For bibliophiles, a book about books, authors and
reading clubs is nothing less than sheer delight. And the Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society is exactly that. Mary Ann Shaffer’s first and only book
is based in the London of 1946 and post occupation Guernsey of the Channel
islands.
The title is nothing but uncanny for a book and now a
motion picture. Juliet Ashton is an upcoming author who wrote Izzy
Bickerstaff Goes to War. While her book was doing well and she was doing
readings across England, she was keenly looking for new subject to write on. It
was then that she gets a letter from one Dawsey Adams of Guernsey.
Dawsey came across a book by Charles Lamb which it
seems belonged to Juliet. Finding her address on the book, he wrote to her
requesting her to send him some more of Charles Lamb’s works. Dawsey in one of
his letters talked about the Guernsey Literary Society. The name stuck Ashton
and she got curious.
This was followed by a detailed interaction with other
members of the literary society. The entire book is written in the form of
letters. It unfolds that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was
the spontaneous creation of Elizabeth McKenna when their small group was
apprehended by German soldiers. They had to find an excuse as they were
visiting Amelia Maugery and eating a roasted pig which was hidden away from the
German soldiers.
But with time the literary society acquired reality
and it was their book club meetings and reading which helped them get through
the difficult period of the occupation. When Ashton moved to Guernsey to know
more about the club and write about it, she discovered more about the book club
members and their days under the occupation.
Guernsey was allegedly to be made a model occupied
territory where the locals were supposed to live alongside the soldiers. But
wars are difficult time to survive. While many amongst the Germans were also
wary of the war, the soldiers at times had problems with the locals –
especially when they took away all the food and livestock. Elizabeth got
involved with a German soldier and had a baby. But she was caught helping one
of the workers who deserted the Germans and was send to the concentration
camps.
With no news of Elizabeth, her daughter Kit grew up in
the loving company of Elizabeth’s friends and they awaited Elizabeth’s return.
But what came was a long letter from Remy, someone who stayed with Elizabeth at
the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Remy wrote that even in the camp she stood
up for what she believed.
In concentration camps, women were not given sanitary
napkins while menstruating. Blood run through their legs and soldiers would
harass them for such mess. Elizabeth was shot when she stood up to a soldier
beating up a menstruating girl. While Juliet moved to the tiny island for a
story, she found much more in it.
The movie tried to do justice to the story. While the
original storyline was kept more or less same, there were plot lines and
characters left out. Remy’s character was left out and how Elizabeth died was
kept vague. While movie length requires editing, keeping this would have made
the movie as good as the book.
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