Elly Reviews THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
1. School started on August 1 and that has been all we've had time for! We sincerely apologize for having nothing new to review!!! Now that we've gotten into the groove of school, I'm sure we'll have more to share.
2. How was I so late to the GUERNSEY party? I have checked this book out at least once or twice the last several years but I never started it. Because I want to watch the Netflix movie, I finally buckled down and started reading it, which brings me to this review.
This book deserves FIVE STARS! I don't give five stars out often or with little thought. Most recently, I gave Silas House's Southermost five stars for the same reason Guernsey gets them: a beautiful story that gave me characters that I wept with and cheered for. A five star book goes beyond entertaining or enjoyable. I am moved and wowed by a five star and Guernsey did just that.
I will admit that at first, the set up of a novel in letters didn't excite me. I think that is why it took me several tries to get started on the book. Once I was able to establish who the each of the characters were and how they fit together, the letters were no longer an obstacle.
The gist of this book is that Juliet, a young writer in post-war London, takes an interest in the history of the occupied island of Guernsey and begins corresponding with the people there to learn more of the heartbreak they endured and the resilience they developed during the German Occupation, particularly the stories that surround a brave young woman named Elizabeth. Juliet eventually moves there and finds that the stories she has heard have become part of who she is.
I truly loved this book and the characters created by authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It was sweet, sad, and hopeful all at the same time. Tonight, I think we will watch the movie and see how it stacks up. Half of the cast came from Downton Abbey so I imagine it will be delightful as well!
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