Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Yes you read correctly folks: this book was written by two women. Flaw number one. I can just picture two small town hermit cat ladies giggling over the utter silliness while still in full costume from a red hat society meeting. Not remotely funny! Nor was this book!

To quickly summarize: this novel is a compilation of letters to and from the protagonist, Juliet, a thirty-something single female who has, along with the rest of the characters, just survived World War II. She makes unexpected pen pals with the inhabitants of Guernsey, one of the few islands in the English Channel, as she learns their harrowing, tragic stories of survival during the German occupation. The island's inhabitants inadvertently formed a sort of literary society while hiding from the Germans. The formation of the society itself is alleged to be the result of a hysterical mistake which, come to find out, was not hysterical in the slightest. The first of many instances where the authors' (no doubt fervent red hat society elders) attempts at being clever were entirely disappointing.

First, the naivete of the characters was downright phony. Don't get me wrong- I have always been a sucker for a pen pal. The thought of a letter dropping into my lap from a stranger asking me to help him find a rare book sounds like an absolute dream. But these characters are so silly and adolescent- at the end of the day, it's a corny, whimsical story written by two women who lack the imagination to thoroughly develop even their main character. Take Juliet- typical mediocre protagonist who seemingly exists in a vacuum. Unlimited time, unlimited resources, and dragging us all through her journey in choosing between an obvious Mr. Right and an even more obvious Mr. Wrong (did I mention it was also predictable?). First sign I wouldn't like this book: the front cover flashes an endorsement by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love. Another phony read and subject to almost identical criticism (though I do appreciate the fact that she brought some international culture to readers who probably otherwise wouldn't have ventured there...).

Save your $10. Or, better yet, spend it on any Russian River Valley Pinot Noir- 2006 or 2007 will do 'ya. xo