The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

A book club that I belonged to a number of years ago read The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and I found it to be charming.  I've been waiting for this movie adaptation ever since I found out about it and I have to admit that I was a little bit sad to hear that it wasn't getting a theatrical release in the U.S.  However, I am glad that I got to watch it yesterday on Netflix because I really liked it.  During the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, Elizabeth McKenna (Jessica Brown Findlay) hosts a dinner for her friends Isola Pribby (Katherine Parkinson), Eben Ramsey (Tom Courtenay), Amelia Maugery (Penelope Wilton), and Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman).  Afterwards they are caught out after curfew by the Germans and hastily concoct the Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society as the reason for their meeting.  They are then obliged to keep meeting each week and find the solace they need to survive the war in books (and sustenance from the privations of war in Eben's potato peel pie).  After the war Dawsey begins a correspondence with Juliet Ashton (Lily James), a best-selling author in London, when he finds her name and address in a used book.  She decides to visit Guernsey with the hope of writing about their society, against the wishes of her publisher (Matthew Goode) and her fiance (Glen Powell), and gets caught up in an intrigue about a missing member and a possible romance with another member.  It is the kind of British period piece that I love with a gentle tone, beautiful locations, and a stellar cast.  The action unfolds very slowly as we get to know each member of the society as the mystery unravels and I was completely drawn in (it has been so long since I read the book that I forgot many of the details).  The theme of how books can bring people together is very heartwarming and the romance is sweet and old-fashioned.  While filming did not actually take place on Guernsey, the locations are simply gorgeous, particularly the rocky coastline and the cobblestone streets.  James is absolutely engaging as Juliet while Huisman is handsome and brooding as Dawsey.  The rest of the cast (almost like a Downton Abbey reunion) is also excellent with an affecting performance by Wilton and a delightful one by Parkinson as the eccentric Isola.  This is a perfect movie for a lazy afternoon and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of the novel.

Note:  Have fun figuring out the books they discuss during the credits!