(Trade Paper Edition, Random House, July 29, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-440-33797-3
(0-440-33797-6)

BookFlix (Video Interview,
courtesy of Random House)

Annie Barrows, left,
and the late Mary Ann Shaffer,
co-authors

Annie Barrows, co-author with the late Mary Ann Shaffer
of The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society,
discusses the warm and humorous book, Ms. Shaffer's first novel,
just out from Random House.

About 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.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

About the Authors

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, written with Annie Barrows, author of the children’s series Ivy and Bean, as well as The Magic Half. She lives in northern California.

© Random House