Genre:
Historical Fiction/Romance
Rating:
Five out of Five Stars on Amazon, Audible, and Goodreads
Disclosure:
This is a duplicate of my review on Amazon and Goodreads.
If readers purchase a copy of the book in any format by going through the above link, I will earn a small commission from Amazon.
This wicked book ruined my life.
I am fairly certain that the only reason the authors wrote this story was to let aspiring authors like me see that we don't have a chance of ever writing something this good.
I used to have ambitions. Now my only goal is to sit on the couch listening to this story over and over again while loom-knitting scarves for the rest of my existence.
I truly feel that Audible is the best way to enjoy this story. I was picturing it in my mind the whole time while finally making great headway on a scarf that I've been slowly knitting since last year. Listening to this book was an amazing experience. There are so many wonderful characters that you will meet and love, and a few that you will meet and loathe.
The format is innovative. Set in 1946, the story is told in a series of letters. One meets each unique character through the letters he or she writes. While there is plenty of fun and intrigue, the book also touches on the horrors of war in occupied areas as well as the bombings in London and the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
I laughed. I sobbed. I cheered. I even shouted aloud at one point: "Girlfriend, DUMP HIM!"
I must warn you that there is one truly awful part of this story.
THE END.
I wanted it to go on forever.
Also, if you loved the book as much as I did, you may well hate the Netflix movie rendition as much as I did. It was a complete waste of a wonderful cast and made me want to throw things at my computer screen. Why would you take the absolutely amazing story you'd been given and change the details so much that viewers might well think that they were watching a version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society starring Spongebob Squarepants and Sandy Cheeks filmed by Patrick Starr and directed by Squidward on Opposite Day. Catering provided by The Krusty Krab. Transportation provided by Mrs. Puff's Boating School.
Actually, that version would probably make me less angry than the one on Netflix did. It's not like I expect high art from Spongebob and Company.
Here are my answers to the questions from the Insecure Writers Support Group Book Club.
1. Did you like reading the story through the device of letters?
I thought this was a wonderfully innovative plot device! It allowed for various characters to express themselves each in their own unique way.
2. What was your favorite and/or least favorite part?
I wouldn't say there was a least favorite part, although some parts of the story made me sad. I really enjoyed the friendships made and maintained through the letters. I envied the powerful connections formed by the characters.
3. What part made you cry the most? (Or at least get teary-eyed?)
What happened to Elizabeth was tremendously unfair. It was sad that her daughter would never really get to know her.
4. Isola said “reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” Do you agree with that? Why or why not?
Nah. I can still enjoy reading bad books even after reading this book, just so long as they're the kind that are so bad they're good. I enjoy trash literature sometimes.
5. Which member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society did you relate to (or like) the most?
I liked Isola. She was a free spirit who did her own thing.
BONUS QUESTION. If you’ve read the book and seen the movie, which format did you like more (book or film)?
Because I loved the book so much, I hated the film. They changed some of my favorite aspects of the story, such as the friendships Juliette formed before ever visiting the island. In the film, most of the residents of the island were hostile to her, which was the opposite of what happened in the book. Reinterpreting this wonderful story was the wrong move.
Also, if you loved the book as much as I did, you may well hate the Netflix movie rendition as much as I did. It was a complete waste of a wonderful cast and made me want to throw things at my computer screen. Why would you take the absolutely amazing story you'd been given and change the details so much that viewers might well think that they were watching a version of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society starring Spongebob Squarepants and Sandy Cheeks filmed by Patrick Starr and directed by Squidward on Opposite Day. Catering provided by The Krusty Krab. Transportation provided by Mrs. Puff's Boating School.
Actually, that version would probably make me less angry than the one on Netflix did. It's not like I expect high art from Spongebob and Company.
Here are my answers to the questions from the Insecure Writers Support Group Book Club.
1. Did you like reading the story through the device of letters?
I thought this was a wonderfully innovative plot device! It allowed for various characters to express themselves each in their own unique way.
2. What was your favorite and/or least favorite part?
I wouldn't say there was a least favorite part, although some parts of the story made me sad. I really enjoyed the friendships made and maintained through the letters. I envied the powerful connections formed by the characters.
3. What part made you cry the most? (Or at least get teary-eyed?)
What happened to Elizabeth was tremendously unfair. It was sad that her daughter would never really get to know her.
4. Isola said “reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.” Do you agree with that? Why or why not?
Nah. I can still enjoy reading bad books even after reading this book, just so long as they're the kind that are so bad they're good. I enjoy trash literature sometimes.
5. Which member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society did you relate to (or like) the most?
I liked Isola. She was a free spirit who did her own thing.
BONUS QUESTION. If you’ve read the book and seen the movie, which format did you like more (book or film)?
Because I loved the book so much, I hated the film. They changed some of my favorite aspects of the story, such as the friendships Juliette formed before ever visiting the island. In the film, most of the residents of the island were hostile to her, which was the opposite of what happened in the book. Reinterpreting this wonderful story was the wrong move.
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