By now, pretty much everyone has heard about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and many bloggers have already read and posted about it, so I am a little late to the party. I’ve had my copy sitting on my nightstand since the day it came out, but wanted to be in just the right mood to read it. That mood came long a few days ago, and I am happy to say that this little book is as charming a read as everyone says. Comparisons to 84, Charing Cross Road are common and also well-deserved (although I still prefer the latter).

Comprised of letters mainly between Juliet Ashton, a London writer, and the residents of Guernsey, one of the channel islands of the coast of France, which was occupied by the Germans during World War II, the book is an homage to reading and the impact that books can have on our lives. It’s also a glimpse into the horrors of war, from the perspective of the civilians, whether they have had their houses bombed, their town taken over by the enemy, or suffered the imprisonment of concentration camps.

Juliet receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a Guernsey farmer and member of the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, who found her name inscribed in the flyleaf of a book about Charles Lamb, and so begins a friendship not only between Juliet and Dawsey, but between her and the rest of the society. It’s not long before Juliet succumbs to the charms of Guernsey and its inhabitants, traveling to the island and forming deep and lasting bonds with the islanders.

While the book is lighthearted, it never makes light of war and its consequences. It’s no small accomplishment that the authors managed to broach such difficult subjects while still maintaining the book’s charm. I would not be surprised if Guernsey notices a boost in their tourism figures over the next few years, as readers fulfill a dream born of this book and make their own journey to the island.