The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The title of this book really intrigued me. That, and the fact that the author had died very shortly after completing the novel, requesting her friend to see it through its journey, meant I felt compelled to read it.

The other hook for me was that the story is set in Guernsey, an island I have visited and where I was aware there had been a great deal of deprivation in WWII. I wasn’t disappointed. I loved the wit, the cast of wonderful characters, and the story that developed from a chance correspondence.

This book is perhaps my favorite of all the WWII novels.

Full of warm, eccentric characters and so true to what happened on the Channel Islands (where I have been conducting my own research!) Again it is set in the present and the past, with a present-day heroine going to Guernsey to meet with survivors of the Nazi occupation.

What starts off as a light-hearted mission gradually peels back layers of brutality and betrayal.

The book is always better than the film, but especially with an enigmatic title, it is the cinema that often brings it to a wider audience. 

I love this story. It is gentle, yet it has its roots in Nazi occupation. The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to experience it. It understands that the trauma suffered by those who underwent it lasts well beyond its cessation.

It also understands that not all protagonists are necessarily right or wrong simply because of their Nationality. Good people can find themselves in evil positions. Oppressed people can react… show more.

This book ticks all the boxes for me in terms of great historical fiction.

Told entirely in the form of letters written firstly between writer, Juliet Ashton and the sublimely named Dawsey Adams, one of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and then via letters from other members of the society. The fact that it is a book that brings Dawsey and Juliet together and then books and stories which are the backbone of this wonderful novel, makes it even more special.

However, it is the characters who really bring it to life and particularly… show more.

How does The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society fit into my list of WWII books with unexpected love stories?

I was initially drawn to this epistolary novel by the romance between Englishwoman Elizabeth McKenna and German officer Christian Hellman. It appeared to be, like my own novel, a tale of lovers on opposite sides of the war. But as I read on, I realized that there were many forms of love expressed through the various characters, with perhaps the most powerful being the enduring bond of friendship.

With a staunch commitment to each other, the Society members demonstrate… show more.

Did I save the best for last? Maybe. If there is one story that proves that reading and food have the potential to save the world (or at least a small community) this is the book. This is always the book. I’ve read it a dozen times and it always satisfies. So much so that I’m taking a book pilgrimage to Guernsey this summer. If you haven’t read this novel (which I’m guessing, you probably have) I’m delighted that you get to travel back to wartime Germany and experience this masterpiece for the first time. This is the kind of… show more.

 Most war novels are concerned quite naturally with the actions of the participants. This story, written in retrospect, concerns itself with the impact on the civilian population.

As the only part of the UK occupied by Nazi Germany,  Channel Islanders experienced the constant demands and dangers of occupation. Post-war, these issues gradually surface again after an exchange of letters leads to a visit to the Society and its members by an interested writer, where slowly and gently the brutality, hardship, treachery, survival, courage, and dark secrets of wartime are once again reluctantly revealed. It is also a reminder of the… show more.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society… post-WWII. Told through letters it reveals the story of Juliet Ashton who lost her parents and is looking for a new family. Though she doesn’t know it. She finds it in an odd assortment of characters who are part of a book club I would die to join. Again, each “family member” has a different personality that draws you in and moves the story forward. A lovely, lovely book about taking risks and finding love.

Confession one: I saw this book around for months before I read it, and I thought the title was the worst thing I’d ever seen. No way was I going to read a book with that title. Then it was a selection in my book club, so...anyway, I fell in love. It’s charming, terrifying, heartbreaking, and a bit romantic. And so, so funny. Ironic that I would include it in this list, since the protagonist literally starts the book writing about how she’s tired of trying to make people laugh to cope with World War II, and yearns to write… show more.

This book overflows with charm, while also managing to balance a very dark theme – the hardship of occupied Guernsey during WWII – with a beautiful love story. The tale begins in the immediate aftermath of the war when London-based writer Juliet Ashton responds to a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey, a total stranger, who has come across her name written in a second-hand book, and has some questions. She enters into a correspondence with him, and in time with all the members of the extraordinary Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The narrative dips into the past… show more.