A while back I did a mini review of the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It was only a mini review then because I was hoping to watch the movie and compare the two sometime. Well, I had that chance a few months ago and here we are! Enjoy!
My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows:
Now that the war is over, there are no more worries. When writer Juliet Ashton receives a book that used to belong to her and a letter from a man on Guernsey island, her curiosity is aroused. She learns that the man, Dawsey Adams, is part of a literary society that was started during the occupation of Guernsey during World War II. She writes letters with other members of the book club, trying to know everything that she can. Without realizing it she finds herself living their lives, as they recall the occupation. She wants to be part of Guernsey, too, but with pulls in London, will she ever know where she belongs?
"Didn't matter then who started in it the first place. Not to me, anyway."
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, epistolary novel.
Characters: 7. My only complaint is that two characters are mentioned as being homosexual. I don't think that anyone who identifies with that is a bad person, definitely not, but I just don't support their way of living. In this book I was really frustrated with it because it seemed like such a convenient thing. Instead of developing and making other plot points stronger, they went for the easy way out. It isn't a big deal, they are just side characters, and after mentioning it once it never does again.
My favorites:
Juliet: I love her passion for living and her curiosity to always know more.
Isola: She is such a sweetheart!
Amelia: She went through a lot, but is still strong and helps so many people.
Dawsey: I'll admit, I didn't like him at first, but he is quiet and patient and lovable!
Kit & Eli: They are adorable!! I love Eben, too.
"Our faces are always a dead giveaway. A lifted brow or curled lip reveals that it's a poor excuse for a book, and the clever customers ask for a recommendation instead, whereupon we frog-march them over to a particular volume and command them to read it."
Words: 6, there is some swearing and name calling. But, can we talk about how cool it is that it is an epistolary novel? It is completely written in letters! Sometimes that can be a little hard to read, but all the effort into writing it makes up for it. And personally, I had a hard time putting this one down.
"When I got up this morning, the sea was full of sun pennies--and now it all seems to be covered in lemon scrim."
Quotes: 9, there are so many great quotes about literature and reading!
"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."
Content: 6, there are mentions of drinking, crude humor about bathrooms, descriptions of violence, death, and a suggestive thing involving a character that happened. On the notes that I took I wrote down, "Some of the discussion not pleasing" but I don't recall what that was.
"Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books."
Originality: 10! This was a very educational book for me because I had no idea about the occupation of Guernsey, and I would never have thought of writing a book about it! The story is so good. I didn't like it at first, but after thinking about it for two years, I have decided that I do!
"At the start, we tried to be calm and objective, but that soon fell away, and the purpose of the speakers was to goad the listeners into wanting to read the book themselves."
Good For: fans of historical fiction, for people who are looking for a different perspective, anyone who has lost people who mean a lot to them.
Age Range: I would say anyone over 13, because otherwise the story wouldn't be interesting to them. To most people older than that I would day it is very fascinating!
Overall Score: 7.5!
"You write charming little notes."
VS.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018):
"Yes, yes, we are book lovers."
After the writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a man who is returning a book that used to belong to her, she becomes fascinated with his literary society that he tells her about. He lives on the island of Guernsey, and was there during the occupation, when they formed the society. Juliet visits the island and never wants to leave. She decides to write a book about it, but there is some kind of secret involving one of the founders. Where is Elizabeth McKenna and what was her part in the occupation?
"But I don't need to tell you this, you already know what books can do. That is something we share, different as our lives may be."
Length: approx. 124 minutes.
Costumes: 9, they did a great job with setting them all for the time period!
"I'm older than time and I understand nothing."
Crew:
Directed by: Mike Newell.
Written by: Kevin Hood, Don Roos, Tom Bezucha, Mary Ann Shaffer, and Annie Barrows.
Starring:
Lily James as Juliet Ashton.
Glen Powell as Mark Reynolds.
Matthew Goode as Sidney Stark.
Tom Courtenay as Eben Ramsey.
Kit Connor as Eli Ramsey.
Florence Keen as Kit McKenna.
Nicolo Pasetti as Christian Hellmann.
Bronagh Gallagher as Charlotte Stimple.
Cinematography: 10! Ah, Guernsey is so gorgeous!!!
Music: 7, um, I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't notice it? I remember that it was good, but I couldn't tell you what it was.
Music by: Alexandra Harwood.
Notes: There are a lot of differences from the book, like scenes got cut, fewer characters, and a few things tweaked to fit in, but I loved all of the changes that they made! It was so good. Bravo!
Content: 7, there is drinking, violence, death, images of blood, gross things, smoking, mild kissing, and then the suggestive thing that I talked about as well as several other suggestive comments. I knew that the writers couldn't take out the homosexual mention, but it was only one person, and very, very, very, brief. It wasn't a big deal, and I appreciated that.
Originality: 10! Once again, this is such a creative idea! Both inspiring and informational.
Good For: anyone who is a fan of the actors, people who have been through hard times, anyone interested in history.
Age Range: This is pretty open to any age. Once again, kids under 13 might find it boring, but it totally depends on the individual.
Overall Score: 8.5!
Alright, so I thought that the book was okay, but I loved this movie! So good! When I heard that they were making a movie I thought, "How can you make a movie of a story told in letters?" The answer: they didn't use the letter format and it worked out anyway. I was so excited to hear that Lily James, Penelope Wilton, and Jessica Brown Findlay were all in it (I told my sister, "Downton Abbey reunion"!)! They all did amazing jobs! The story really gripped me even though I already knew it, the scenes were gorgeous, Kit and Eli were so adorable, Dawsey was precious, and just everything about it was so good. It even gave me a better appreciation for the book. If you have read it, then I definitely suggest that you watch this, too!!
Sadly, I couldn't find photos of my favorites, so you'll have to watch yourself to see what they look like!
The movie wins!
If you have seen or read this, I would love to know your thoughts! Thanks for reading!
MovieCritic
