Tags
book about books, book review, chicklit, epistolary, feminist literature, mary ann shaffer, the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, war
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you to 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.”
Written as a series of letters, this heart-warming story is about the love and magic of literature, and how one book can bring a whole set of strangers together as a family. Juliet, our feisty protagonist, is an intelligent quick-witted journalist who spent the bleak, war-torn years writing a column under a pseudonym. As the war draws to a close, her days of trying to add a bit of comic relief to the horrors of the German bombardment also come to an end. Instead, she casts about for new material and one day receives a letter out of the blue from Guernsey. This unlikely correspondence grows, and begins to shed light on how some of the islanders managed to survive under the German regime thanks to a fake ‘book club’.
What I loved about this book was how easy it was to read and understand each character. The fact that it was written in letter-form (epistolary), did not hinder things like character/ plot development. In fact quite the opposite, the action was always on the go, and the characters all had their own distinct voices. In this seemingly narrow perspective, Schaffer does such a wonderful job of bringing Guernsey to life. I have heard it said that sometimes a person can fall in love with a place before they’ve been there, and that’s exactly what’s happened to me. Schaffer has managed to capture the wild, unrestrained beauty of island life, and the endearing oddities of an enclosed village-like society even though the story is set during a dark historical moment.
I think Juliet was a wonderful protagonist, and I heartily applaud Schaffer for giving her female characters some pluck. And make no mistake, there are a lot of strong, brave and selfless ladies besides Juliet who all contribute to the story. Elizabeth and Isola are probably my favourite characters as they both represent very different yet essential sides of womanhood. This novel is so many things besides a simple historical romance. It explores the concept of friendship, comradeship and sacrifice. It looks at the importance of stories, why we have them and their many functions in our lives. Sometimes a book can offer escape, at other times valuable advice. Sometimes it can even save lives or help dissolve the wall of prejudice between captive and invader. Books are very human objects, and in times of war it is most often that human touch that we most crave.
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Oh my stars – I *heart* this book! I definitely agree with your thoughts on the strong female protagonists. I remember that as soon as I found a favorite character another would pop up and share a story that melted me.
And it really was theme about the power of words and stories and books that cemented this one into my Super-Duper-Favorite-Books list. It’s rare that a book can stir so many emotions in me, but this one really did have it all!
I must admit, it did have a very strong effect on me too. It’s lovely to find a book like this every now and then. So smooth and calming. Such a shame we lost Schaffer shortly after this was published. What a story-teller!
Thanks for this review! This has been recommended but I wondered if it wasn’t too much of a “book club” sort of book. I don’t know what I mean by that exactly, just a book that everyone reads because everyone else is reading it, not because it’s wonderful. But your review will make me take a second look.
I’m exactly like you curlygeek, I hate reading what everyone else is reading. Popular books reek of ‘averageness’.
But I can assure you that this one is an absolute delight, and I very rarely praise a book to the heavens.
Love your avatar by the way 🙂
I absolutely adore this book 🙂 I definitely agree with you about the format of the book. I was worried that it would make character development hard, but it was the opposite and I loved the characters more I think because of the letters 🙂
Don’t you just wish they actually existed? It’s rare for a novel of letters to be so popular. The last book I read that was this good (and in epistolary form) was Dracula! Can’t remember any others.
That’s an idea. Start a book list that focusses on ‘epistolary novels’. Hmm. For 2012 maybe?
Your review reminded me of just how much I loved this book-I read it about 2 years ago and I think I will reread it in 2012
I have this book to read and I keep picking it up and putting it down. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. That motivates me to pick it up soon!
Mel, Aths:
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you both get time to pick it up again. It didn’t take me very long to get through it. I wish it had been a series or something.
I loved this book, too, especially how it touched on some heavy themes without being melodramatic or too depressing. I’ve linked to your review on War Through the Generations.
Hi Anna,
I agree with everything you said and thanks so much for linking to me. I’ve had a look at the website and it’s a great idea. I’ve seen so many book that I’d like to read! Have subscirbed and tweeted about it 🙂
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