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Friday, December 18, 2009

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society


What a beautiful book.  This is a completely heartwarming story, and you don't want to miss it.

Told in a series of letters, this story highlights the joys and hardships of the people living on the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation of WWII.  Witty and heartbreaking, this novel is not only educational, but complete in every way.  No lose ends are left, making the bow on the cover seem that much more perfect.

I will admit that I like Part I more than Part II.  In Part I author Juliet Ashton (the main character, so to speak) is looking for a subject for her new book when she receives an unexpected letter from a man in Guernsey who bought a book that had once belonged to her.  It's here that we meet the islanders and learn how the Society began (and how it got such a silly name).  I loved this part, because it was full of discovery.  Part II was good, of course, but it was written with more of a third-person feel.  We still learn more about the characters, but we're really learning about events that have just happened, rather than getting first-hand accounts of events or personalities.  I hope that made sense.

 4 out of 5 stars.  I would have preferred the entire book be more like Part I, but I realize that wouldn't have worked as well given the situation of the characters (it's so hard to explain this without giving anything away!).  However, this is such a good story; perfect for uplifting the spirit and closing the book with a sigh and a smile.

2 comments:

  1. I read this one earlier this year and also thought it was fun and beautifully written!

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  2. This was one of my favorite reads this year. I too, liked the characters and the balance between silliness and seriousness. It was also an aspect of WWII I had not read about before.

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