The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Pages: 274

Intended Audience: Adults

Genre: Historical fiction

Notes for Parents: Some mature content

The Back Cover

January 1946: Writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

After the manuscript was accepted for publication (2006), the book's editor requested that the author, Mary Shaffer, make some changes that required substantial rewriting, but around that time Shaffer's health had deteriorated dramatically. She asked the daughter of her sister Cynthia, Annie Barrows, who by that time was a well-established author of children's literature, to finish the editing and rewriting. Barrows did so, and thereby became a listed co-author on the work.

What’s good?

The island of Guernsey was the only part of British soil that was occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Set in London in 1946, this is the story of a group of Guernsey islanders who survived the five-year occupation by reading books, hiding a pig, and developing strong bonds of friendship. Told in an epistolary format (letters), the tale begins when Juliet, a posh British writer receives an unsolicited letter from a man living in Guernsey. They exchange letters and eventually reveal the fascinating story of the islanders during those difficult years. The storytelling is smooth and the plot well-paced (after Juliet gets the letter – before that it’s pretty slow!). With plenty of moments of both joy and heartbreak, this is a gratifying tale with eccentric characters, compassion and wit, and a lesson about the power of love.

Best Part(s): Dawsey Adams, Zenobia the parrot, and the pig story.

What isn’t good?

I didn’t particularly enjoy the letter format because it limited the amount of information accessible to the reader. There were many interesting themes and subjects that were treated superficially because the format didn’t allow for much more. In essence, what could have been a powerful wartime story is better described as romanticized historical fiction.

Worst part: The start was really slow.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

This is the kind of book you read on a chilly winter’s night, wrapped in a blanket and sitting by a fire. Less about war and more about how war disrupts lives, it’s a character study and a heartwarming (at times heart-wrenching) story of friends, family, and community. The story has a kindness about it that is rarely seen in a book about the dark days of World War II.

Shaffer, Mary Ann & Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. New York: Dial Press, 2008.