Potato Peel fans follow its literary trail to Guernsey
Wednesday 30th September 2009, 2:29PM BST.
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ book about life in occupied Guernsey, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, is drawing people to the island to find out more, including the Literary Ladies. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0848639)
A BOOK about Guernsey life during the Occupation is inspiring people from all over the world to visit.
Twenty-four women from a north London book group came to experience places featured in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.
Literary Ladies group leader Sue Rees said they had enjoyed their visit.
‘It’s such a beautiful island and everyone is so friendly,’ she said. ‘It has been good to see places mentioned in the book and experience the history of the island.’
Although the book group is based in London, many members live elsewhere including in the USA and Switzerland.
Members started reading the book, which has been a bestseller across the US and UK, after Mrs Rees heard it mentioned on the radio and a friend told her about it.
‘The book appealed hugely,’ she said. ‘It has a great location and it has a happy ending, despite all of the hardship.’
This was not the group’s first such trip. Previous visits have included Doncaster, after reading Thomas Hardy, and Yorkshire, on an Emily Bronte tour.
Mary Beltrand said the trip to Guernsey was better than the last one.
‘It seems that every one we go on tops the last one,’ she said.
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The book called the Literary and Potatoe peel Society is a world read book and such a wonderfull read.
I had been lent the book in Sydney also in England , the people that lent me the book said how they wished to visit Guernsey after reading the book as the place sounded Just wondeful.
I have been so lucky to have been able to live in Guernsey as a tennager also for 12 years later in my life , I have left now but it holds and allways will hold such a special place in my heart, I can and will remember all those lovley Places I visisted
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Doncaster? Why on earth would a literary society which is reading Hardy, who wrote about the West Country go to Doncaster? Either they didn’t really read Hardy, or the article should have said Dorchester.
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My wife and I now live in South of France. We met some Canadian ladies on holiday and in the process of conversation we mentioned we were from Guernsey. They had all read the book and were almost in awe that they had actually met people from Guernsey.
I think the book is probably one of the better angles of publicity Guernsey has had in a long,long time!
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Met one of the main singers on the Queen Victoria cruise ship this August, an Irishman, when he found out we were from Guernsey he was amazed. He said he was halfway through the book and his mother who had a bookshop in Limerick ROI said at least 4 people she knew had booked holidays here after reading the book. Great publicity….I must read it!
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