beth castillo

A BOOK REVIEW

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
(spoiler free!)

I've started taking up reading again! Now that lil man is sleeping at night, I can actually crack open a book and comprehend words on a page. Holding lil man while he nurses or naps is the perfect time to read.

I just finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Its a historical fiction set in 1946 England, just after WWII has ended.

Pros

• Setting and content. I don't know much about England after WWII... during WWII... or, anything about England's history at all. This was a fascinating look at the Channel Islands, which fell under German occupation during the war. I enjoyed learning about this corner of the world - the community there was truly a family.
• Characters. Enjoyed the characters. Felt like they were my real friends. Also they had pretty cool names.
• Writing style. Beautiful, clear writing about the sea, fresh air, and cozy homes. I liked the authors' vocabulary. Easy to read - almost comforting, if that makes sense.
• Humor. There were some really snappy, witty, British-y one-liners in there. Some highly amusing back-and-forth between the main character and one of her suitors.

Cons

• Epistolary format. This novel is comprised completely of letters that the characters write to each other. I didn't mind it as much as I thought... but I still don't love it. Constant mental switching was involved (who's this character again, and what did they last write about?). Also, some characters stopped writing letters (their activity was just described by the main character in her own letters), and I missed hearing from them. I really wish that the authors had given each character a more specific tone and style. All the letters are pretty much the same in this respect, so it's like a missed opportunity for characterization. Also, it's only divided into parts 1 and 2, and sometimes it just went on and on. More division may have been helpful. 
• Predictable plot. I could see what was coming from a mile away. I never try to predict the plot or try to "figure out the story" when I read, so... if it was easy for me to do so without trying, that's not good.
• A couple rather strange plot elements. I can't really describe this without giving it away. One specific time I thought... yea this would never happen.

Worth noting: as a WWII novel... there are some sad parts. The authors contain the sadness to a couple of stories that are fairly difficult to read. Otherwise, the novel focuses on the characters healing after the war, and the main tone is uplifting.

Overall, this was a pleasant enough book. I wanted to like it more, but I couldn't get over the letter format. It did have a certain charm to it, though.

The Verdict:  5/10