The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Juliet Ashton (James) is on a book tour around England to read exerts from her latest book.  The book is very popular, but Juliet wants to write something else.  She receives a letter from a man named Dawsey Adams (Huisman), who found a book she used to own and is looking for another book by the same author.  She sends him a book, and they begin exchanging letters.  Through the letters, Juliet learns about Dawsey's book club "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and is intrigued by the members.

She cancels part of the book tour, despite the protestations of her friend and editor Sidney Stark (Goode), and travels to the island of Guernsey.  Her arrival is a surprise, but the book club hold a special meeting so she can meet everyone: Dawsey, Eben Ramsey (Courtenay), Eben's young grandson Eli (Connor), Amelia Maugery (Wilton), and Isola Pribby (Parkinson).  They formed the group when their island was occupied, and it became an escape from the pain in their lives.  As Juliet spends time with the society, she gets swept up in their lives and puts her own life on hold.


The film is based on the 2008 epistolary novel "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society."  I discovered the novel a few years ago and devoured it in a single weekend.  Authors Mary Ann Shaffer (who died before the book was published) and Annie Barrows stumbled onto the idea for the story while reading histories of the German occupation in WWII.  The story is interesting and in 2010 producers were circling the story.

The script sticks close to the novel, only removing a characters / story lines from the novel.  They assembled a great cast of British actors, many of whom appeared on the TV show Downton Abbey.  Lily James is good as Juliet and it is easy to see how she would get swept up in the lives of society.  The cast have excellent chemistry and are believable in their roles.  The film was shot in Guernsey.  The modern scenes are beautiful and colorful, while the past scenes reflect the tragedy around them.  The costumes, by Charlotte Walter, are beautiful.

The film received a theatrical release in the United Kingdom, and was distributed by Netflix around the rest of the world.

It is a well-made, well-acted film with a compelling story.  It has a nice balance between the horrors of the war, and moments of levity.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) 124 minutes
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Lily James as Juliet Ashton
Michiel Huisman as Dawsey Adams
Glen Powell as Mark Reynolds
Jessica Brown Findlay as Elizabeth McKenna
Katherine Parkinson as Isola Pribby
Matthew Goode as Sidney Stark
Tom Courtenay as Eben Ramsey
Penelope Wilton as Amelia Maugery
Bronagh Gallagher as Charlotte Stimple
Kit Connor as Eli Ramsey
Florence Keen as Kit McKenna