Book Report: Guernesy Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

I was actually put off by the silly title for quite a while, but I was glad when I finally read it. The characters were charming, and it was a fun, quick read.

I loved this book but have heard some people thought it was rubbish, to my surprise! I thought it honest and charming, I hadn't known about the wartime history of the Channel Islands (to my shame, since we have a cottage on the French coast not too far away!) and I usually enjoy stories from the period. Amazed that it was by an American author – it's rare for an American to sound so British (and that's a compliment from someone English!!).

I also really enjoyed Frances Woodsford's "Dear Mr. Bigelow", which is really similar in tone, though a true story, postwar letters from an English spinster to an elderly American gentleman she'd never met. Very much the same vibe, I thought…
More down-to-earth (and with a great movie version) is "Housewife, 49", also just postwar but a little less cheery. Also true and a great social history.