I've just finished reading Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's absolutely deserving of its own post, but I feel like it has already been written about so much by other book bloggers, I'm not sure I have much more to add to the discussion. You are probably already familiar with the plot? The novel is made up of a series of letters written primarily between author Juliet Ashton and a group of Guernsey Islanders shortly after World War II. The correspondence is initiated by Dawsey Adams who came by a used copy of Charles Lamb's essays that once belonged to Juliet. Dawsey writes in search of a London Bookshop where he can find a biography of Lamb and hopes that Juliet can assist him in his search. Thus begins a long and happy friendship between not just Dawsey, but some of his fellow islanders.
Guernsey Island (I didn't realize it was so close to France--closer it seems than it is to Britain) was occupied by the German Army during World War II. They were entirely cut off from mainland Britain during the War and suffered many privations. The Guernsey Literary (and potato peel) Society was formed by accident after an illegal dinner party that included a contraband (and therefore very dangerous) pig. When some of the diners were caught returning to their homes after curfew, the excuse was a literary gathering had kept them out late and would the soldiers like to join them in the future? That's to whet your appetite, as there is a lot more to this story.
I enjoyed it immensely and was sorry to finally turn the last page. It's garnered all sort of accolades from other readers, and I have to join them in their praise. It is an utterly charming novel. Delightful even, and I don't bestow these adjectives on just any book. Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road usually comes to mind first when I'm flinging those words about. Of course this is not to say that the story is not without it's sad moments. There are plenty of those too. There's just so much in the book to like, it's hard not to fall in love with it--the people, the island, the story. If you've not yet read it but are considering it, nudge it up your pile. It's a clever premise and the author pulls the story off wonderfully. Now I'll be looking for more books about Guernsey Island and the Occupation (of course).
For something entirely different I've already decided that The Seamstress by Frances de Pontes Peebles is next. Although it's set in a period not too far off from the Shaffer book, the 1930s, in many other ways it is a world away (or half a world as the case may be)--Brazil to be specific. It's supposed to be "an incandescent saga of family and loyalty."
And then do you ever have an overwhelming urge to read something completely out of the blue? I've pulled out Jo Nesbo's Nemesis. Suddenly I'm very much in the mood to read about Harry Hole. I really enjoyed The Redbreast earlier this year and snagged the other books by Nesbo translated into English so far (he's quite popular in Norway). I've pulled the next book in the series out of my stacks as well. I have this bad habit...finish one book...start two new ones...Can you see why my book pile never seems to dwindle down to a respectable few?