The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I've read several reviews of this book, and they've all been favorable. I'm throwing my lot in with the rest. I absolutely loved this book. It's written as a series of letters and is set just after the end of World War II. The main character, Juliet Ashton, is a writer in search of her next book idea when she receives a letter from Dawsey, a resident of Guernsey (Channel Islands). He's in possession of a book that originally belonged to Juliet, which had her name and address in it. Dawsey writes to Juliet who lives in London to find out how he can get more books by and/or about this author -- Charles Lamb. Other Guernsey Island residents begin writing Juliet and she soon becomes obsessed with these people who lived through a Nazi occupation during the war. Thus begins a correspondence that leads to life-changing events for everyone involved.

I fell in love with these characters, especially Juliet, Dawsey, Sidney, and Isola. I laughed out loud more than once at the shenanigans of Isola. The book is full of wit and charm, but there are also passages that tear your heart out as you read about what it was like for the islanders during the Nazi occupation. In the end it's a look at life, love, and the humanity and inhumanity of people during the most difficult of times. Like the old saying about hardship either bringing out the best or the worst in people -- it's all here in this book. One of the things that I really liked is the way that the author made some of the German soldiers on the island human -- instead of portraying them all as monsters. Governments start wars, and it's the ordinary citizens as well as the soldiers that have to deal with the aftermath of those decisions.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society of the title is a book discussion group that began in an unexpected way and allowed the members to find solace in the pages of great books and in each other's company. This book was over way too fast. I wanted it to go on.