Book of the Month - June 2011 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Book

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set in the years after World War Two. It is the story of an English author, Juliet Ashton, who embarks on a new writing project and in the process begins a correspondence with a native of Guernsey, Dawsey Adams. Soon, Juliet is drawn into the lives of Dawsey and his friends who form the society. Juliet is welcomed into the community and through her eyes and writing we learn about the experiences of the islanders during the War.

This novel is billed as a celebration of literature, love and the human spirit.

The Author

Mary Ann Shaffer was from West Virginia, United States. She worked in bookshops and was also an editor and librarian. Her lifelong dream was to write and publish her own novel, which came true with the publication of this particular book, which is her first and only novel. Sadly, Shaffer died in 2008 of cancer shortly before the book was actually published and her niece Annie Barrows helped her finish the book.

More Information

For more information about the book see: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey/

Happiness is....

This is so true.........or even better...is reading a good book and having a great big cup of tea!

The Start....

The Ponders End Book Club is a reality. The group has been meeting since January 2011, once a month to discuss a range of novels and new members are always welcome.

So far we've discussed books about ghosts, love and friendship spanning over 20 years, the fallout from an Australian barbeque, a thriller set in Bible belt America and a book inspired by the Josef Fritzl case - quite a range, as you can tell....

The books are "Her Fearful Symmetry", "One Day", "The Slap", "The Killing Place" and "Room".

Some we've loved, others we've found disappointing - all have provoked intelligent discussion and fresh perspectives.

If you've not read these books already, you might want to see the page in this blog which lists the average rating we've given for each book along with a very short analysis.

You can also find out more about who we are, when and where we meet in London and details of of the books we are due to read over the coming months.

Happy reading!