Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Author: Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2009
Pages: 248
Rating: 4/5

Another book I chose for the War Through the Generations - WWII challenge was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I found the title of this book to be quite interesting and I was curious as to what the Potato Peel Pie was and what it had to do with a literary society. Once I found out this was a book set in post WWII I definitely had to read it, especially since everyone I know raved about it.

It is 1946 and Juliet is searching for a topic for her next book. One day she receives an unexpected letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of Guernsey who came across a book once owned by Juliet. Dawsey and Juliet start exchanging letters and soon Juliet becomes interested in Guernsey, the German Occupation and the society that Dawsey was a member of. It is not long before other members of the society start corresponding with Juliet, each telling her their experiences of the Occupation. Juliet falls in love with the members of this society and decides to visit Guernsey in an attempt to gather more material for her book. Here she meets some extraordinary people and learns about the hardships that the Occupation brought for the Islanders, and the courage they had to get through it.

I love reading historical fiction about WWII and I definitely recommend this one. It is written in the form of letters, mainly to and from Juliet, which is the main character. I thought this was a great way to portray the views of the different characters and it made their experiences seem more personal. I found myself attached to all the characters, especially Juliet where at times her wit really cracked me up. Although dealing with a topic like WWII and the suffering that the people went through in this time, it is told in a lighthearted and humane way so as to make the book very enjoyable to read. I really didn't want this book to end, but I was pleased with how it ended as I am a sucker for happy endings. Seriously though who doesn't love one? However I must mention that if you are looking for an in-depth book about the German Occupation in Guernsey, this is not it. You have to keep in mind that this is fiction which is pleasantly written and great for a light read, so you should not expect a lot of detail on the Occupation itself.

My favorite quote from this book was made by Isola in one of her letters to Juliet, when I read it I had to stop and laugh - "Men are more interesting in books than they are in real life." I think this holds true not just for men, but characters in books are generally much more interesting than anyone I know!