Thursday, March 12, 2009

Review-- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author(s): Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
ISBN: 9780385340991/ Dial Press, 2008
Genre: World War II fiction
Rating: A+

First Line: Dear Sidney, Susan Scott is a wonder.

It would be almost impossible to be a book lover in this day and age and not be aware of all the flap over this novel when it was published. As usual, I checked to see what the book was about, decided it sounded like something I would enjoy, and put it on my wish list at Paperback Swap. There was quite a line of people waiting for the book, and I knew that, by the time a copy found its way into my hands, most of the buzz would have died down. Many times I think all the hype surrounding a book can raise a reader's expectations of it too much. As a result, I tend to let the clamor (and my own expectations) die down a bit before I go ahead and read it.

I was hooked by "the potato book" almost from the very first page. Novelist Juliet Ashton is worn down from book tours and tired of writing about the war. She wants to find a different subject on which to focus her attention. Little does she know that she's going to find exactly what she needs when she opens a letter written by Guernsey native Dawsey Adams. Adams came across her name in a used book and writes to know if she's aware of any good biographies of Charles Lamb? She does, and a wonderful correspondence begins that gradually encompasses many of the natives on that small Channel Island as they begin to tell her their experiences during the Nazi occupation.

I loved Juliet's voice and the entire cast of characters in this book. I read a comment here and there about too many threads in a wandering plot, but I thought the lives of the characters unfolded perfectly in the letters written by Juliet and others. Meeting a new person and finding out about that person's life is not a straight line; the path meanders. Moving from one character's life to another also means that, if you don't care for a particular person, you're not stuck reading about him (or her) indefinitely. I always learned just enough about one character to make me want to keep turning the pages to gather the next nugget of information.

Who's going to enjoy The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? Lovers of epistolary novels, lovers of books set during World War II, and lovers of marvelous characterization. If you've put off reading this book, now might just be the time for you to break down and read it. I waited, and my own expectations were greatly exceeded.

If you've read and reviewed this book, or just have something to say about it, please leave a comment!


15 comments:

  1. I loved this book, too. I couldn't put it down, but I didn't want it to end.

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  2. I loved this book so much I wanted to read it again as soon as I finished it. It's a lovely work of art and was my favorite of 2008.

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  3. Like you, I was immediately drawn to this book simply because of it's "apeel-ing" title. I am also always a sucker for novels written in "letter" form, so this book had everything going for it. (and now I want to visit Guernsey,too)
    It was definitely one of the better books I have read in a while and one of those books that I didn't want to end.

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  4. I love the epistolary format. I loved, loved, loved this book. The characters were so interesting! What I loved most about it, though, was the background of World War II, and how the people of Guernsey banded together to survive. It's almost like an allegory to today's times: people helping each other out when things are difficult.

    I would love to read it again!

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  5. I loved this book too. I "read" it as an audiobook and there were so many different voices, it was really quite interesting!

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  6. I did not think that I was going to like this book at all. When I first heard about it at the end of last year I snubbed my nose and walked right pass it in the bookstore. Again and again.

    I'm not quite sure what changed my mind, but something did, and I found myself on the waiting list at the library for this little treasure at the beginning of the year.

    Boy am I glad that I checked it out. I absolutely adored the book!

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  7. I did not think that I was going to like this book at all. When I first heard about it at the end of last year I snubbed my nose and walked right pass it in the bookstore. Again and again.

    I'm not quite sure what changed my mind, but something did, and I found myself on the waiting list at the library for this little treasure at the beginning of the year.

    Boy am I glad that I checked it out. I absolutely adored the book!

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  8. I've waited to read this one. I have heard a lot of really good things about it and your review just adds to my interest. I think the time is coming soon when I will pick it up.

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  9. I just put "life" on hold when I started reading this book. I could not put it down until it was done. Loved it, loved it, loved it! So glad you did get to read it and enjoyed the story.

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  10. I loved the book. It's an awesome audiobook too. I'm biased, though, because I lived in Guernsey in the 1980s for about 6 months.

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  11. is there anyone who didn't love this book?
    not me...I liked it a great deal as well.

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  12. This was one of my very favorite books read in 2008. Loved it!

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  13. Wow! I knew this book was loved, but I didn't know how much until I read these comments! Thanks, everyone for letting me know how you feel about the potato book!

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  14. I loved this one, too, and I find myself recommending it all the time. I hope it's okay that I linked to your review on War Through the Generations.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  15. Anna-- Of course it's all right. Thank you for linking to me!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!