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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Shaffer, Mary Ann. Large Type - 2008 Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / Historical / Shaffer, Mary Ann 1 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.4 out of 5

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Call Number: Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / Historical / Shaffer, Mary Ann
On Shelf At: Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length Call Number Checkout Length Item Status
Westgate Adult Books
4-week checkout
Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / Historical / Shaffer, Mary Ann 4-week checkout On Shelf

In 1946, as London emerges from the shadow of World War II, author Juliet Ashton is having a terrible time finding inspiration for her next book. Then she receives a letter from Guernsey Island, and learns of a unique book club formed on the spur of the moment as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the occupying Germans during the war. Captivated, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her life forever.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Full of fondness. submitted by terpsichore17 on August 29, 2018, 9:17am A lovely epistolary novel (and skillfully done, to gently reveal little by little as much as you need to understand what’s happened).

Follows Juliet Ashton, an author seeking a topic she cares for enough to make a book of it, in the wake of WWII. As she promotes her book of wartime columns and casts about for a new subject, she receives a letter from the island of Guernsey. This first correspondence brings about several others, and brings the German Occupation of Guernsey during the war to her attention.

Juliet herself is delightful – enthusiastic, good-humored, and straightforward. The islanders of Guernsey come to life in their respective letters, where they relate bits about each other, the war, and the books and friendship that saw them through the Occupation.

The book is essentially light-hearted, even as it shares monstrous things done in wartime. The discrete events shared are small enough to be human, to hit you with the power of individual actions and sacrifice in the face of such monstrosity.

It’s very easy, I think, to write *around* writing, or reading, and take it as read that they’re important. This book brings in enough meat to substantiate that premise instead of talking around it.

Also: I watched the Netflix movie after reading the book. It was well done, but departs in several ways to heighten the drama, which struck me as unnecessary. The delight of the story is how reading got this islanders through terrible times, and how eager they are to connect with Juliet - not how they want to shut her out because the terrible times continue.

Sweet story submitted by crp on August 6, 2020, 10:56am Sweet story that now has a film adaptation!

New favorite book! submitted by aafrutos on July 18, 2021, 8:55pm I loved this book! It was so sweet and such a tender story.

The Netflix movie doesn't do it justice. Read the book!

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PUBLISHED
Thorndike, Me. : Center Point Pub., 2008.
Year Published: 2008
Description: 327 p. (large print) ; 22 cm.
Language: English
Format: Large Type

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9781602852693 (library binding : alk. paper)
1602852693 (library binding : alk. paper)

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Barrows, Annie.

SUBJECTS
Women authors -- Fiction.
Book clubs (Discussion groups) -- Fiction.
London (England) -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.
England -- Fiction.
Epistolary fiction.