Book Review; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Ahh, I absolutely love this book. I just finished it for the second time and highly recommend it. I will try not to include any spoilers, because I love reading reviews that don’t spoil books for me.

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

This is the kind of book that you just fall in love with. The characters, the story, everything. It also makes me want to travel to Guernsey.

The book is set in London and Guernsey, after World War 2. When my friend told me to read this, and gave me that as the description, I turned up my nose. The title sounded silly and unnecessarily long. I've read a few other books that were written entirely in the form of notes or letters like this one and I wasn't interested. Didn't sound like my kind of book, but she persisted. Boy, was I wrong and so glad I was.

The main character, Juliet, is hilarious, silly, stubborn, lovable and so real. She just seems like someone I would like as a friend, warmhearted and genuine. There are so many characters to keep track of, that at the start I was a bit confused and had trouble remembering who was who but I eventually got it, and when I did, there was no character I didn't love (or at least, feel the same way that Juliet did). I feel like all the characters seem believable, their stories as interesting as the one before, and the relationships ordinary but amazing, touching, and unique.

Honestly? My favourite part about this book was reading about people – and feeling like I was a part of their group – that loved reading as much as I did. That truly believe reading is one of the most essential parts of life. It was one of those books that fills me with the most satisfying, lovely feeling of accomplishment when I am finished. Like, you feel completely relaxed and your heart is happy and full. But my mind is wide awake, wanting more – I wish this book was longer.

This is absolutely one of the most delightful books I've read. The pages just fly by and while you will learn a little of what happened to Guernsey during World War 2, you will learn much more about love and friendship. I absolutely, unequivocally, with my whole heart recommend that you read this book. If you do not love it, like I, please don’t tell me.