Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 6/4/2021 + 1178 more book reviews

Very enjoyable novel written in the form of letters (epistolary novel). I wasn't sure at first if I would like this form of writing (I had never read another epistolary novel) but as I got into it, it turned out to be very unique and quite enjoyable. The story is about a writer named Juliet who receives a letter in 1946 from a stranger from Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands between England and France) after finding her name and address in a second-hand book by Charles Lamb. The stranger's name is Dawsey Adams, who is a farmer on Guernsey and is also one of the founders of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a literary book club on the island. He asks for the name of a bookshop in London so that he can obtain more writings by Charles Lamb. Juliet is intrigued by the letter and wants to use the literary club for an article she is supposed to write for the newspaper. Well this leads to a series of letters between the often quirky residents of Guernsey and Juliet. Juliet finds out that the literary society was originally formed as a ruse to hide a pig-bake from the Germans who occupied Guernsey during WWII. The novel consists solely of letters between Juliet, the Guernsey residents, and her other friends residing in London including her publisher, Sidney. Juliet eventually visits Guernsey and falls in love with the place and its people.

This was mostly a very enjoyable look at Guernsey and its residents after they had suffered through five years of occupation by German forces. But the novel does deal with some very bleak sides of this occupation including heart-wrenching descriptions of German concentration camps where some of the Guernsey residents were sent for various infractions. The book was also full of literary references related to the books the society were reading. There was also a quirky tale of a visit from Oscar Wilde and letters he wrote to one of the residents. Overall, a very likable, pleasant, and satisfying read.

There is also a 2018 movie based on this novel that is currently showing on Netflix. I'll be watching it soon.

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