Sep 13th, 2010 by Lori
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” - Juliet Ashton
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a story told through letters during the shadow of Nazi occupation in Guernsey during World War II. Juliet Ashton, an author in London, is having trouble finding inspiration for her next book. Her life will change when a letter is received from Dawsey Adams, who came across Juliet’s name and address written inside the front cover of the The Essays of Elia Selected by Charles Lamb. She is drawn into Dawsey’s world, and out of her own, as she learns more about this “book club”, The Gruensey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and its endearing quirky cast of members.
Book Club Party Ideas and Recipes
Decorations
Decorations for this book club party can reflect some of the items that the characters held close to their hearts.
A carpe diem paperweight was the only thing Juliet salvaged from her demolished apartment.
When Juliet went to Elizabeth’s cottage, she tells Sidney “In every nook, I find little things that tell me about her… shells, bird feathers
Sidney gave many gifts to his Guernsey hostesses: To Kit he gave Elsbeth the Lisping Bunny(a character from a fictitious children’s book), red sequin shoes
This is what I imagine Elsbeth the Lisping Bunny to look like.
He gave a cuckoo clockto Isola as a thank you for having Sidney as her house guest. Isola writes to Sidney I do like my cuckoo clock. How cheery it is! I run in the kitchen to watch it. I am sorry Zenobia bit the little bird’s head off, she has a jealous nature…His little perch still pops open.
A great way to store your utensils for the party is in a sea grass basket.
Music
“This is an album of songs from Guernsey, an island off Cornwall but much closer to Normandy, and the music is as odd and captivating as the particular brand of French in which it is sung. The music, even to a not-particularly-sophisticated ear, seems a combination of Celtic twang and French charm, with unexpected springs of rhythm amidst melodies that are as graceful as swans…” –Robert Levine
Menu
For the appetizer, I served Bean Jar Soup, a dish that has been a part of the Guernsey culture for centuries, and Buttery Biscuits.
Two Bean and Pork Soup
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society came to be because of Amelia Maugery’s one hidden pig. The Germans took all the pigs (or so they thought) in Guernsey to feed their soldiers and left the locals to survive off of potatoes, turnips and gristle. I made Pork Chops and Apples with a Creamy Mushroom Sauce for our dinner. “The dinner was a rare treat, but the company was better”.
Pork Chops and Apples in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
You must have a Potato Peel Pie for this book club party. Searching around the Internet for inspiration for this recipe didn’t lend much information. ”Since there was scant butter, less flour, and no sugar to spare on Guernsey then, Will concocted a potato peel pie: mashed potatoes for filling, strained beets for sweetness, and potato peelings for crust”. I tried to stay true (as true as my taste buds would allow) to Will’s recipe.
Potato Peel Pie
For dessert, I made Gache Melee, a traditional Guernsey apple dish that dates back for hundreds of years.
Warm Baked Apple Dessert
Beyond the Book
Visit Guernsey today
Some of the Books Enjoyed by The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was the first unofficial meeting of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and it was past curfew. John, Dawsey and Elizabeth were confronted by German patrol officers on their way home. Elizabeth turned on her charm and told the officers how sorry they were for breaking curfew and how they had been attending a meeting of the Guernsey Literary Society, and the evening’s discussion of Elizabeth and Her German Garden had been so delightful that they had all lost track of time. This made the patrol officer smile. And the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was born.
The New Illustrated Self-Instructor in Phrenology and Psychiatry: with Size and Shape Tables and Over One-Hundred Illustrations - “If that is not enough, there’s a sub-title: Phrenology: the Science of Interpreting Bumps on the Head”- a gift from Sidney to Isola. Isola read the head bumps of her fellow book clubbers, Mr. Singleton, Pastor Elstone and others in hopes to becoming an adept before the Harvest Festival.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was the book chosen for our very first book club meeting.
Purchase The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Purchase from an Independent Bookseller
Book Reviews and Book Club Resources
About the Authors
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
My favorite quote from the book
That’s what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive – all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment. - Juliet Ashton
Copyright © 2012 ButteryBooks.com All Rights Reserved.
Book Club Party Ideas This post is filed under : 2000-2009, historical fiction
Buttery Books earns a small commission when you click and buy the products in this post.
Thank you for feeding our book addiction.
