Novelist Plus summary: In 1946, writer Juliet Ashton finds inspiration for her next book in her correspondence with a native of Guernsey, who tells her about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club born as an alibi during German occupation.
12 comments:
I would love for this book to be the RARI 2010 book of the year. I grew very attached to the characters and at the end, I wanted to travel to Guernsey myself and join their book club.
This is a beautiful personal story intertwined with an accounting of the after-effects of the war.
I loved this book and think it would be a great choice for RARI. It is the perfect combination of an engrossing story and an education of an occupied British island during WWII. I did not want this book to end.
This book would be an excellent choice! It's a very well written, engaging story with historical merit. Many people are probably unaware that the Nazis occupied a British island during WWII. Lots of interesting discussions would arise from group reading of this title. It has great appeal on many levels.
I am currently listening to the audio tape of this title - read in the different voices for all the authors of the letters. The audio is excellent - I am enjoying the book even more than I did when I read it the first time, when I found reading all the different letters a bit confusing. What is standing out to me upon this 'reading' more clearly is the gentle humor of the Guernsey villagers as well as the sadness of some of the events that take place - what a great novel to turn into reader's theater or to dramatize in some other way.
Comprised of a series of letters, this book's format and genre are a nice contrast to previous year's book selections. The book flows so well even though it was not completed by the original author, who sadly passed away. The budding romance at the end seems well-equipped for a possible sequel.
I couldn't agree more with all the comments thus far. The book was a joy! Who couldn't love the villagers' honest, poignant responses to what they were reading? Who doesn't want to travel to the Channel Islands after reading this little novel? (I want my book club to reread 84, Charing Cross Road along with it.)My only concern is that the book is SO popular...would the author come to little old Rhode Island?
I loved this book and delighted in spending time with these characters. I believe it would have broad appeal, yet also provide much material for discussion, particularly on how humans deal with horrendous circumstances.
I loved the historical information in this book. I learned a lot about what happened to the Channel Islands during WWII and what it would be like to be occupied by another country. I also loved the the format of being written in letters.
I know I am going to be in the minority here, but I also thought that the book didn't have as much "meat" as some of the other choices. The characters all seemed a little stereotypical - the gay guy friend, the nosy neighbor, the "earth" mother, the handsome cad, the guy you at first overlook who turns out to be a gem. And it was all a little too predictable and "neat and tidy" at the end. Again, I know I'm probably in the minority in my assessment on this one, but my book club felt the same way. While everyone liked it well enough, no one was really able to figure out what all the fuss is about his book. *please don't throw garbage me* LOL!
I, too, think this book would make a good RARI book. The format is creative and it's a fast read. The title alone was enough to pique my curiousity. I have worked with high school students in the past on RARI books and I think this would be an excellent choice for young adult readers, as well.
I agree with all the comments left so far: it would be a good choice because of the historic element and it is not as "meaty" as the other possibilities but it would appeal to a cross section of readers.
This is a story of the German occupation of the island of Guernsey. It shows the relationship between a British author in London and a number of people on the island. We learn about the characters and their lives through their letters to each other.
The characters, who are fictional, are wonderfully drawn and show a mixture of courage, steadfastness, occasional quirkiness, and imagination. Topics for discussion the book would offer include life under Occupation, heroism, the British, and letters as a form of literature (not to mention British cooking!)
The book might appeal slightly more to women than to men, especially at the beginning. The story becomes more compelling the further you get into it.
Author Mary Ann Shaffer is deceased; co-author Annie Barrows, her niece, lives in California. The book is available in paperback and CD-ROM.
I really don't get what all the fuss was over this book. With all the press it was getting I was really expecting a book I could not put down. That was certainly not the case. This was a book that my book club read and not one of the 10 of us loved it. Unlike "Water for Elephants", which was your choice 2 years ago.
"Guernsey" was readable but I did not really feel connected to the characters and did not really care at all how things turned out. The history of the area was interesting but I must say I did not like the format that the book was written in. I found the letters to be confusing and until about half way through the book had a difficult following them.
This would certainly not even be a book that I would recommend for someone to read so I hope it is not our statewide choice.
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