Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I swept through this book with indecent haste. Juliet, a writer living in London in 1946, receives an unexpected letter from a Guernsey man named Dawsey who has found her name in a book by Charles Lamb. They start up a correspondence, and she learns about the society of the title, the people who founded it, and why. 

The novel unfolds through letters as Juliet corresponds with various islanders about their experiences. What starts out as research turns into a passion, and she decides to visit Guernsey and meet the people to hear their stories of the war first-hand.

I really felt for the characters and was drawn into their lives along with Juliet, and the letter format is particularly effective in bringing out the various nuances of life on Guernsey during that time. I enjoyed this book very much.


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Review written by Ann Brook (Library and Information Assistant)