Island of Strength-- THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -- Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

"Be Satisfied With What You Already Have." -- Chinese Fortune Cookie

It's easy to forget just how lucky we are.  We have so much that we take for granted.  I sometimes get caught up in minute details that seem so important, though later it seems silly that I even cared.  Did I really need to have a Carolina Herrara wedding dress?  Was it really that important?  (Ok, well, that's a bad example because that really was a great dress...)  The point is, I often forget how truly blessed I am and how fortunate I am to have a home, a wonderful husband, the bestest dog in the world, and family and friends whom I love.  Not everyone is so lucky.

The characters in the wonderful novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society have far less than I.  Guernsey,  a small British island dividing the channel between France and England, was occupied by the Germans during WWII. The book brings us the stories of residents of both London and Guernsey in the aftermath of the war.  

What makes the novel so delightful is the style in which it was written.  Rather than prose, the book is a series of letters written between the characters.  It's such a personal way to tell a story; we learn about each character in an intimate setting, in their own words, and in their own voice.  These letters remove the facade that can sometimes accompany stories told in the third person.  We're offered many perspectives with one common thread-- we, as the reader, are invited to be a part of personal conversations that we'd normally never hear.  As a result, we're involved in the story.  We begin to look forward to the next letter almost as much as the characters seem to.

I won't give away details of the story, but I will reveal a bit about the book's title.  The Germans instituted a nightly curfew for island residents during the war.  A group of residents was caught out past curfew and stated that they were part of the Guernsey Literary Society.  To prove that such a group existed, the residents held another meeting and invited the Germans along.  As a desert, Potato Peel Pie was served.

I'll admit, I was leery of reading the book because it had such a strange title and I was initially off-put by the letters.  But, the Guernsey residents taught me something about the values of life.  They showed me that it is possible to be satisfied in the face of monotony, rations and occupations.  They showed me that life isn't about who has the latest Iphone or big tv, but rather about making the most of what you already have.  I learned that creativity goes a long way-- it turns mundane potato skins into pie.  And, most of all, I learned that nothing is more important than friendship.  

When I think about the Guernsey residents from WWII, I think first about the occupation and the hardships.  I think "there but for the grace of God go I."  But, the truth is, even with all their hardships, it's clear that they were blessed.

Unbroken Bonds-- SARAH'S KEY

SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana De Ronsay

My husband teases me because he says I'm always reading books that make me cry. I told him that some stories are just too powerful; it's impossible not to have a visceral reaction. Sarah's Key is so immensely moving that I am still affected by the story, more than two months after finishing the book.

I don't like to give much away when I review a book, especially if I didn't know the story ahead of time. But, I'll give you a basic premise- Sarah and her brother live with their family in Paris during World War Two. They are Jewish and the story follows Sarah throughout the war. We learn about Sarah's family through an American reporter living in present-day Paris. While I typically get frustrated when stories flip back and forth from past to present, I appreciated de Rosnay's use of this technique here. Sarah's story is so heavy that readers need the breaks provided by Modern Paris. At the same time, it's fascinating to learn about the context in which today's Paris looks back upon the Paris of 1940. It's obvious that memory can be manipulated.

In my last post, I mentioned that the characters in good books stay with you long after the final page. After reading her story, I've chosen to lay Sarah to rest in my mind. I needed to say a proper goodbye to her because her story is so moving. At the same time, I carry with me the knowledge that Sarah represents so many real people who suffered during the war. I can only be grateful that de Rosnay created such a moving tribute to the victims.