Book Review for Online Book Club: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer Part II
This is the second half of my review of this book, the first half can be found here. I meant to post this last week but got distracted!
The second half of this book is set in Guernsey, on the Chanel Islands. To research her piece regarding how people coped during the war, Juliet goes to Guernsey to meet her pen pals and learn more about their experiences and those of their friends and neighbors. Juliet finds herself quickly at ease with her new friends. More comes to light about the fate of friends at the hands of the Germans, and modern day treachery also threatens Juliet’s reputation at the expense of her new family. As any book that deals with the horrors of war should, there is also love, both romantic and familial. The common and individual tragedies of the war help to bond the people in this book together, and to help them go forward to build new lives.
Like the first half, I very much enjoyed this, it was quick to read, occasionally confusing because of the letter set up. I really identified with Juliet and other characters in the book, rooting for them during their trials and laughing with them on their adventures. An easy read, I would definitely recommend this. If you’re a history buff, you might find the romance a bit distracting, but I think it brings heart to the novel.
I’d consider myself a history buff but I’m not so wrapped up in it to be unable to enjoy the romance and the hilarity of the valuble poem theft. I think Dorkys picked a wonderful for book for us to read and am grateful for the opportunity to share reading it with you.
Oh I probably would’ve been bored out of my mind if it didn’t include the heartfelt bits. I didn’t think intertwining that love story was distracting at all! It wasn’t over the top or in your face, so I appreciated that, but I also liked that it sort of balanced out all the harsh conditions these people had to live with for five years. It just showed that no matter what, they’re still human inside capable of love in spite of every reason to turn to bitterness and hate.
Dorkys: I agree, I liked the romantic notion, I was just thinking someone like my dad, who is a history teacher, wouldn’t probably care for that aspect of the story though he might enjoy the rest.
IntenseGuy: It was a great book, good call! It was fun to do a book club this way.