The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer, 2008
Historical fiction RomanceContemporary fictionLiterary fiction
In 1946, a London writer begins exchanging letters with a Guernsey farmer and the literary society he belongs to—born under occupation from a secret roast pig. Warm, witty letters full of tenderness and humor, moving at a gentle pace through friendship and postwar recovery.
Feels like tenderness, humor and melancholy. About friendship, love and war.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy warm, witty correspondence and a gentle postwar story about friendship. The whole book unfolds through letters, though, so if you want direct narration, the all-letters format may feel indirect.
Why read it
It offers companionship and light wit while taking seriously the scars of occupation, and the letter form makes the Guernsey voices feel close.
A page from the book
What if the loneliest thing is being unable to be silent with someone?
Do you suppose the St. Swithin’s furnace-man was my one true love? Since I never spoke to him, it seems unlikely, but at least it was a passion unscathed by disappointment. And he had that beautiful black hair. After that, you remember, came the Year of Poets. Sidney’s quite snarky about those poets, though I don’t see why, since he introduced me to them. Then poor Adrian. Oh, there’s no need to recite the dread rolls to you, but Sophie—what is the matter with me? Am I too particular? I don’t want to be married just to be married. I can’t think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can’t talk to, or worse, someone I can’t be silent with. Mary Ann Shaffer.Mary Ann Shaffer died in February 2008, before the novel was published; her niece Annie Barrows, a children's author, completed the manuscript.
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Questions readers ask
- Is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy warm, witty correspondence and a gentle postwar story about friendship. The whole book unfolds through letters, though, so if you want direct narration, the all-letters format may feel indirect.
- What is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society like?
- Warm, witty letters full of tenderness and humor, moving at a gentle pace through friendship and postwar recovery. Feels like tenderness, humor and melancholy. About friendship, love and war.
- What should I read after The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?
- If you liked The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, try Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt), Conversations with Friends (Sally Rooney) and The Book Thief (Markus Zusak).
A taste of the feed
Someone is quietly making plans to fix a heart that isn't his.
As a general rule, I like holes. A hole at the top of my tank gives me freedom. But I do not like the hole in her heart. She only has one, not three, like me. Tova’s heart. I will do everything I can to help her fill it.
Remarkably Bright Creatures · Shelby Van Pelt
The person whose description of you becomes the way you see yourself.
After school we used to lie in her room listening to music and talking about why we liked each other. These were long and intense conversations, and felt so momentous to me that I secretly transcribed parts of them from memory in the evenings. When Bobbi talked about me it felt like seeing myself in a mirror for the first time. I also looked in actual mirrors more often. I started taking a close interest in my face and body, which I’d never done before. I asked Bobbi questions like: do I have long legs? Or short?
Conversations with Friends · Sally Rooney
The voice that will carry you away is more polite than you'd expect.
I could introduce myself properly, but it’s not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away.
The Book Thief · Markus Zusak
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