Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Verdict: A classy novel set during WWII and a real page-turner. Read it right away!
From the website of Annie Barrows: (www.anniebarrows.com)
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, Dawsey Adams, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name in a book?
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of Dawsey and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—a book club born as a spur-of-the- moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts an outstanding cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
This book is as charming as the title is. I really like books and stories set during the World War 2 and that by itself was enough for me to pick up this book. Its divided into two parts - the first part where Juliet is in London corresponding with all the members of the Guernsey Literary club and the second part when she actually lands in Guernsey. The book had me by the neck right when the second part began until the very end. The epistolary format of a novel is new to me where a story is told through a series of letters. When I first looked through the pages in the book, I thought of it as a jumbled, fragmented collection of letters in some random order, but I was completely wrong. This ended up being a real page-turner and left me wanting to know more and more and what is going to happen next at the end of each letter. It was heart-breaking to learn about the German Occupation of the Channel Islands and the atrocities inflicted by the Nazis on the people of the Island during WWII, especially on women. But it is also a hopeful novel on how people can come together during times of hardships and bounce back from painful pasts. The unique name of the club and how it came into existence was very interesting to read and no wonder you are left thinking about how a potato peel pie actually tastes!
The writing is really classy and each character born out of this novel feels so real. I felt like I was literally living in Guernsey and I had developed a real affection for all the characters by the end of the story even though this is the first time I am reading about Guernsey. I felt comforted and satisfied at the happy ending after all reading about all the pain and suffering brought by the war. I love this novel as much as I love all the members of the Guernsey Literary club, Amelia, Dawsey, Eben and Ibola - to mention a few. The epistolary format gives it a completely personal touch and the writing paints quite a picture about the island, the people and the potato peel pie society that you almost dont want to come back to real life after the story ends. The telegrams in big block letters scattered in many places across the novel perfectly conveyed the urgency of the messages and I really enjoyed those bits. Oh and when the book ends, you cant help but think about the lost art of letter writing and how much you are left longing for it in this completely-digital age.
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Verdict: A classy novel set during WWII and a real page-turner. Read it right away!
From the website of Annie Barrows: (www.anniebarrows.com)
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, Dawsey Adams, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name in a book?
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of Dawsey and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—a book club born as a spur-of-the- moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts an outstanding cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
This book is as charming as the title is. I really like books and stories set during the World War 2 and that by itself was enough for me to pick up this book. Its divided into two parts - the first part where Juliet is in London corresponding with all the members of the Guernsey Literary club and the second part when she actually lands in Guernsey. The book had me by the neck right when the second part began until the very end. The epistolary format of a novel is new to me where a story is told through a series of letters. When I first looked through the pages in the book, I thought of it as a jumbled, fragmented collection of letters in some random order, but I was completely wrong. This ended up being a real page-turner and left me wanting to know more and more and what is going to happen next at the end of each letter. It was heart-breaking to learn about the German Occupation of the Channel Islands and the atrocities inflicted by the Nazis on the people of the Island during WWII, especially on women. But it is also a hopeful novel on how people can come together during times of hardships and bounce back from painful pasts. The unique name of the club and how it came into existence was very interesting to read and no wonder you are left thinking about how a potato peel pie actually tastes!
The writing is really classy and each character born out of this novel feels so real. I felt like I was literally living in Guernsey and I had developed a real affection for all the characters by the end of the story even though this is the first time I am reading about Guernsey. I felt comforted and satisfied at the happy ending after all reading about all the pain and suffering brought by the war. I love this novel as much as I love all the members of the Guernsey Literary club, Amelia, Dawsey, Eben and Ibola - to mention a few. The epistolary format gives it a completely personal touch and the writing paints quite a picture about the island, the people and the potato peel pie society that you almost dont want to come back to real life after the story ends. The telegrams in big block letters scattered in many places across the novel perfectly conveyed the urgency of the messages and I really enjoyed those bits. Oh and when the book ends, you cant help but think about the lost art of letter writing and how much you are left longing for it in this completely-digital age.
