Carpe diem - Seize the day... What an inspiring thought?

When the bookshop assistant drew my attention to this querky title, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”, my curiosity was alerted and her timing was impeccable, as I also happened to be open to explore new authors and type of read. My spontaneous purchase did not disappoint me, in fact it proved most captivating.

The seed for this book was planted quite by accident. The Author apparently, had travelled to England to research another book and whilst there learned of the German Occupation in Guernsey. On a whim, she flew to Guernsey and was so fascinated by what she saw and heard; many years later using correspondence, tells the story of life there under the German Occupation.

I was never in a hurry to read of war or evacuees, but this tale unfolds in such a moving way that left me quite spellbound.

It is a nostalgic journey which features the sufferings, courage and strength of the inhabitants as well as touching on what enabled them to transcend human barriers.

The description of how the German troops landed can be readily visualised as a result. The departure of thousands of babies and school children evacuated to England is candidly outlined with deep routed feelings alongside an indication of timescale of decisions that had to be made leapt off the pages as I thought how helpful these accounts would be to Year 6 primary school children when sourcing information for their war topic. Improvisation and thrifty solutions that enriched lives also made interesting reading. A romance blossoms within the story with an intriguing twist at the end.

Thought provoking observations and statements are shared such as:

“If one cares deeply about someone or something new, one throws a kind energy out into the world, and fruitfulness is drawn in.”

“Dignity can ruin your life, if you let it.”

“Children have a beautiful light, before the Age of Reason gets at them.”

The Daily Mirror sponsored an essay competition, 500 words on “What Women Fear Most” is an integral part of the story. First Prize went to Juliet’s tale of how she was afraid of chickens far more than she was of men! Yes, there is humour too....

This is the only novel by Mary Ann Shaffer, who due to her decline, asked her niece, Anne Barrows to help her to finish it. Mary Ann once said, “All I wanted was to write a book that someone would like enough to publish.” It transpired to be a huge triumph.

Mary’s charm was described as, “her willingness to be delighted by people, their phrases, their frailties, and their fleeting moments of grandeur.

A dimension to your reading list that MUST be included.