The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I finished this book two nights ago and absolutely loved it. It was one of those special pieces that I didn't want to finish reading. Sprinkled with history, eccentric characters, romance, and idyllic images of magical scenery, this book particularly calls out to book lovers.

In the 1940s, shortly after World War II, Juliet, an author from London, is introduced to a whole new world of special people on the island of Guernsey through a chance letter she receives from a stranger named Dawsey Adams. The book is written in the form of letters, telegrams, and one observation journal, allowing you to really understand the different characters through their voices. Juliet's world changes as Guernsey and the members of its accidental Literary Society become near and dear to her heart. As I said before, I recommend this book for book lovers as they will understand the connections that people can share through a love of literature. (It also reminds me why I love writing and receiving hand-written letters!)


Here is a piece from the book, as one character describes the beginning days of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society:

"At the start, we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the book themselves. Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and become dearer and dearer to one another. . .we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside" (51).