The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Thanks to Kristie for hosting the discussion of this delightful book after our original host, Janet, had to drop out of this month's gathering! Kristie started us off with a bang with the question (furnished, like those to follow, via www.readinggroupguides.com) of how we all liked reading this type of format (the book is written as a series of letters). Most loved it; Betty admitted that at first she was very turned off by it, but as she grew accustomed to the format she loved it. We all felt it very quickly gave us a good sense of the characters, and Kristie thought the letter format allowed an enhanced style of language the authors wouldn't have been able to pull off using traditional dialogue. Dianne reminded us that during the time period of the book (immediately following World War II), there would have been mail deliveries more than once a day, so the quick replies were certainly feasible.
Next we discussed Juliet's friendships with Sidney and Sophie, with Mark, and with her new friends on Guernsey. Everyone felt Sidney and Sophie were adept at keeping Juliet grounded in the way that families do (as an orphan, Juliet had no other family). Although he was universally deemed a "great catch", Kathleen felt Mark was great on paper, not so much in real life. Kristie pointed out that everyone's idea of a great catch is different. Our first impressions of Dawsey were "salt of the earth" and "reticent"--making him a very different kettle of fish compared to everyone else in Juliet's immediate circle! As far as the mean-spirited correspondence that Juliet receives, accusing her and, later, Elizabeth of being immoral, we felt it was an accurate portrayal of what goes on in small towns; as Dianne said, "there's one in every town". And although Juliet and Elizabeth never actually met, as "noticers" they were certainly kindred spirits. Dianne noted that Elizabeth was the sort of person everyone would like to have in their corner. And with Kit, even more than with Dawsey, Juliet finds the person that gives her life meaning. Despite Juliet's fears that she will not make a good mother, our group had no qualms about her parenting skills. Kathleen said Juliet's enjoyment of the Dead Bride game--and her reluctance to give it up--were what would make her a good mother.
We agreed all book lovers are alike in some way, regardless of their generation, and thought the stories of Juliet breaking off her engagement (after her fiancé banishes her books to storage so he can display his trophies) were very indicative of this. We all also agreed with Isola that reading good books spoils your enjoyment of bad ones!
An interesting question posed by Kristie was whether we thought the book's realism was enhanced by the side thread of Juliet's vicissitudes as a writer. (We did.) Kathleen thought it was a happy juxtaposition to have read this directly after reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, in which so much of the author's tribulations creating the book wound up being part of the story.
Some historical facts in the book that surprised us were the German occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII, and also the islanders' fraternization with the Germans during the occupation. Shirley and Betty both thought the book painted an accurate picture of life during the war. Dianne thought the book handled a serious subject in an enjoyable way, and liked how even the awful things were handled very matter-of-factly; Carole agreed, saying this made the tragic events palatable. Betty thought the islanders didn't seem like--or see themselves as--victims. Kristie thought this made the story even more enjoyable, and Dianne thought it was also a typically British to adversity.
Our regular meetings will recommence in September.
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