The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Authors:  Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I started reading this book on my Nook and was confused at first (doesn't take much).  I didn't realize the entire book was written in letters and notes (epistolary style).  It took me 20 pages or so to get used to it, but once I met all the characters, it all made sense.

The book takes place at the end of War World II.  The Germans had occupied Guernsey in the Channel Islands during the war.  Juliet, an author living in England, is searching for a subject for her next book.  She receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a native of Guernsey, and a friendship blossoms between the two, as well as several others that live on the island.

Though the format of the book is different, the characters are wonderfully developed and you fall in love with them immediately.  Because it's written in letters, each character has his/her own voice.  I learned so much about what it would have been like during the German Occupation and the courage it would have taken each one to survive.  I think that's what made each character so endearing. 

I actually found a lot of humor in the book - through Juliet's letters - that revealed her wit and sarcasm (traits I love).  I cried at one point, and wanted to cheer in the end. 

Great book.