The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

This was a sad section, wasn't it? There was a lot of darkness in this section--I'm hoping the final section will offer a little hope!

At the very beginning of this section, we realize that Kit's father, Christian, drowned after he left Guernsey. It seemed like he was a genuinely nice man, so it's unfortunate that his story had to end that way. 

I forgot to mention Mark in last week's entry! What do you think of Mark? I felt like I didn't want Juliet to be with Mark from the beginning. Isn't that funny how you can dislike a character right when you're introduced to them, even if they haven't done anything wrong? What do you think of the fact that Juliet was willing to leave Mark behind to visit Guernsey? I think she doesn't like to be tied down to anyone. She likes to be independent and to do her own things. Do you think it was fair that Mark had reservations about Juliet heading to Guernsey? 

We also learn more about the bombing that took Juliet's apartment when Isola asks Juliet to tell more details about herself. It was so sad that the only thing that survived in Juliet's house was her paperweight. Did you catch in the first section that if she had listened to one of her ex boyfriends and packed up all of her books, they would have survived the bombing. That made me sad. I can't imagine losing everything like that in such a traumatic way. Everyone had to be so brave during the war. 

What did you think of Elizabeth based on all of the things you've read about her? She seemed so good and almost larger than life. She was so brave in all situations, and she wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was so good that it almost seemed unbelievable. Do you think she's a believable character? Or, do you think that they are remembering her as being braver and better than she really was? Do you think she's just one of those rare people that lived life without fear and wasn't afraid to do what was right, regardless of the consequences? 

When we finally learn what happened to Elizabeth, it was pretty heartbreaking. I had a feeling that she wasn't going to be alive, but the way she died was really sad. But, she died a hero, so that's one good thing. What did you think of her death story? Was it what you expected? What did you think about the fact that we learned the story from a letter from a fellow prisoner? Hearing the story from her perspective made it all so much more real, I think. 

Another really sad part of this section was the letter from John Booker explaining more about his story. I thought for sure he would be able to hide all war from the Germans, so it was really surprising and sad to learn that he was captured and sent away. It just boggles the mind to think that real people experienced the same things he experienced and were able to keep living and hoping. People are so strong and capable of doing such great things. 

In the latter part of this section, Juiet heads to Guernsey, and one of the places she visits is the Little Chapel. She mentions how the whole building is covered with broken china and smashed pottery. I couldn't imagine what that would look like, so, of course, I had to research and figure out what this building really looks like! It's a real place, and it seems so cool! Check out this article to see some pictures and read some of the history of the building. After you read the other article, check out this article to read more about the scenery in the movie. 

Are you excited to finish the book? Do you think you have an idea about what's going to happen in the end? What loose ends are you hoping get tied up in the final letters? 

Before you go, if you'd like to watch an interview with Michiel Huisman, the man who plays Dawsey in the film, check out the video clip below. It seems like the cast really enjoyed working together on this movie!

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you'll comment to let me know your thoughts, and I hope you're excited to finish the book for next week!