Friday, November 11, 2011

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society



I recently read this book for the book club I am in at work. While at first I found it a little hard to get into, I ended up loving this book and the overall message it contained.

This entire book is written in letters back and forth. This is what made it a little hard to get into, because it is not just between two people, it is between one person, Juliet, and several others. But, once you get into the book it becomes quite easy to distinguish who is writing because you get to know their personalities, especially Juliet's quirky personality (loved it!).

The book begins explaining how Juliet had become a famous author in England/Europe because a book she had written composed of the columns she had written under a pen name during the second World War. This is done to give a foundation for her personality. Then, she receives a letter from a man from Guernsey. He writes to her to ask her about books because he had acquired a book she had previously owned, and he loved it, found her address in it and was writing to get further suggestions for reading. He tells her about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Naturally, with such an interesting name, Juliet asks how such a society had come to form. It turns out that during the second World War the channel islands were occupied by German soldiers, and this occupation was hard on the residents of Guernsey. One night, some of them had met in secret to enjoy a hidden meal (the Nazi's had rationed all their food, so they had to hide the pig they roasted). While caught up in the festivities and having a full belly, they missed curfew. As some of them were walking home, the Nazis stopped them. To get out of trouble, they claimed they were at a book club, reading a German novel. The soldiers believed them, but then they had to actually form the club since the commandant said his soldiers would be stopping by to expand their minds. And, since all good book clubs have good snacks, Potato Peel Pie was made, a substitute for delicacies due to the rationing.

Eventually, Juliet begins to correspond with the different people of this group because she is interested in writing a story on the German Occupation of the channel island. So, through these letters we hear of the past, the occupation, and how the people of this club came together. It touches Juliet so much, she ends up moving there, sacrificing a promising life in London to have a peaceful life on the island.

What I absolutely love about this book is the expression of personalities through letters and interpretations of the literature they read. I love listening to people talk about books, and I love when someone talks to me about something I have also read, especially when they have a completely different view of the book than I do. The people not only tell us how they like the literature, but you see how reading books really brought these people together. It is something they did together, and shared, in one of the hardest times in all of history. Through this rough time they lost many people they loved, but found strength through being there for each other. Awesomely powerful message, if you ask me.

I loved the sprinkling of history through the book, too. I learned about the occupation in England, something I knew very little about. It gave a view of new things, and a perspective to show you how they affected certain people. Another major plus of this book is the love story. There is one, but it does not consume the entire novel. It is cute, dignified, and drama free.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. But, I warn, at first it is a little hard to get into. But, once I got to know the characters, it as quite enjoyable.