Book of the Week #53 "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel PieSociety

by Marry Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was a secret book club held on Guernsey Island during the German Occupation. Now, in 1946, author Juliet Ashton is looking for a new idea for a book. When Dawsey Adams writes to her upon finding book with her name and address written in the cover, he tells her of secret society. And so begins a new journey. She comes love all the members of the society and is enchanted by the island. When she visits Guernsey, she begins writing down the stories of people's lives on the island during the war. She learns of their sorrows, hardships, and the strong leader of the group whose disappearance has remained a mystery since the end of the war.

I had never heard of this book when I saw it at my local library's annual book sale. I didn't know anything about it, but I really liked the cover, so I decided to buy it. Not to mention the quirky title caught my attention. I think the title very much suits this book, for it does lean on the quirky side. Though, seeing as it takes place during the German Occupation, it has very serious moments.

I think this book was very well balanced. It does tell sobering tales of WWII and you read of the sorrows that the people who lived through it faced. Yet there is also happiness and laughter in the book. You read of people's simple joys after the war. It feels real. It's as though Juliet really found all of these people on Guernsey. And the characters are just as complex as the book itself. Put simply, it's a very well written novel.

All in all, this was a good read. Sobering, yet also brining its moments of joy after a terrible period in time.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.