I picked up a copy of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and was surprised by the format. The story is told entirely by letters - mainly between residents of Guernsey, a writer and her editor. "January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British Island once occupied by the Nazis. . . As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."
The Channel Islands are just off the coast of France, and have an interesting history. Although a British Crown Dependency, they are self governing and have a different tax system from the British Isles. Some of the letters referring to the German occupation reminded me of a visit there as a child. In particular, the stark and eerie German hospital constructed in the side of a hill. The letters brought to light many of the harsh conditions that the Island endured during the occupation. Lack of food, for both the islanders and the occupying solders. Construction workers were given no food and left to their own devices by foraging at night. But despite the hardships, the book shows camaraderie, friendship and a band of neighbors who form the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. They withstand the oppression together. This would make a great book club read - reader's guide hereIsland at War was a miniseries based on another Channel Island, Jersey, and would be a good companion for the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
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