The procrastination levels are high, my friends. I was supposed to have had this review mostly finished about thirty minutes ago but – LO AND BEHOLD – this thing called Pinterest snatched my attention away from more important matters, like writing blog posts.

(*coughs* What? I totally wasn’t looking at pictures from The Patriot and mourning the loss of very good looking fictional characters. *coughs again* Nope not at allllll. *avoids eye contact*)

Coming back to what I intended to do…

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was a lovely little book. It turned me into a semi couch potato all morning. (Haha potato and Potato Peel Pie… I was probably the only one who found that funny. Moving on…)

Guernsey’s simple but enchanting plot was wonderfully drawn out by its memorable characters from Guernsey Island, and Juliet of course. I would have to say that Juliet was my favorite character, as cliche as it sounds to say the main character was your favorite, its true. She had such spunk and personality and she really jumped off the pages. She’s great.

Now, you’re probably wondering who this Juliet is. Mrs. Shaffer’s and Mrs. Barrow’s book tells the story of an author, Juliet Ashton, who begins correspondences with members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society.

In the way of plot, there truly isn’t much to speak; Juliet befriends the islanders and learns of their experiences during the German Occupation of Guernsey during WWII. Of course, there are some more details to the story, but these were the bare bones.

What makes Guernsey such an endearing read was its characters. In reading a novel composed completely of letters, one truly got to see each character come to life. I felt that I could reach out and touch Juliet, Dawsey, Isola, Kit (aw, dear little Kit), Eben, Amelia, and even dear Elizabeth.

Each was so well-rounded and uniquely themselves that I wished I could go to Guernsey and meet them all. Tragically, they are fictional, as some of the best people are (*sniffs and wipes eyes*).

(This is super random, but does anyone else ever feel like they’ve lost a friend when they finish a marvelous book or movie? I’m personally offended when an author decides to kill one of my favorite characters. *cough cough the patriot*)

I enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, for its unique characters and story, I mean can you expect something cliche with that kind of a name? What I truly gleaned from it was a deeper appreciation for reading and how books draw people together even in the worst of circumstances. I believe that’s what the authors would have liked us to take away.

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true.”

Isn’t that just the loveliest quote you’ve ever heard?

Now, while I was throughly charmed by Guernsey, it does have a couple of issues that need to be addressed.

1. Language – although not as bad as it could have been, there was a sprinkling of profanity and usage of God’s holy name in vain.
2. Homosexuality – there is one character in the novel who identifies himself as a homosexual. For the most part, this is never seen in the story, rather its a known fact about a fairly prominent character. If this turns you away from reading it, I completely understand. However, I will say that it isn’t really even a part of the plot. I felt that this was overshadowed by the greater story but I do believe that this is not God’s best for us.
3. If you’d like to know why I consider both these matters offensive (I DO NOT hold grudges against those who practice either of these, on the contrary I feel love for them. However, I do not hold an affection for profanity or homosexuality) you can contact me through my contact page.

Overall, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was a delightful little book. It was a refreshingly simple yet good read after War and Peace. (Notice how much shorter this review was than the one of War and Peace?) The movie, starring Lily James, is coming out later this mouth so I highly encourage you to read the book before it comes out on the big screen!

Question: What have you been reading lately? I’d love to know!