Published by Dial Press on 29 Jul 2008
Goodreads | Amazon
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, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb...
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society's members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.
This novel is completely told in letters. Due to the epistolary form, the story required a little more effort on my part to learn the characters by name and immerse myself at the beginning, but once I figured out who was who and what was what, I found myself anticipating the next letter as if I were the one receiving it. The pacing picked up and the end felt a little abrupt, but it was a sweet if simplistic ending.
That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book.
In comparison, the Netflix film adaptation (which I watched first -- guilty!) was a lot more focused on the relationship between Juliet and Dawsey, whereas in the novel, many more members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were able to shine, and I was absolutely charmed by them. Lovers of literature and history will enjoy this one!
