The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer must have the best title and one of the best jackets of the year. It’s written entirely through letters, which would usually put me off, but I was drawn into this straight away. It’s 1946 and writer Juliet is searching for a subject for a new book. A chance letter from a man on Guernsey sparks an interest in the islanders’ lives under the German occupation and she begins a correspondence with various members of the eponymous society. I really liked these letters, which gave such an insight into the characters of the senders. I especially enjoyed the literary criticisms they sent Juliet: Isola Pribby complaining of the uselessness of the male Brontës; Clovis Fossey wanting to woo a woman with love poetry but being shocked by Catullus because ‘you couldn’t say those words to a nice lady’. As well as the island story there’s the tease about Juliet’s love life and the mystery of what happened to much loved Elizabeth, who was everyone’s friend. If the characters do seem more like homespun American folks than Channel Islanders, never mind; they’re still very charming. I think ‘charm’ is a word which will be used a lot about this book. ( Read on )