Summer Book 21

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

I have seen this on shelves at stores many times over, but my interest was never piqued. Then I saw a preview for a movie or series based on this book and I became a little bit interested. Not much later, a new friend on Facebook indicated that she had bought this book and was planning to read it before the movie came out. I figured, at the very least, I would have someone to discuss this with, so I ordered it myself.

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know I read fairly quickly and move onto the next one. This is not an especially long book, less than 300 pages, and it held my interest quite well, so why did it take me several days to read? The only answer I have is that I wanted to savor this one. Admittedly, a part of me wants to go back to the beginning and read it again. That almost never happens to me. Even better, I want to buy a copy and give it to my grandmother! I'm still trying to make up for the snafu that was my recommendation of The Lovely Bones a decade ago, and this just might be the one to do it.

I absolutely LOVED this book. LOVED IT!! There was just something about it that made me want more, and the ending absolutely left it open for more.

Maybe it was the way this was written that made me love it so. It's an epistolary novel--one that is told through letters-- and as such, the reader is on more intimate terms with the characters. At least that was the case for me. You're not necessarily told every little detail, and there are things that the reader has to figure out on their own in a way that a "regular" novel doesn't provide that makes the reader more invested. Whatever it was, this was probably my favorite book to read this summer, maybe even this year.

Ok, so the story itself...

Juliet is an authoress in London just after the end of World War II. She is on a book tour for something she wrote during the war. Her letters at the beginning are to her best friend, Sophie, her editor and best friend's brother, Sidney, and her friend, Susan. Then she receives a letter from a man named Dawsey from Guernsey, who ended up with a book that used to belong to her. This letter is the beginning of their friendship, and they start to correspond. Then so do Dawsey's friends on Guernsey. These letters give Juliet and idea for a new book, about the Occupation on Guernsey during the war. The residents of this Channel Island would very much like to meet Juliet, so she comes for an extended stay. Juliet becomes one of them, and a beautiful story continues to unfold.

Please, rush out and get this book! I promise you won't regret it.