The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

From the Bookshelf of The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club…

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Mary Ann Shaffer,

Annie Barrows

Start date: October 1, 2019

Finish date: December 1, 2019

Why we're reading this: This is our October/November fiction book, voted on by our members. Discussion Fun Day will be November 2…more
[close] This is our October/November fiction book, voted on by our members. Discussion Fun Day will be November 20th.

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What Members Thought

Feb 10, 2014 Jemima Pett rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, bookclub, award-winning, literary

This delightful book was sprung upon me by my book club and I don鈥檛 regret it for one minute! I probably would have picked it up if I鈥檇 read the blurb on the back cover 鈥� but I might not have picked it up thinking the cover was too 鈥榬omance鈥�. It is slightly romantic, but only in a 鈥榣ife鈥� way.

Juliet Ashton is an author. Immediate sympathies go out to her. She is struggling to find her next book. Double the sympathies. Her book based on the wartime column she wrote as Izzy Bickerstaff has thrust h This delightful book was sprung upon me by my book club and I don鈥檛 regret it for one minute! I probably would have picked it up if I鈥檇 read the blurb on the back cover 鈥� but I might not have picked it up thinking the cover was too 鈥榬omance鈥�. It is slightly romantic, but only in a 鈥榣ife鈥� way.

Juliet Ashton is an author. Immediate sympathies go out to her. She is struggling to find her next book. Double the sympathies. Her book based on the wartime column she wrote as Izzy Bickerstaff has thrust her into an unwanted limelight 鈥� through book tours and interviews, and a good deal of muckraking by a jealous editor. Way outside my experiences then ;) But I鈥檝e already warmed to her, and nothing she does during this delightful and occasionally harrowing tale, unfolded through correspondence with friends, a would-be lover, editors, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, changes my affection for her. Full of human weaknesses. She does the sort of thing you鈥檇 do. Ok, I鈥檇 do them too, if I had the chance.

My experience of stories told through the medium of letters has, so far, been a 100% thumbs-up. 84, Charing Cross Road is a rare case of a film perfectly delivering the printed page. My friend Sue did a delightful book of letters from the works supervisor of the pyramid building company to the Pharaoh, lamenting the working practices and failure of contractors. Stanley and Katrina unveil life for the family pet from a whole new viewpoint. I think I delight in a story told through complaints and perspective that can be unfolded in a letter to a specific person, even more than a prose work told to the generic reader. But letters show you so much, not only of the writer鈥檚 problem, but the writer鈥檚 perspective too. What Ms Shaffer and Ms Barrows do in this book is to give us multiple perspectives of postwar Britain (and a little of France) and especially of life in Guernsey during the German Occupation, through the correspondence with said Literary Society (a book club), with its huge diversity of members. Small town life at its best 鈥� and worst!

I read the first quarter on a Friday train, and finished the rest off on Sunday afternoon and evening. I was desperate to get back to it. Reading the after-words, I found that Ms Shaffer was unable to complete the book and the task passed to a relative, Ms Barrows. If that is the basis of the last section, the journal of a would-be Miss Marple then I applaud all concerned as it is a masterful winding up, and deals nicely with any differences in style between the two authors. Praise all round.

I read a library copy of this book as part of my book club list. I might go and buy my own copy for a re-read. ...more

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Dec 26, 2016 Bish Denham rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I'm pretty stingy with giving 5 stars. Most books I read are quite worthy of a strong 4, but 5 stars means there's something extra special about the story, and this one has that extra special something in spades.

I loved the characters, how their personalities shown through even though most were written from the standpoint of the letter writer, Juliet. The way the history of the WWII occupation of Guernsey by the Nazis was told was poignant, touching, humorous, and heartbreaking.

I really got a fe ...more

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Mar 09, 2009 Angie Taylor rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was such a fun, charming book to read. I have had lots of friends read it, but they haven't really said what it is about, so I haven't given it a chance until now. I'm so glad I did. It is essentially about WW11 told from the perspectives of survivors in London corresponding with survivors in Guernsey, a little channel island off of England. These correspondences result in great friendships and trully totally entertaining reading. I loved every moment of the book and would recommend it to a ...more

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Oct 26, 2009 Karin Mitchell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, romancical, historical-fiction

I enjoyed the way the author used letter writing to tell the story although there were times when I'd forget to check at the beginning of the letter to see who was writing to whom. I liked that it wasn't a particularly heavy story despite having some serious content in it. It was a quick read with an interesting angle on WWII and the occupation. But, I found it curious that the author never mentioned the later age of protagonist marrying for the time period and that seemed noteworthy. I also fou ...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Dani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A surprise delight with a satisfying happy ending, despite the ominous war memories. Now to find a good recipe for potato peel pie - that was the only bit missing from the book.

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Aug 05, 2013 Bev rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved this book - did not want it to end! Would love a sequel!

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Apr 27, 2019 Diane Burton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book. Written entirely in letters, the story reveals its characters and how they relate to Juliette. I chose this book for our book group to read this month. Most enjoyed it as much as I did. We were fascinated by how the group on the isle of Guernsey got their name and how they survived the German occupation during WWII.

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