Reading...

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He's come across her name on the flyleaf of a second hand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author.

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchanged letters. she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends. all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever.

MY THOUGHTS: I wasn't sure I would enjoy a book from a time in 1946. The book, however, was an easy read one I grew accustom to the layout. It was a book of letters and telegrams back and forth. It was a little confusing at first trying to figure out who was writing whom. There were no chapters, just part one and two. I did enjoy the flow of the book and the thought of visiting this island in the book. Actually I know people that live there... how cool is that? I think I will see if we are still face book friends and pop in to say, "HI... I just read a fictional novel about your island!"