(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With World War II raging all around, British writer Juliet Ashton tried to lift people's spirits by penning humorous pieces for her newspaper column.  Now that the war's over, she wants to write a novel.  The only trouble is she can't for the life of her figure out what it should be about.  

When Juliet receives an intriguing letter from Dawsey Adams, a dock worker who lives on the island of Guernsey, her interest is piqued.  She's especially curious about The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club Dawsey and his friends formed during the war as a spur-of-the-moment excuse to explain to the occupying soldiers why they were breaking curfew.  As Juliet exchanges letters with Dawsey and other colorful members of the club, she becomes fascinated by their lives, the history of Guernsey, and the people's experiences during the war.  The more she corresponds with the islanders, the more she realizes she's found not only a fascinating subject for her book but also a new crop of dear, dear friends.  

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a charming novel told entirely in letters.  As you can tell from the plot summary, it's a character-driven tale—and what characters they are!  The beauty of this story really lies in its quirky cast.  Because of the islanders' lively personalities, the letters they write to Juliet are colorful and fun.  There isn't a lot of action to be had in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so it feels a bit slow, especially at the beginning.  It gets better as it goes, however, and readers will soon find themselves wrapped up in the story of Guernsey.  I knew nothing at all about the island, so the historical bits interested me.  Like any book lover would, I also appreciated the novel's many nods to the power of books to bring people together, spur animated conversation, and comfort people in times of strife.  While I know plenty of people who absolutely adore this book, I ended up liking it, not loving it.  Still, it's definitely worth the read.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.