The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer
After finishing the previous book, I was really looking forward to a well written story and picking up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was an excellent decision. This book was absolutely delightful. The characters were charming, the story was simply lovely and the format made it both easy to read and acutely personal. My Mum told me she had bought it simply because of the fabulous title, but the rest of the book doesn’t let you down.
It is set just after the Second World War. Juliet, a writer who had written a satirical column during the War finds herself a little lost. Her flat has been bombed, her column is no longer necessary and she still isn’t married. But Juliet has pluck and a fantastically witty and clever personality so none of these ills get her down. The format of the book is a series of letters between Juliet, her publisher and her friend. Suddenly she receives a letter from a gentleman named Dawsey who lives on Guernsey. He found her address inside the cover of a second hand book and decided to write to her. Thus begins a series of correspondences between Juliet, Dawsey and all of the other members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, many of which relate stories of their experiences during the protracted German occupation of their island during the war.
I loved the combination of humour and history which underpinned this book. I never knew that The Channel Islands had been occupied and it was fascinating to read about the experience (albeit in fictional form). Because of the format, you get an intimate view of the personality of each character – something which is more difficult to achieve in a standard third person narrative. It also takes you back to a time when letter writing was the norm and when community mattered over and above everything. I was transported back to 1946 with wonderful clarity.
Perhaps my only criticism is it seemed to end rather suddenly. Maybe it was because I was enjoying the book so much I didn’t want it to end, so the ending felt rather abrupt. Nevertheless, it was a ‘happily ever after’ ending which I took a lot of pleasure in. Sometimes ‘happily ever after’ is just what you need.
The tragic thing about this book is that the author, Mary Ann Shaffer, spent many years writing the book and sadly died before she saw it published. It made the story all the more poignant. Her labour of love was greatly appreciated.
Rating: 9/10
ISBN: 978-1-74175-168-0
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year: 2008
Date Finished: 19 December 2008
Pages: 268
