Book Review

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I found this book on a list (a list!) at Barnes and Noble's website. The title sounded a little too cute and then when I found out that Annie Barrows is Mary Ann Shaffer's niece it bugged me a little bit more. I thought there was no way it was going to be good. But what the heck, it was available at the library near my house - I could read it for free. And Shaffer happens to be the maiden name of my Good Friend K so there was that, too. And it wasn't like I had some other book I was anxious to read. And the biggest and most important reason is that I was running out of time and desperate for a book to recommend for Book Club. Which, of course, is why I was wandering around book lists on the internet in the first place.

Well, it's awesome. It is historical fiction, my favorite genre. It's about a group of people living on the Channel Islands and an author living in London. It is written in epistolary style which, because it is different from your regular run-of-the-mill novel, naturally makes it more interesting. I was a little challenged at the very first, trying to keep everybody straight and figure out their relationships without any background information on them, but it all becomes clear after the first few pages. It's set in post-WWII and the premise is that the author, Juliet, is going to write a book about how the German Occupation of the Channel Islands affected its residents. She meets several Islanders and...well...I'm not going to give away the plot because some of my friends will be reading it for Book Club this year. But if you're not in my Book Club you should still read this book. And if you're not in my Book Club you should join it. Book Club rocks.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is funny, poignant, well-written, and if you are anything like me you will think about the characters long after you've finished the book.

I love historical fiction because it:

• is based on things that really happened
• gives a more personal perspective, even if it's fictional, of some event or era. History books and non-fiction are more generalized, or dry, or are too focused on facts and dates, or shine the spotlight too much on the well-known historical movers and shakers of the event. That's all fine and dandy, but it doesn't make for pleasant reading.
• speaks to my romantic heart. Maybe something like it did happen, or someone like that did exist. The ordinary people of the world, the silent billions who have lived and loved and struggled without any notice? They fascinate me. I'd like to meet them.
• tells about something I'm not familiar with. I'm a fan of learning something new.

And with that, I'm off to find out some stuff about the Channel Islands.