Juliet Ashton is a writer living in London. One day she unexpectedly receives a letter from a man living on Guernsey Island. They start to correspond and Dawsey Adams tells her about the literary society he belongs to, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Out of curiosity and wanting to know more about the formation of this society during the Nazi occupation of the island, Juliet travels to Guernsey. As she unveils the facts she develops a special bond with the various members of the society.
The film opens up with the circumstances of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – they invent the society as an excuse as to why they are walking around the island after curfew – which nicely sets up the tone and the context in which the rest of the film will develop.
This film is, what I would call, cute. It is a film that you are sure to enjoy but that it is very easily forgettable after the first experience. Yes, it will make you weep in parts but somehow it lacks the power it should have been imbued with. It falls short when it comes to delivering the emotional punch it should have.
The inhabitants of Guernsey lived through some truly horrifying experiences during the Nazi occupation and yet this film manages to touch upon some fact but quickly brushes them aside to rather concentrate on the personal histories of the members of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Yes, it is a story about them. But a bit more in depth study of the general situation on the island would of made the film a more complete experience.
All in all, the film is an enjoyable watch. It is sure to be an emotional experience with some touches of humour which give it a slightly light feel. The performances from all of the main cast – which includes Downton Abbey veterans Lily James, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode and Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Courtney, Michiel Huisman and Katherine Parkinson – are truly inspiring and bring to life each of the members personal experiences of World War II.
If you go and watch The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, don’t forget your tissues! It is bound to make you a bit teary.
> Naomi Round
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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