“Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” to be WC Reads 2009 Book
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, is an epistolary novel, a genre in which a story unfolds in a series of letters. This enchanting novel is the story of an English author living in the shadow of World War II and what she learns about the power of friendship, books, love, and the human spirit from the Guernsey Islanders.
Mary Ann Shaffer became interested in Guernsey while visiting London in 1976. On a whim, she decided to fly to Guernsey but became stranded there when a thick fog descended and all boats and planes were forbidden to leave the island. As she waited for the fog to lift, she read all the books in the Guernsey airport, thus began her fascination with the German Occupation of the Channel Islands.
Many years later, when goaded by her book club to write a novel, Mary Ann naturally thought of Guernsey. She chose to write in the epistolary form because, "for some bizarre reason, I thought it would be easier." Several years of work yielded The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which was greeted with avid enthusiasm, first by her family, then by her writing group, and finally by publishers around the world.
Sadly, Mary Ann's health began to decline shortly thereafter, and she asked her niece, Annie Barrows, to help her finish the book. Her career included libraries, bookstores, and publishing, but her life-long dream was to "write a book that someone would like enough to publish." Though she did not live to see it, this dream has been realized in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Annie Barrows, whose career also included libraries, bookstores, and publishing, is the author of the Ivy and Bean series for children, as well as The Magic Half.
Community events planned for this year’s Walnut Creek Reads include an evening with Annie Barrows; a dramatic reading from the book at the Lesher Center; book discussions and Walnut Creek residents will recall life during World War II.
Now in its fourth year, One City, One Book: Walnut Creek Reads creates a “citywide book club” by encouraging community members to read the same book at the same time and then participate in a series of community-wide events that celebrate the book. In 2007, the program featured Wallace Stegner’s “All the Little Live Things.” Last year the community enjoyed Bill Bryson’s memoir, “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.”
Copies of the book are available at the following locations and at local bookstores:
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Walnut Creek Park Place Library, Broadway and Civic Dr.
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Ygnacio Valley Library, 2661 Oak Grove Rd.
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Rossmoor Library, Gateway Clubhouse
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Friends Used Book Store, 1910 Olympic Blvd., Suite 101
For more information, call (925) 938-1481. One City, One Book is presented by the Contra Costa County Library; Walnut Creek Library Foundation; American Association of University Women, Walnut Creek Branch; Walnut Creek and Ygnacio Valley Friends of the Library groups; the Rossmoor Library and the City of Walnut Creek.
Special Events
Join us to celebrate the book. Unless otherwise noted, all events are free.
OPENING
Meet the Author: An Evening with Annie Barrows
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 7 PM
Shadelands Art Center
Tickets: $5 for tea with the author, or
$22 for tea with author and copy of the book.
(Purchase tickets after Sept. 1 online or by sending a check payable to Walnut Creek Library Foundation to P.O. Box 4979, Walnut Creek 94596)
SPECIAL EVENTS:
“Remembering Times of War” WC Residents and WWII
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 7 PM
Social Hall, Senior Center, Civic Park
“Letters from the Guernsey Literary Society” Dramatic Readings
MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 7:15 PM
Lesher Center for the Arts
Tickets: $10 (Purchase tickets after Sept. 1 at the Lesher Center box office)
Book Discussions
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 10 AM
Fireside Room, Rossmoor
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 7 PM
Moderator: Anne Cain, County Librarian
Ygnacio Valley Library
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 7 PM
Moderator: Simon Vance, Audiobook narrator
Barnes & Noble, Downtown Walnut Creek
Sponsors include Minuteman Press of Lafayette, and the Contra Costa Times.
Did You Know?
By 1929, the original 200 books in the system had grown to 159,000. By 1949, the number had grown to 323,000, and by 1969, to 646,000.
