The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Publication Year: 2007
Genre: Historical Fiction
I first heard about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society during a spontaneous coffee date with a new friend on one, particularly cold November afternoon in L.A. We huddled together for warmth in the northernmost corner of the coffee shop, positioned at an angle so we could watch our fellow anxious students filter in through the doors. I sipped gingerly on my still-hot Medicine Ball tea as she recounted her Netflix favorites. Our short-lived friendship was founded on the pillars of our unparalleled love for pop culture references, period dramas starring Keira Knightley, plants to travel abroad, overly expensive caffeinated drinks. Her eyes lit up when she recommended her most recent watch to me, the 2018 movie adaptation of Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society: a love story that possessed all the historical references and British Isle imagery my little heart longed for in my literary pursuits. I decided to view the movie while spending the weekend during a weekend spent visiting Seattle after discovering that another favorite actress of mine, Lily James, had been cast to play the main character, Juliet Ashton. I ended up ordering the book online just 15 minutes into the movie after becoming completely enamored with the story. After having read it, I can say that the novel has left me with the same feelings of warmth and nostalgia for a time and a place that I never knew.
Lily James in the 2018 film adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Credits: telegraph.co.uk)
The story begins in the Spring of 1946, six months after the end of WWII. Juliet Ashton is a London-based author promoting her latest book under the pen name of Izzy Bickerstaff. She receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of Guernsey (an island previously under German occupation during the way) in possession of her copy of Charles Lamb’s Essays of Elia, asking for her assistance to find another bookshop that may possess other books by Lamb on the mainland. He describes “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” a group of book lovers to which he belongs. Juliet responds by sending him Tales from Shakespeare, another book by Charles Lamb, in exchange for more information about the society. After learning more about it, Juliet decides to write about the literary society in her second book and travel to the island of Guernsey to meet its members. And so, she embarks on a journey to the island in search of literary inspiration and friendships. Written in the epistolary form (composed of letters) between Juliet Ashton, the members of the society, and other individuals from her past. This unique choice allows the authors of the novel to present the passing of time with ever letter and the constant development of relationships between the characters (especially of that between Juliet and Dawsey).
“We clung to our books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had another part to us.” - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I found myself completely drawn into Juliet’s world within the first couple of pages and had a hard time putting the book down for the next three days. Barrows’ writing is full of brilliant imagery and powerful character development (most notably, of our heroine, Juliet). The storyline of the movie follows closely to that of the novel, following Juliet as she discovers her love for Guernsey and all that it entails. The novel allows readers to fall in love with the island of Guernsey as well. Rather than focusing almost entirely on her romance with Dawsey Adams as the movie adaptation does, the storyline is dependant on the lives of all members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society to piece together the story of Elizabeth McKenna (the quick-witted founder of the society). Because the novel was written in the form of letters sent back and forth between the members of the society, it also revealed the personalities and experiences of each of the characters we are introduced to as well as those that are mentioned in passing. Their lives, so heavily impacted by the events of the war, have continued on through their love of literature and a strong connection to each other from the shared traumatic experience. Similarly, the love story that takes place is made possible because of these same shared experiences rather than just the connection between the two lovers.
If I had to change anything about this book, it would be a greater focus on the clarity of the timelines and possibly the exclusion of some of the side stories mentioned by more minor characters that fight for our attention and draw us away from the main plot. The unique storytelling method of the exchanged letters also allows for the plot to develop through characters other than Juliet and Dawsey! I can say with complete sincerity that I would reread this book if given the opportunity. I caught myself rereading passages in awe and wiping away happy tears. This book would be perfect for anyone that desires a love story about friendship and family as well as the romantic love shared between two like-minded individuals. Give it a read, and let me know your own impressions of it down below in the comments! And in case you were wondering what a potato peel pie is, it’s exactly how it sounds: a pie made out of potato peels. Stay tuned for my next book review on the heartwarming novel Love Rosie by celebrated Irish author Cecelia Ahern.
My Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Love always,
Maya.