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BOOK
ILLUMINATIONS
From Merrimon Book Reviews
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ROMANCE
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AUTHORS REVIEWER
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The Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer
and Annie Barrows
A humorous and moving celebration of book
lovers and friendship
Juliet Ashton, an author famous for humorous stories during the World
War II, searches within herself for a more meaningful subject for her
next book. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Guernsey from a
man who discovered her address on the inside of a used book of selected
essays by Charles Lamb. Dawsey Adams asks her for more titles and tells
her of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club
invented to evade Nazi punishment for breaking Nazi curfews. As Juliet
and the members from the Society begin to write letters to one another,
Juliet feels drawn to their stories of surviving the German occupation
as well as their thoughts on books and the war and each other. The more
they correspond, the more Juliet feels drawn each and everyone. When
she decides to visit Guernsey, she makes meaningful connections with
members who forever change her vision of World War II and her future
direction.
Told through a series of letters from Juliet, her publisher, friends in
London and new penpals, THE GUERNSEY
LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY is filled with a gentle
humor, diverse lovable characters, and heart-warming stories. Stories
of courage and friendship emerge as the reader hears the varied voices
of the correspondence. Having lived through the war, Juliet searches
for something of substance, something beyond her London life. The
stories revealed through letters create a portrait of a place with all
the foibles but most of all the love, strength and inventiveness of
human beings in the face of an increasingly difficult existence under
the occupation of Germans and left to defend themselves. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE
SOCIETY centers around the heart and soul the society, Elizabeth
McKenna, the force that held Guernsey together. The reader captures a
glimpse of her and of all the residents through the eyes of others. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE
SOCIETY deceptively appears to be a fast-paced book but each
letter draws the reader more and more into the heart of the characters
and their unique voices. Like Juliet, I began to cherish each letter
for its own world. THE GUERNSEY
LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY had me smiling, laughing
and close to tears all the way to the delightful, uplifting end.
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND
POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY will appeal to all book lovers, to those
who not only read but cherish books. The authors together
celebrate books and the power of books to change lives and hearts. All
sorts of titles from classics to romance and all sorts of readers from
literary fans to those using poetry to woo to the most no nonsense
practical reader grace the pages of this book. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE
SOCIETY is a book to treasure and reread as well as a great gift
idea for anyone who shares a love of books and moving stories of
courage and humor in the face of adversity.
Publisher: The
Dial
Press (July 2008)
Reviewed by Merrimon,
Merrimon Book Reviews
Review Courtesy of Amazon Vine
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