Mary Ann Shaffer – The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Reviewed by Barbara Simpson on 5th Feb 2009

This novel is written in the form of letters exchanged between Juliet Ashton and her publisher, friends and acquaintances. It is set in 1946. For the last few years, Juliet has been writing a humorous newspaper column entitled “Izzie Bickerstaff Goes to War” twice weekly for a newspaper and has now been commissioned a piece for The Times on the importance of reading.
Out of the blue, she receives a letter from a man in Guernsey saying that he is reading a book about the essayist Charles Lamb that once belonged to Juliet – it has her name and address inside. He tells her he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and of course she is intrigued by the name so writes back to find out more.
The correspondence that follows begins to give her an insight into life on that Channel Island during the German Occupation and when other members of the Literary Society are persuaded to contact her, she is delighted by their differing reminiscences and anecdotes about that awful time.
The book is funny, sad, poignant and absolutely charming. Mary Ann Shaffer, an American lady who most sadly died last year, has captured exactly the devastation and bleakness of London in the aftermath of the Blitz, the slightly forced enjoyment of the return to normality as well as the emotions and fortitude of the Islanders who survived the bleak Occupation.
It is a wonderful read. I was extremely sorry to finish it and I know I will read it again. Please give it a go. In fact I will quite gladly buy a copy so that I may re-read over again.