The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

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This book was recommended to me and for a while I had been putting off buying this book as I was unsure whether I would enjoy it.

The book starts off slowly, and a few letters in I was still a little sceptical about this book and didn't think I would like it. I decided to persevere with the book and was glad that I did.

The idea of the book being written in a series of letters is a unique way of telling this story, and I'm not sure that this would have been quite as good having been written in chapters. I was able to dip in and out of the book reading a letter or two at a time, but usually ended up reading more.

The story is heartwarming and full of friendship, laughter and kindness, despite this book being set in the years following the German occupation of Guernsey. The book is a series of letters between the main character Juliet, her best friend, her publisher and the various (rather interesting) members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 

Juliet wrote a newspaper column during the war, but now in 1946 is unable to write the novel that she would like. She receives a letter unexpectedly from Dawsy Adams (a member of the Literary society) who is now in possession of a book by Charles Lamb that was previously Juliet's book. This initial letter then leads onto letters being sent to Juliet from the other members of the Literary Society, and it is through these letters that she learns the story of how the Literary Society started, and also about the lives of the individual members.

This book may not be for everyone; I recommended this book to my mum and after reading almost half of the book my mum thinks that the book is ok, but isn't as struck by this book as I am.

I thought the book was really well written, and maybe it isn't completely accurate, and is a little stereotypical in it's characters and what has happened, however, this book has a special something for me. I think I will definitely read it again in years to come. Beautifully written.

My rating 4.5 Stars!!