Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The title of
the book is long-winded, but the book is equally captivated. The book explores
the themes associated with readership, sheer exuberance of reading, and letter
writing among readers and writers and readers vs. readers. To understand this book, consider this
equation: a book you read years/months ago has been landed to some other reader’s
by any means, now you get a message from that reader discussing about that
book, and then communication commences between both of you. Exchanging ideas
and sharing more on reading hobby – kind of pen friend. It’s a great stuff.
Based on the
similar lines is the great novel: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie
Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Well in this novel, you will
find modern modes of communication (like email, social media, cell phone)
missing, well then telegrams, letter writing, and diary writing were the best
means for exchanging views and sharing thoughts. Thus, you will find this novel
narrated through letters: a traditional
way of communication that is lost and dormant today.
The novel
explores the plight of readers stranded during the bad times of WW-II. The
place is Guernsey, an island in the English Channel not so far from the coast
of Normandy. There accidentally a group of readers has been formed into
unbreakable bonding, subsequently an offline reading club has been created, and
the beauty of this club is that they are connected through letters.
From one of
the clubs, a member called Dawsey Adams comes ahead and writes a letter to a
young female writer Juliet who lives in London. He informs her about the book
in which she has written about famous essayist Charles Lamb. She being
interested and intrigued by the club writes back to know more about it.
Following
their exchange, we get to know more about other members of the club, and
writing letters becomes a thing of common among these connected readers and
writers. Their letters give us the descriptive view of the place and the
hardships inured following the break of the war.
At the same
time, the novel digs into the private lives of characters and paints the
influence of war on them. During wars how staunch starvation and lack of other
basic commodities impact the lives of innocent people has been brought out with
undefiled subtlety. Nevertheless, the writer has not heeded much on the war
circumstances, rather has put these awry things in witty and humorous way.
During the tough times of war how humanity worked in tits and bits is also
shown with the scenes like German soldiers dropping vegetables like potatoes and
carrots onto the pavements and streets for famished children.
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