Getting Ready for The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

It's time to start reading The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society for our online reading group! Don't forget to post comments & questions either on the blog or on the abc book banter forums.

Click here to visit the official website for the book-the blog links to articles, contains virtual book group discussion questions, the recipe for potato-peel pie, & more!



About the authors:

Mary Ann Shaffer, who passed away in February 2008, worked as an editor, librarian, and in bookshops. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was her first novel.

Her niece, Annie Barrows, is the author of the children’s series Ivy and Bean, as well as The Magic Half. She lives in northern California.

Click here for the novel's Barnes & Noble page, which gives a longer biography of author Mary Ann Shaffer, an excerpt from the book, recommended further reading, & discussion questions.

Some things to think about as you delve into your reading:

What was it like to read a novel composed entirely of letters? What do letters offer that no other form of writing (not even emails) can convey?

What historical facts about life in England during World War II were you especially surprised to discover? What traits, such as remarkable stamina, are captured in a detail such as potato peel pie? In what ways does fiction provide a means for more fully understanding a non-fiction truth?

Discuss the writers who capture the hearts of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Does a reader's taste in books reveal anything significant about his or her personality?

Who was your favorite character in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society? Do you think books have the power to lift people out of their circumstances? What role did books play in the lives of the Guernsey Literary Society?

This novel is currently in development to be filmed. Do you think this book will translate well onto the big screen? What do you think of movies that are literary adaptations in general?

Just for fun, consider the recent article from a British paper: "Guernsey: Channel isle with a literary landscape".