The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A NETFLIX FILM • A remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.
“Treat yourself to this book, please—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“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.
Praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
“A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends.”—People
“A book-lover’s delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“A sparkling epistolary novel radiating wit, lightly worn erudition and written with great assurance and aplomb.”—The Sunday Times (London)
“Cooked perfectly à point: subtle and elegant in flavour, yet emotionally satisfying to the finish.”—The Times (London)
“Treat yourself to this book, please—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“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.
Praise for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
“A jewel . . . Poignant and keenly observed, Guernsey is a small masterpiece about love, war, and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends.”—People
“A book-lover’s delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary.”—Chicago Sun-Times
“A sparkling epistolary novel radiating wit, lightly worn erudition and written with great assurance and aplomb.”—The Sunday Times (London)
“Cooked perfectly à point: subtle and elegant in flavour, yet emotionally satisfying to the finish.”—The Times (London)
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Community Reviews
“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” is such a heartwarming story. It’s funny, sweet, and full of characters you can’t help but love. If you like books about friendship, love, and the power of stories, this is a perfect pick!
Love, love, love this book. It's a novel you start to believe is true - and reminds you why you love reading.
I listened to this as an audiobook that had a large cast of narrators to cover all of the different voices, and I adored it. I didn't know much about the book going into it, I knew I had liked the movie and one of my favorite narrators (Rosalyn Landor) was included. It is much better than the movie. Despite being told in epistolary style, the characters feel so rich and real. It was easy to see how Juliet would grow to love them, and they to love her.
What a charming little novel! I picked this one up on a whim. I remember when this book was really popular, oh, seven years ago or so. I was much more inside libraries then (volunteering, being the child of a pair of librarians, you know, the usual) and I remember this book title coming up frequently. At the time, it conjured images of little old ladies knitting and talking about books. Perhaps there was a mystery in there somewhere! But, like so many novels during that period of my life, when reading for school was practically overwhelming and quashing my desire to read anything else, I didn't pick it up.
Coincidentally, I have recently begun to check out audiobooks from my local library's digital collection. I have discovered they are easy to navigate and excellent entertainment whilst one does other things, like cleaning or crafting or taking a stroll or driving to Phoenix. To fill in the time, as well, I've been choosing short books. I have yet to read anything over 9 hours, which means I've barreled through a few books this way this December. I am quite excited about it! I don't even remember how I got to this title, but I do remember thinking, "Hmmm, this was quite popular a while back; hmmmm, it's only 7 hours or so..." and checked it out.
It is stupendously charming. It is written in epistolary fashion, and centers around a woman interesting the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the Society's many members, all of whom are entertaining and varied characters. What I didn't realize is that this book was about the time immediately after WWII (I confess I didn't even look at a summary before checking it out), and that Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war. The GL&PPS was started accidentally (to explain why some islanders were out after curfew [it was because they had been eating a roast pig and were enjoying themselves so much they forgot about the curfew altogether]) and ended up becoming a legitimate literary society. It sounds like a fun society, as well, because it's not about everyone reading the same book (I have yet to have a good experience with such a book club) but about everyone reading different books and then the meetings are the members telling everyone about the book they read and trying to convince them to read it, too. I would be smashing at that.
Anyhow, this book is quaint, British to the extreme, and endearing. I heartily recommend it for people who enjoy things like Beatrix Potter books and letter-writing and Jane Austen. And if you don't like stuff like that, keep away because I don't want to hear about how you didn't like a book you weren't going to like in the first place. It's too cute and sweet to be spoiled like that. For those of you who do like Beatrix Potter and letter-writing and Jane Austen, pick this book up immediately and enjoy yourself thoroughly.
Coincidentally, I have recently begun to check out audiobooks from my local library's digital collection. I have discovered they are easy to navigate and excellent entertainment whilst one does other things, like cleaning or crafting or taking a stroll or driving to Phoenix. To fill in the time, as well, I've been choosing short books. I have yet to read anything over 9 hours, which means I've barreled through a few books this way this December. I am quite excited about it! I don't even remember how I got to this title, but I do remember thinking, "Hmmm, this was quite popular a while back; hmmmm, it's only 7 hours or so..." and checked it out.
It is stupendously charming. It is written in epistolary fashion, and centers around a woman interesting the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the Society's many members, all of whom are entertaining and varied characters. What I didn't realize is that this book was about the time immediately after WWII (I confess I didn't even look at a summary before checking it out), and that Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war. The GL&PPS was started accidentally (to explain why some islanders were out after curfew [it was because they had been eating a roast pig and were enjoying themselves so much they forgot about the curfew altogether]) and ended up becoming a legitimate literary society. It sounds like a fun society, as well, because it's not about everyone reading the same book (I have yet to have a good experience with such a book club) but about everyone reading different books and then the meetings are the members telling everyone about the book they read and trying to convince them to read it, too. I would be smashing at that.
Anyhow, this book is quaint, British to the extreme, and endearing. I heartily recommend it for people who enjoy things like Beatrix Potter books and letter-writing and Jane Austen. And if you don't like stuff like that, keep away because I don't want to hear about how you didn't like a book you weren't going to like in the first place. It's too cute and sweet to be spoiled like that. For those of you who do like Beatrix Potter and letter-writing and Jane Austen, pick this book up immediately and enjoy yourself thoroughly.
A lovely read, told in the form of letters between a London-based writer, Juliet Ashton, right after WWII, and the colorful characters who live on the far flung island of Guernsey. An initial letter from a man from the island to the writer soon leads to her long-distance relationship to many of the island residents, who tell her about what life was like under German occupation. Ashton becomes so intrigued by the people with whom she corresponds that she visits the island, and finds her life changed as a result. The characters are well defined and the writing is very skillful.
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