Mary Ann Shaffer who passed away in February 2008, worked as an
editor, librarian, and in bookshops.
The Guernsey Literary
and Potato Peel Pie Society was her first novel.
1. What was it like to read a novel composed entirely of
letters? What do letters offer that no other form of writing (not
even emails) can convey?
2. What makes Sidney and Sophie ideal friends for Juliet? What
common ground do they share? Who has been a similar advocate in
your life?
3. Dawsey first wrote to Juliet because books, on Charles Lamb
or otherwise, were so difficult to obtain on Guernsey in the
aftermath of the war. What differences did you note between
bookselling in the novel and bookselling in your world? What makes
book lovers unique, across all generations?
4. What were your first impressions of Dawsey? How was he
different from the other men Juliet had known?
5. Discuss the poets, novelists, biographers, and other writers
who capture the hearts of the members of the Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society. What does a reader's taste in books say
about his or her personality? Whose lives were changed the most by
membership in the society?
6. Juliet occasionally receives mean-spirited correspondence
from strangers, accusing both Elizabeth and Juliet of being
immoral. What accounts for their judgmental ways?
7. In what ways were Juliet and Elizabeth kindred spirits? What
did Elizabeth's spontaneous invention of the society, as well as
her brave final act, say about her approach to life?
8. Numerous Guernsey residents give Juliet access to their
private memories of the occupation. Which voices were most
memorable for you? What was the effect of reading a variety of
responses to a shared tragedy?
9. Kit and Juliet complete each other in many ways. What did
they need from each other? What qualities make Juliet an
unconventional, excellent mother?
10. How did Remy's presence enhance the lives of those on
Guernsey? Through her survival, what recollections, hopes, and
lessons also survived?
11. Juliet rejects marriage proposals from a man who is a
stereotypical "great catch." How would you have handled Juliet's
romantic entanglement? What truly makes someone a "great
catch"?
12. What was the effect of reading a novel about an author's
experiences with writing, editing, and getting published? Did this
enhance the book's realism, though Juliet's experience is a bit
different from that of debut novelist Mary Ann Shaffer and her
niece, children's book author Annie Barrows?
13. What historical facts about life in England during World War
II were you especially surprised to discover? What traits, such as
remarkable stamina, are captured in a detail such as potato peel
pie? In what ways does fiction provide a means for more fully
understanding a non-fiction truth?
14. Which of the members of the Society is your favorite? Whose
literary opinions are most like your own?
15. Do you agree with Isola that "reading good books ruins you
for enjoying bad ones"?