have one with scheduled reads for every month because I would totally forget otherwise) ... how does February sound? You say when exactly and I'll be good to go.
![Dave](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546007745p1/7858442.jpg)
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
![Dave](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546007745p1/7858442.jpg)
Sweet! Thanks for the info ... what's that adage about learning something new each day? ;-)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
It's sort of the mini version of a "group read," which are usually sponsored by a particular Goodreads group. In that case the discussion threads for the group read are within the group's discussion boards. I've had buddy reads that grew large enough that we created a new Goodreads group just so we'd have a place to set up the book discussion threads. :)
![Dave](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1546007745p1/7858442.jpg)
That sounds really cool, thanks for the detailed info! I will definitely need to keep my eyes peeled and jump into one of these in the not-too-distant future :-)
![Teresa](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1444418907p1/1449414.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Grab it and join Trish and me in the February buddy read. :D
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
That's too bad, although ... typical of filming books. Some things I get that they have to change, but sometimes I'm all, why the crap was this changed? Who thought this was a good idea??
I will start the book tonight - I'm still working for a few more hours. Mostly working. :D (I promise I don't bill my clients for the time I spend on GR)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Wow, Trish! I'm impressed. :)
![ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1628815578p1/21166492.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
That's great! I also read the hedgehog one a few years ago because a friend swore it was SO WONDERFUL, lol. I made it to the end, but I thought it was pretty forgettable.
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
Wow, Trish! I'm impressed. :)"
I had to finish it. Stayed up way past my bedtime. Just posted my review. So sorry, I'm the worst buddy-reader! I just had to know!!!
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Valerie, I'm really enjoying my reread!
![Trish](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1588663568p1/3461034.jpg)
I actually highlighted that one. *lol* The humour really is just the right shade (not too silly, but there to lighten the mood).
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Thanks! I'd be surprised if you don't really enjoy it. :)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Yes, although it deals with some of the terrible things that people experienced in WWII, so it's not all unicorns and rainbows. But no F-bombs or explicit sex.
![Critterbee❇](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1435025429p1/42804965.jpg)
More and more frequently, I am seeing people ask reviewers if the book is clean. Do you generally include that information in your reviews?
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
![Teresa](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1444418907p1/1449414.jpg)
![The Daydreamologist](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1580274566p1/62620663.jpg)
Yes, although it deals with some of the terrible things that people experienced in WWII, so it's not all unicorns and rainbows. But no F..."
Thanks!
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Yay! I'm sure you'll love it! Please keep us posted here!
Susan wrote: "I was able to see the author speak! I have his next book on my shelf to read!"
Do you mean Annie Barrows? The original author, Mary Ann Shaffer, died right around the time the book was published. I read another book by Barrows a couple of years ago, a historical fiction set in Depression-era Virginia, IIRC, and really enjoyed it. The Truth According to Us
![BernLuvsBooks](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1585010050p1/3087404.jpg)
![Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1648407601p1/8734459.jpg)
Me too! I had forgotten a lot of the details of the story since I read it about 8 years ago, but I still remember the feelings!
![Teresa](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1444418907p1/1449414.jpg)