Great Minds Think Alike

So I get this email from Leslie on Thursday:

“I am only 30 pages in, but you have to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I’ll loan you mine next time I see you.”

I love the cover as much as the story!

Funny thing is, I had just purchased a copy to take away for the July 4th weekend.

The book was so good. I started and finished it in about 36 hours. I have to admit, I am a sucker for a good an epistolary novel. (My dream in graduate school was to write one, get on the Oprah show and say the phrase “epistolary novel” to the world at large – crazy dream!) Anyway, the format made me nostalgic for the days when I was an avid letter writer, and actually inspired me to send a postcard to my friend at City Lights who sold it to me, thanking her.

If you love books, great characters, romantic settings and a good dose of history, I guarantee you will not want to leave Guernsey. I know I didn’t.

Published in: on July 6, 2009 at 7:40 pm  Comments (2)  

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  1. On July 7, 2009 at 3:06 pm Sheila said:

    Another YA book set during WWII that I loved was “Summer of My German Soldier.” It is a great coming of age story by Bette Greene.

  2. On July 7, 2009 at 1:31 pm Leslie said:

    I loved this book! It actually lived up to all the buzz and hype. (I’m ashamed to admit, I can be the sort of reader who resists something I’ve heard too much about. I’ll get tired of hearing about it before I even pick it up. But I’m also a weak-kneed sucker for period pieces set in England, especially during or between The Wars. I am so the target audience for all those adaptations on PBS! But I digress…)

    “Guernsey Literary…” made me laugh out loud many times, which thankfully balanced out the more heart-rending parts. It does deal with wartime experiences, after all. It also made me want to read “84 Charing Cross Road,” another epistolary novel (taking note, Sheila?) set in England… in part in a bookshop, even!… that has been recommended to me many times by many people over the years, and as I write this I can’t imagine why I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet.

    Though “Guernsey Literary…” is targeted to the adult market, I think it would be a great read for teens who enjoy period pieces (like the recent YA hit “What I Saw and How I Lied,” set in post-WWII America). Speaking of which, adults who enjoyed “Guernsey Literary…” should take a look at “What I Saw….” It’s by Judy Blundell. In hardcover now but paperback will publish in January 2010. The protagonist is a teenage girl whose stepfather returns from the war, bringing leftover wartime intrigue with him. Doesn’t have the sparkling humor of “Guernsey Literary…” but does have terrific period detail and mood, compelling characters, intrigue and romance (not of the teeny bopper kind–intended for ages 14 and up). I have probably sold this about equally to teen and adult readers so far.


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