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It's been a long time since I've read an entire book in less than 24 hours. Admittedly, it was only 240 pages long and I didn't have anything to do at work today, but still, it just goes to show that it was a really good book.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer was an unexpected birthday present from people who know my tastes well. With its light-hearted tone and epistolary style, it immediately reminded me of The Enchanted Chocolate Pot and how that book inspired four epistolary stories of my own (and my mother's) - the most fun I have ever had writing anything.
So, we were off to a great start even before the book had asserted its own identity. As it turned out, there is more to The Guernsey ... Society than just fluff. The wonderful humour is counterpointed beautifully by the very well-researched and intensely emotive stories of the German occupation of the Channel Islands in the Second World War.
The whole thing is quintessentially British - quirky characters, staunch perseverance in the face of suffering, making the best of things and finding things to laugh about even in the darkest times - an impressive feat for an American writer. It's clear that Shaffer did her research well and was very attached to her subject matter.
The second half of the book is less varied and more contrived, as there are fewer excuses to write letters once the protagonist joins the majority of the other characters on Guernsey. This unfortunately results in the loss of some of the best voices, and makes some of the subsequent letters feel a little forced. There is also the sudden and incredibly brief introduction of a bizarre subplot concerning some mysterious inherited letters, which I deemed unnecessary, and the shift from letters to diary entries towards the end seemed strange as well.
However, it is mostly very well written and well balanced - and the whole thing is highly enjoyable.
Now I just have to decide if I've had enough of a break to carry on with Karen Miller and The Awakened Mage or if I want to read something else first - Guernsey was all over too quickly!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer was an unexpected birthday present from people who know my tastes well. With its light-hearted tone and epistolary style, it immediately reminded me of The Enchanted Chocolate Pot and how that book inspired four epistolary stories of my own (and my mother's) - the most fun I have ever had writing anything.
So, we were off to a great start even before the book had asserted its own identity. As it turned out, there is more to The Guernsey ... Society than just fluff. The wonderful humour is counterpointed beautifully by the very well-researched and intensely emotive stories of the German occupation of the Channel Islands in the Second World War.
The whole thing is quintessentially British - quirky characters, staunch perseverance in the face of suffering, making the best of things and finding things to laugh about even in the darkest times - an impressive feat for an American writer. It's clear that Shaffer did her research well and was very attached to her subject matter.
The second half of the book is less varied and more contrived, as there are fewer excuses to write letters once the protagonist joins the majority of the other characters on Guernsey. This unfortunately results in the loss of some of the best voices, and makes some of the subsequent letters feel a little forced. There is also the sudden and incredibly brief introduction of a bizarre subplot concerning some mysterious inherited letters, which I deemed unnecessary, and the shift from letters to diary entries towards the end seemed strange as well.
However, it is mostly very well written and well balanced - and the whole thing is highly enjoyable.
Now I just have to decide if I've had enough of a break to carry on with Karen Miller and The Awakened Mage or if I want to read something else first - Guernsey was all over too quickly!
