On the advice of Heather*, I bought a book this weekend with a fascinating title: The Guernsey, Literary, and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel. It is written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Mary Ann was an editor and a librarian and also worked in bookstores. She died in 2008, and I believe her niece Annie completed the book.
The story takes place in Britain immediately following WWII. It unfolds through an exchange of letters between Juliet (an author), her publisher, friends, and others. Aside from Heather's recommendation, it was the quote just inside the front cover that kept me from putting the book back down on the table: I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. Isn't that a good quote? To a reader, it rings true, makes perfect sense, and reassures with the fact that the right book will always find us.
I'm only on page 24, but I'm hooked. I'm in, I'm believing it, I'm intrigued, I like these characters, and am entranced by the story as it is revealed, letter by letter. I've just come to the part where Juliet explains a broken engagement: the man packed away all her books. Can you believe it? The nerve! To a person who loves words, and to whom books are companions in life, consigning those companions to boxes... just cause for dismissal without question.
I must get back to it now...I have to find out what happened next.
*Heather puts stickers with her name on books. Presumably this increases sales.
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