white waxflower

You may remember that a few months ago I wrote a little book review for Frankly, My Dear. Well, I've read a few books since then, but they were all kitschy Christmas books (except for one very sad Christmas book by Truman Capote which I don't think I'd recommend, too sad for the holidays), so I haven't done a book review in a while!

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and I loved it. If I had to sum up the book in one word, it would be "charming". It's very cute and, for the most part, a light read. It has a very colorful cast of characters, and it will leave you feeling like you know all the members of the Potato Peel Pie Society. My mother was the one who first told me about it, and it was on my list of books to be read, when my book club selected it as our next book!

It's the story of a young woman and serious book-lover, Juliet, who lives in London and writes a well-known fictional series. One day she gets a letter from an eccentric-sounding man named Dawesy, who is a resident of the island of Guernsey and a fellow book-lover. This letter from a stranger kicks off a series of events that take Juliet on a big adventure. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll stop there, but I do highly recommend this book. It takes place in the year immediately following WWII, so do prepare yourself for some disturbing facts and stories about the German occupation of Guernsey, and the bombing of London. The book definitely doesn't hold back any facts of the terribleness of the war.

One unique thing about this book is that there's no narrative. The story is entirely told through letters sent between Juliet, Sidney (her publisher), her friend, her manager, and of course .. the members of the Literary Society. I really enjoyed this twist on a novel, and it will really make you want to write long, newsy letters to all your friends.

It's very funny, very fresh, and very entertaining.