Reviews: THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is another popular read among challenge participants.  Here are excerpts from some recent reviews [click their links to read the full review]:

Heather from Book Addiction says:

The characters in Guernsey are beyond real; they truly come alive before the reader’s eyes.  Rarely do I read a book and find myself thinking of the characters as if they actually ARE real people, and while reading Guernsey I became so lost in the story, so lost in the characters’ lives, that I would honestly forget that the story was entirely a work of fiction.

Suey from It’s All About Books says:

I loved it! Not only was it a so called “heart warming” story, but I learned a lot about a place and event that I’d never heard of before.

Christina from Jackets & Covers says:

I wasn’t expecting the epistolary style, and was originally a bit put off by the format. However, as the story progressed, I began to enjoy it. That is, until more and more characters were added to the correspondence and it became increasingly obvious that all the characters sound the same. Sure, they all have their quirks, but without the “From John Booker to Juliet” headers above each letter, I would have been forced to flip to the end of the letter and see who had written the letter to keep things straight.

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric says:

The letters were beautifully written, and they flowed seamlessly from one to another. Each letter was written in the distinctive voice of a single character, yet put together, they created a rich picture of loss, survival, and joy experienced by the people of Guernsey under Nazi rule.

Joanna from It’s All About Me (Time) says:

This beautiful book by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is definitely one of favorite books of the year. I wondered about it because it’s received so many fantastic reviews and I hate when there’s that much hype about a book and then I hate it… but this one is beautiful and touching and interesting and really, really deserves all the praise.

Katrina from Katrina’s Reads says:

I loved it. I fell in love with the characters and place. I would happinly go live in that book.

Jo from Peachybooks says:

Some of the events described in the islanders letters are pretty grim. The starvation, the oppression and almost total abandonment by England are tough to read, but the sense of community that the islanders developed is inspiring, and although this is fiction, the events are not, and it is easy to imagine a small island pulling together like this.

Corinne from The Book Nest says:

It’s a story of surviving a war and putting your life back together afterward. It’s about the thrill of new friendships and the joy of old ones. It’s about finding the beauty in a horrible situation and the people we meet that change the way we live our lives.

And don’t forget to check out Shelley’s seven-word review at ChainReading!

**Attention participants:  remember to email us a link to your reviews, and we’ll post them here so we can see what everyone is reading!**

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