Recent Reads: The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society

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

How I wish I could crawl inside of this book to become Juliet, and surround myself with all of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! I’m even feeling a bit nostalgic now that I’ve finished it. Novels too often focus on the darker side of human nature, and the life-changing events which so often become a consequence of tragedy.

The epistolary form served the story perfectly, as it allows readers to gain a sense of Juliet’s most intimate thoughts through an ongoing exchange of witty banter primarily between Juliet and her dear friend and publisher, Sidney. Juliet is sharp and funny, but never in a mean-spirited or remotely negative way (save a bit of empathy-inspiring self-deprecation), which makes her all the more lovable as a protagonist. Through complete chance, character Juliet Ashton begins a correspondence with Dawsey Adams, a man living on the Channel Island of Guernsey in the aftermath of the German Occupation. Intrigued with Dawsey’s involvement in the oddly-named, as well as oddly-commenced literary society, Juliet endeavors to write a story about the society in her newspaper column. The members of the club reach out to Juliet, and she is quickly absorbed into the cose-knit community.

This novel so beautifully demonstrates how one’s outlook on life is ultimately what dictates its worth. Observing each of the characters’ victories over the hardships WWII caused, reminds me of the necessity of friendship, laughter, and of course, books, to stay sane during challenging times.

At certain points in the story, I felt that the characterizations of Juliet and Elizabeth were suspiciously similar, which struck me as a bit unrealistic. Nevertheless, I still would recommend this novel to any book lover!