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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Random House Reader's…

by Mary Ann Shaffer

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations
4,504416484 (4.24)418
Info:

Dial Press Trade Paperback (2009), Paperback, 304 pages

Member:lmacphil
Collections:Your libraryRating:*****
Tags:WWII, Channel Islands, occupation, character

Member recommendations

  1. infiniteletters recommends A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure by Marlena De Blasi
  2. writemeg recommends The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, "Another deeply affecting, beautiful and heartbreaking story of books, love, small kindness and resilience during World War II."
  3. jhedlund recommends Dear Exile : The True Story of Two Friends Separated (for a Year) by an Ocean by Hilary Liftin, "Epistolary style, although a true story instead of a novel."
  4. Sodapop recommends 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, "A Non-fiction story about book lovers told via their letters."
  5. wandering_star recommends Miss Buncle: Containing Miss Buncle's book and Miss Buncle married by D. E. Stevenson
  6. CatyM recommends The Dig by John Preston
  7. caitykarczewski recommends The Color Purple by Alice Walker, "If you like books written in letters and diary entries!"
  8. withwill recommends At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman
  9. DimitraDaisy recommends The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
  10. helgagrace recommends 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

(see all 18 recommendations)

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English (408)  French (4)  Norwegian (1)  Catalan (1)  Dutch (1)  Afrikaans (1)  All languages (416)
Showing 1-5 of 408 (next | show all)
Style reminded me of 84 Charring Cross Road. Got sucked in to both stories. ( )
  jaseD | Dec 26, 2009 |
I have wanted to read this book for a while. This was such an unexpectedly good book. The authors wrote the thoughts of the characters so beautifully that it made me want to be able to express my thoughts more eloquently. I wrote several passages in my book journal. This book shows that love and laughter help overcome darkness and oppression. ( )
  hoosieriu97 | Dec 25, 2009 |
As good as everyone says! I usually find I don't agree with reviews but this one blew me away. It has a little bit of everything in it and made me laugh and cry (I'm such a sap!) ( )
1 vote Jebbie74 | Dec 23, 2009 |
What a beautiful book. This is a completely heartwarming story, and you don't want to miss it.

Told in a series of letters, this story highlights the joys and hardships of the people living on the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation of WWII. Witty and heartbreaking, this novel is not only educational, but complete in every way. No lose ends are left, making the bow on the cover seem that much more perfect.

I will admit that I like Part I more than Part II. In Part I author Juliet Ashton (the main character, so to speak) is looking for a subject for her new book when she receives an unexpected letter from a man in Guernsey who bought a book that had once belonged to her. It's here that we meet the islanders and learn how the Society began (and how it got such a silly name). I loved this part, because it was full of discovery. Part II was good, of course, but it was written with more of a third-person feel. We still learn more about the characters, but we're really learning about events that have just happened, rather than getting first-hand accounts of events or personalities. I hope that made sense.

4 out of 5 stars. I would have preferred the entire book be more like Part I, but I realize that wouldn't have worked as well given the situation of the characters (it's so hard to explain this without giving anything away!). However, this is such a good story; perfect for uplifting the spirit and closing the book with a sigh and a smile. ( )
  AmyElizabeth | Dec 18, 2009 |
It was very interesting reading about the life in Guernsey during the Nazi Occupation and short after it. Including all the suffering that the people on this island had to go through. And how they managed to survive it. (or not) .
I liked writing the whole book in letters, even it breaks a constant flow, but it makes the reading interesting.
I thought the person Juliet was a little bit oversweet, especially at the end. That made the book into a sugar cookie. A bad thing,- I don`t know. Too much for my taste. ( )
  brigitte64 | Dec 18, 2009 |
Showing 1-5 of 408 (next | show all)
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," written by the late Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece, children's author Annie Barrows, stays within modest bounds, but is successful in ways many novels are not. This book won't change your life, but it will probably enchant you. And sometimes that's precisely what makes fiction worthwhile.
 
You could be skeptical about the novel's improbabilities and its sanitized portrait of book clubs (doesn't anyone read trashy thrillers?), but you'd be missing the point. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a sweet, sentimental paean to books and those who love them.
 
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People/Characters
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Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
Lovingly dedicated to my mother, Edna Fiery Morgan, and to my dear friend Julia Poppy

—M.A.S.

And to my mother, Cynthia Fiery Barrows

—A.B.
First words
Dear Sidney,
Susan Scott is a wonder.  We sold over forty copies of the book, which was very pleasant, but much more thrilling from my standpoint was the food.
Quotations
Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books. -- Isola Pribby [53]
Men are more interesting in books than they are in real life. --Isola Pribby
Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true. --Juliet
I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can't talk to, or worse, someone I can't be silent with. -- Juliet [8]
I think you learn more if you're laughing at the same time. -- John Booker [89]
Last words
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Book description
From CD case: January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way; as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, Juliet sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever.

Told with warmth and humor as a series of letters, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a celebration of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0385340990, Hardcover)

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:23 -0400)

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