Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

The group had an enjoyable discussion about the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Everyone liked the book, with only one person saying she liked the book but felt the ending was a little too contrived. The book is set on the Island of Guernsey right after World War II. The island, which belongs to England, was invaded and occupied by the Germans. The story told the sufferings the people endured during that time. During that time, the group formed a society for the discussion of books. It was formed in an instant by Elizabeth to cover up that the Islanders had been eating a pig! One member presented a book for an evening. The format of the book is unique. It is written completely in the form of letters. Although members of the group at first had a hard time getting used it, ultimately they enjoyed it. They found they learned more about the characters in this format, and in letters more is said than in verbal conversation. The characters came to life. The group discussed some of the difficulties the Islanders faced. One was the Tots, or the slave labor the Germans brought in. The Tots were not given anything to eat, so they had to forage at night. However, at the same time, the Islanders were starving and had to defend their food. One women commented on the difficulty of making that choice. Someone brought up the statement which one of the Islanders made: "reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones." The entire group disagreed with that statement. One woman said that "every so often you need to read fluff." The group talked about Elizabeth's heroics on the island which sent her to a concentration camp, and her continued heroics at the camp. Someone thought it was wrong for her to be heroic when she had a child on the Island. Others thought you don't know what you will do unless you are in that situation. Another person said sometimes you need the courage to know there are some things you cannot change. The group also talked about Juliet, an author from London, who became involved with the Islanders, and had her life changed by them. Overall a delightful read.