January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

Reviews

In 1946 England, writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a man living on Guernsey, recently liberated from Nazi occupation. So begins a correspondence that introduces Juliet to members of a unique reading group. Charming and optimistic without trivializing its dark subject, this debut epistolary novel celebrates the power of books to connect and comfort people during difficult times. (LJ 7/08) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume "Izzy Bickerstaff") writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate--and not-so-articulate--neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident--including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation--and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life--as will readers. (Aug.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"I can't remember the last time I discovered a novel as smart and delightful as this one, a world so vivid that I kept forgetting this was a work of fiction populated with characters so utterly wonderful that I kept forgetting they weren't my actual friends and neighbors. Treat yourself to this book please--I can't recommend it highly enough."--Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love"
"Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have written a wondrous, delightful, poignant book-- part Jane Austen, part history lesson. The letters in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society aren't addressed to you, but they are meant for you. It's a book everyone should read. An absolute treasure."--Sarah Addison Allen, author of Garden Spells
"A jewel...Poignant and keenly observed...A small masterpiece about love, war and the immeasurable sustenance to be found in good books and good friends."--"People"
"It's tempting to throw around terms like 'gem' when reading a book like this. But The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is not precious...This is a book for firesides or long train rides. It's a charming and timeless as the novels for which its characters profess their love."--"San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
""A book-lover's delight, an implicit and sometimes explicit paean to all things literary."--"Chicago Sun-Times"
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""I've never wanted to join a [book] club as desperately as I did while reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.... [The novel] is a labor of love, and it shows on almost every page."-Yvonne Zipp, "Christian Science Monitor
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"As the letters unfold, Juliet--and we readers--learn the little-known history of German occupation of Guernsey. We come to know the brave and endearing people who survived the hardships--and a few who did not....In addition to a fine story, this delightful book offers affirming messages about some of the most enduring forces in life--the power of the written wor