|
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | 
 enlarge | Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Publisher: The Dial Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.00
Buy New: $12.05
You Save: $9.95 (45%)
New (28) Used (8) from $12.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  106 reviews
Sales Rank: 16
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 0385340990
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780385340991
ASIN: 0385340990
Publication Date: July 29, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Fast and Professional Shipping (no shipping to: APO, FPO, POBs, AK, HI, PR). Thank you!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” 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.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 101 more reviews...
 Truly charming. August 20, 2008
I don't throw words like 'charming' around much, but this book really is. It's Jane Austen-ish, but better in that it's not certain who our heroine will end up.
But don't be alarmed; it's not sappy or silly or one-dimensional like Austen can sometimes be (much as I love her wit). Deadly serious and affecting are the stories of how the tough people of Guernsey survived the German occupation.
IF YOU LOVED THIS BOOK YOU MUST READ: The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. It's so good. The patois is hard at first, but it's one of the most satisfying and absorbing books I've ever read.
 A Delightful Trip! August 20, 2008
I passed on this book several times, then decided to purchase it and I was delightly surprised! It's a quick read which gives you a very good feel of Guernsey life during and after the German occupation. The many characters are pretty well fleshed out and the ending is tied up in a pretty bow! I love the "letter format" of this novel!
A Best Friend Book August 19, 2008
I fell in love with all of the characters. I didn't want it to end, and when I finished, I did something I have never done before, I reread a good portion of it. Hopefully book number 2 is almost done and ready to be published.
Charming chick lit August 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A charming piece of chick lit, with a little bit of serious history thrown in. I was somewhat uneasy, however, about some aspects of the story that seemed a little unlikely for England so soon after the war (World War 2, that is). Life immediately after the war was, economically, as bad or even worse than during the war. You'd never realize that from many of the details in the book. However, few American readers will have grown up in post-war England, as I did, and few will know much about life there immediately after the war so I predict that most readers who enjoy a light read with some redeeming social value will enjoy this book enormously.
A pleasant change of pace for me August 18, 2008
I normally don't read fiction, but the odd title of this book caught my attention, and I'm so very glad it did! It was a quick and easy read, very hard to put down once I started. Through a collection of letters and telegrams this book tells the story of the Guernsey islanders during and immediately following WWII.
A donated book that belonged to Juliet Ashton makes its way to the island and is read by Dawsey Adams, who then writes a letter to Juliet. An author, she writes back to him and eventually the other residents begin corresponding with her too. Intrigued, she decides to visit the island and slowly unravels the story of what they endured during the war. Under German occupation, they were completely cut off from the world, kept under strict curfew, and barely had enough to eat. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was created out of necessity to cover an incident in which an "illegal" pig feast was nearly discovered by the Germans, but it ended up being a weekly outing the islanders could look forward to to get through those miserable and uncertain days.
I not only found the story touching, sad, and entertaining at times, it also made me want to find out more about the island, the occupation and the Todt slaves in particular.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
