As usual there are several books by my bedside table. I don’t have any dogs on the go right now. One is a bit dark and hard to get into. One is for an on-line book discussion. Then last night I finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows.

I’ll just say it. Loved it! 5 stars!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is written entirely through letters, or the correspondence between a writer named Juliet Ashton, her friends, and the people of Guernsey as they tell the tale of their life on the island during the German Occupation.

In a small way (without the privilege, wealth, and war) the camera could be turned on some characters of Bowen Island and there would be similar quirks if folks told their story through letters.

I loved the way the authors wrote. Yes, authors. It took two to tell the story, as Mary Ann Shaffer got sick before it was done, so her niece stepped in to finish the book.

I enjoyed the story and the suspense and especially the format. I think there something delicious about reading other peoples mail.

Writing letters is almost a dead art, writing great letters even more so. I still send letters, and this book inspires a desire to spend more time on them. To write a good letter and really say something. My friend Anna says, you just need to say one interesting thing in a letter. This book is proof.

The story itself is lovely. There is the harsh reality of how people deal with being victims of war, mixed with living in community. And of course there is a love story as well.

I think this would be a good book to read out loud to someone.

I love a good read and this was. I didn’t want it to end. I woke up wondering what the folks of Guernsey are doing today!