Minutes August book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows




(chosen by KM)



KM chose this book once again on the recommendation of her GP who has a great track record of suggesting bookclub book choices! She read it initially at the beginning of the year and subsequently twice more, and enjoyed it each time.

Mary Ann Shaffer was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, in 1934. Her career included libraries, bookstores, and publishing, but her life-long dream was to "write a book that someone would like enough to publish." 

When Mary Ann was goaded by her book club to write a novel, she immediately thought of Guernsey as a subject. She had become interested in the island many years earlier and had visited it on a whim. While there, she was stranded due to a thick fog and read all the books in the Guernsey airport bookstore, including Jersey under the Jack-Boot. Thus began her fascination with the German Occupation of the Channel Islands.

She chose to write in the epistolary form because, "for some bizarre reason, I thought it would be easier." It took several years to write the first draft, but at that point her health began to decline and she asked her niece, Annie Barrows, to help her finish the book.

Annie Barrows, whose career also included libraries, bookstores, and publishing, is the author of the Ivy and Bean series for children, as well as The Magic Half.

(general biographical detail from Annie Barrows' website)

What the publisher says about the book:

January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

What we discussed about the book:

• What we thought of the telling of a story in a epistolary form. Were we able to follow what was happening? Did you need to read the detail (date/place/person) more carefully?
• How did this book weave historical fact into fiction?
• In what ways was each character's 'voice' created through their letter-writing? How distinctive were the voices?
• Why did Juliet reject Mark? Was it a choice between him and writing?  What makes a 'good catch'? How much did Juliet actually know about Mark who she saw often, compared with what she knew about Dawsey through his letters?
• At what point did we realise that Sidney was gay? How did the author reveal this information?
• The power of Elizabeth's character throughout the book, even though she was the one without a 'voice'.
• How much we enjoyed Mr Booker's character - the valet who took on the Lord's identity.
• What does this novel say about the nature and role of bookclubs? What did this literary society offer (escape from drab reality, support for each other, laughter, relief from boredom)? Is this true of all bookclubs? Why do bookclubs continue to flourish?
• What did this novel say about the raising of children through the way Kit was passed from one member to another of the society?  Is it about taking a village to raise a child?
• Were we surprised to learn this book was written by an American? Why did we think the author was English?
• Was this an optimistic book?

 And then we were sidetracked into:

• How delicious does the potato peel pie recipe sound?!
• The history of the Channel Islands. Why is it that for some tiny islands with relative small populations, we have all heard of them/know someone who has visited them/know something about them? 
• The evacuation experience for children during Second World War. Would we be prepared to have let our own children be evacuated? Could this scenario ever be repeated?
• Were mail deliveries more frequent at that time than they are today? In some case several letters were exchanged in the same day (e.g Juliet and Mark) Were they hand-delivered by a messenger?
• Could this book have been written by a younger person? Do younger people have the same respect for the medium of letter-writing?
• How we were reminded of the TV series The Vicar of Dibley when reading this novel.
• The serendipity of Juliet's book (with her address) being found in Guernsey. Do we 'release books into the wild'? (ed: I have, through http://www.bookcrossing.com/)

In other news:

• We were enlightened as to the meanings of some of the Internet slang kids use when messaging: POS, LOL, LMAO, MILF
• Once again we discussed the goings-on at David Jones. 
• We ruminated about nudity in the home...
• After over 10 years as a bookclub, we decided that the layers of the onion are starting to peel off!
• We discussed whether it is kosher to be a member of a second bookclub... do the No.1 Ladies need to give permission first?!?
• Last month's minutes created many  'matters arising' which were re-discussed for the benefit of ladies absent from that meeting.

Ratings:
Range: 6 to 9.5
Average: 7.94

Next book: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (chosen by KE)