Friday, July 25, 2008

Starting a blog, attempt #234 (This one's going to take; I can feel it!)


I don't often like books written in letter form; they're usually lacking any real substance, and they seem like an easy way for a person with little talent to be able to write a story. However, I wasn't more than a few pages into The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society when I was already telling co-workers that they had to read this new book.


The main character, Juliet, has a love for books and an endearing charm and wit that quickly draws in a reader. The story mostly consists of the post-WWII correspondence between Juliet and a literay society from Guernsey, her publisher, and a few friends. Some of the letters are short and direct; others are more rambling, with the details, description, and dialogue more reminiscient of a novel. All of them are useful in revealing character or driving plot.


Though I can think of a few reasons - laugh-out-loud humor, wonderful characters, great writing, classic book discussion - I can't exactly explain why I liked this book so much. I guess it's just a well-written, light-hearted book, injected with humor , biblophilia, and quirky characters; it's a wonderful lazy-day read, and who doesn't need one of those now and then?

1 comment:

Andrew Clarke said...

If books you've enjoyed include "Lord Of The Rings" and you like allegorical fantasy, can I suggest one to try? "Outcasts Of Skagaray" can be previewed by reading the sample chapters on www.threeswans.com.au There are comments and reviews on the internet as well. If you decide to read it I will be delighted and glad to hear what you think. Best wishes.