The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book review

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Published by Dial Press on July 10, 2018
Pages: 291
Goodreads

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE ON NETFLIX - A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers." 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's never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb...
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society follows the story of a group of people during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII. The brilliance of this book surrounds the fact that the people are such wonderful characters with deep stories and relationships with those around them. I adored this book and the journey that it took me on, I read it in less than 24 hours purely because I was so invested in the characters and their stories. I wanted to find out where they are and what was going to happen, it really threw me. I did have some issues with some of the letters but I had such a wonderful experience reading this book that I could look past that and look at the whole book as one singular and it blew me away.

The characters in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are what brought this story to life and allowed me to become so involved in the story and their island. I think the best thing about the characters was how we got to know them all, the letters they wrote each gave me a unique insight into them as people and what they really thought about the situation. I thoroughly enjoyed their letters and I thought the amount of emotion and thought they put into each and every one of them left me so in love with them and rooting for them throughout.

I think the best thing about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society would definitely be how much I learnt about Guernsey and their occupation and how drawn into that world I was. I loved each of the characters in their own way and was rooting for them to come through the war the best they could. I loved reading the letters and finding out more about the world they were in and continued to be in, and I thought the way that reading took a huge part in their life was beautifully described and it was a lovely focus point to the story and for the characters. I think choosing the best bits of this book is hard because the whole book made me feel so warm and fuzzy and I loved the feeling this book gave me rather than singular moments.

In terms of the worst bits of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I don’t know whether this counts but I sometimes felt as though the letters were a little convoluted and I struggled to read some of them. I especially found the romance elements that were talked about in each of the letters to be a little confusing and frustrating, I almost skimmed read some of them because there just seemed to be a lot of exposition that didn’t need to be there.

I would definitely recommend The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I feel as though the occupation of Guernsey isn’t talked about in history lessons. Well not where I went anyway, which is what made this book all the better for me, I learnt all about a new part in the history, plus the romance element was beautifully done and I was left completely swooning. I just think this book was a perfect light read but brutal read. I did have a few issues, mainly with how quickly things were moving and some of the relationships but I genuinely loved the way it ended.

This book was one of my favourites, I loved the moments that brought all these characters together and I want to find more books that make me feel this way! If you have any recommendations please let me know!