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Discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer (2008). The novel is an epistolary story, told entirely through a series of letters written by the characters in 1946.
Plot: London writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a resident of Guernsey, who found her name written inside a book. Their correspondence, along with letters from other members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, provides Juliet with a look into life on the island during the recent German occupation.
The Society: The book club was initially invented as a spur-of-the-moment alibi by a group of islanders to hide the fact that they were caught breaking curfew by the occupying Germans. This charming and eccentric group includes pig farmers, phrenologists, and other literature lovers.
Characters: Through the letters, Juliet is drawn into the lives of these new friends, hearing their humorous and heartbreaking stories of survival. The central mystery revolves around Elizabeth McKenna, the society's founder.
Themes: The book explores themes of community, the horrors of war, and the healing power of literature and human connection.
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Oporto Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club, Rua Campo Alegre 532,Porto, Portugal
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.
