Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ~ Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

[BooksAdmin]

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The year is 1946.  Juliet Aston, a writer looking for her next book subject, finds herself "gloomier than she ever was during the war."  Quite out of the blue she finds her subject, one  that will change her life, with the arrival of a letter from a member of a book club in Guernsey, a British Channel island occupied by the Nazis during the war.

Imagine a book club in a place where there is not a single book store! This is exactly what Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece, Annie Barrows have done as they draw us into  the engaging relationship betweeen Juliet Aston and the  Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Perhaps their story explains the popularity of book clubs everywhere.

Discussion Schedule: Feb. 1-7   *Letters -- January 8, 1946 - March 1, 1946 Feb. 8-14    *Letters -- March 2, 1946 - May 13, 1946 Feb. 15-21   *Letters -- May 14, 1946 - July 15, 1946 Feb. 22-28     *Letters -- July 17, 1946 - Sept. 17, 1946

Topics for Pre-discussion

1.  Have you ever read or heard about Guernsey and the Nazi occupation during WWII?
2.  How many novels have you read that were based on  correspondance between fictional characters?   
     Do you think this is an easy feat for a writer?
3.  What is the special relationship beteen the two authors of this book?
4.  This is also a novel about books.  What novels have you read that introduced you to other books?
5.  Can you locate one of Charles Lamb's essays and tell us about it here?
6.  Potato peel pie?  Can you share a recipe?

Related Links: Author's Biography; Visit Guernsey ;   A history of Guernsey during the German Occupation 1940 - 1941.

Discussion Leaders:  JoanP and Pedln

[JoanP]

Welcome to Guernsey, everyone!  Have you ever been?  Have you ever heard of Guernsey before - the channel island the Nazis occupied during WWII?  My Bruce  was telling me about a production...perhaps on  BBC about what life was like for the British during this time.  I only vaguely remember the film.  Did you see it?

Pedln has found a wonderful link to the island,  which we've included in the heading here.  Prepare to get lost in Guernsey for a while.

We are both delighted that so many of you plan to join us in this discussion!  Still time to find  the book and join in!

[pedln]

Welcome everyone.  This is so exciting because this book is just taking off like wildfire.  Everyone wants to read it.  Just for fun, I ended up at the online Seattle Public Library this morning and they have 410 holds for 93 copies of the print book, but also many copies of the CD version as well.

There’s still time to get your book, and even if you don’t have it when we start, do stay with us because it’s a fast read and you’ll easily catch up when you get it.

There’s a link to the author’s biography in the heading.  I was surprised as I thought she was British.

JoanP, were you thinking of the film Mrs. Miniver or perhaps Hope and Glory?

[PatH]

I'm in.  I'll get the book tomorrow.

[JoanR]

The library just called and my reserve copy of Potato Peel ( that's my short name for the book!!) is ready to pick up. Yaaayyy!

I notice in question #5 in the header that Charles Lamb is mentioned.  Is he referred to in the book?  Of course we will find out.  I have a childhood copy somewhere of "Lamb's tales from Shakespeare" by Charles and Mary Lamb.  Also in the shelf in front of me is "The Lambs of London" by Peter Ackroyd.  There's also "The Haunting of Lamb House" by Joan Aiken - set in the Lamb house in Rye, England where Charles and Mary lived for a time. Did visit that years ago.  Lots of Lamb connections, aren't there?
Our book for this discussion gets more intriguing all the time - can hardly wait!

[kiwilady]

Yes I have read about Guernsey during the Nazi Occupation. I believe the Commandant in charge of the Island from anectdotal account was not quite as ruthless as in other occupied countries, nevertheless there was reference to harsh penalties to any resistance. The islanders suffered some hardship because of being unable to ship in supplies. The islanders were able to grow vegetables and keep hens but life was difficult for them. I am looking forward to reading this book.

I recently read a book composed entirely of emails between two women both of whom were breast cancer sufferers. They met on a breast cancer support forum and began to email each other. It was fictional but I am sure the author had personal experience with breast cancer. The book was extremely well written and I did not get bored with it. As I read it when I was staying with my daughter and it was not my book I have already forgotten title and author! (I must be getting old)

I don't have any recipes for potato peel pie. It sounds disgusting! 

Carolyn

[pedln]

Pat, JoanR, and Carolyn -- so glad you're here.

Carolyn, I don't have a recipe for potato peel pie either, but potato skins are a big item here, especially as appetizers -- they have a little bit of baked potato still in them and then bacon pieces and cheese.  They're really a bit more than just skin.  But I remember as a kid I loved the skin left on after having a baked potato -- I'd just put butter on it and a little salt, roll it up and eat it. I'd completely forgotten about that until now.

JoanR, I never knew much about the Lambs, other than the Tales from Shakespeare.  And I always just assumed they were a husband and wife team.  We'll be counting on you for more about them.

[JoanP]

JoanR - that Charles Lamb  of the most beautifully illustrated children's book of Shakespeare - and Charles Lamb  - aka Elia - (I do a lot of crossword puzzles ) are one and the same? 
I have always said I'd get my granddaughter a copy.  I used to work in the Folger Shakespeare Library in DC - they still sell the book, reprinted, but still just as  lovely.  She's seven now - not sure if she's ready. What do you think?  Thanks for reminding me of that.

I hope we use this prediscussion as enrichment - without going into the contents of the book.  (PatH, you may certainly join us even if you don't have your book yet.)

 There is a good  number of literary references in this book.  Charles Lamb's book of "selected essays" are referenced in the first chapter.  The letter writers seem to take it for granted that we are all familiar with his essays.  It would be helpful if we could talk about them before we start - maybe read at least one of them.

What's more, it is understood that we all know of the nazi occupation of the Channel Islands -  I think it would be helpful if we became a bit more familiar with what went on there during WWII before we get started.  Would love to hear what you know.
Pedln, Bruce says he thinks that we saw the program on Masterpiece Theater.  It could have been "Islands at War" - the islands being Jersey and Guernsey.  Did anyone see it?

Carolyn, I was interested to hear of the fictional emails between breast cancer sufferers.  It makes sense that though this was fiction, the author was writing out of her own experience.
But what did these two authors know of the Channel Island occupation?  As Pedln pointed out - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows were not Brits.  Wouldn't you love to know what led them to writing on this particular subject, fiction, no less?

And yes, potato peel pie if not "disgusting"  doesn't sound very appetizing - no matter how  Pedln tries to sell it as a gourmet treat.  I suspect it was war-time food...using every scrap of the potato as sustenance.  I wish we could find a recipe.  I'd try it - once.

[Pamjo]

Pedin: You brought back memories of growing up in New York City as a little girl.  After Mom took me to Radio City on those cold winter afternoons we would always stop and buy steaming hot sweet potatoes ,wrapped in brown paper and smothered in butter, from the street vendors . I would hold them between my gloved hands, usually as snow fell, to keep warm.   I have never tasted any sweet potatoes like those cooked on the NYC streets since.

[PatH]

JoanP--yes, they are the same.  One of Lamb's books was "Essays of Elia".  I'm a crossword fan too, and I'm always impressed with the many ways they can try to define "Elia" so you don't guess it.  Mary Lamb was his sister.  I grew up with "Tales from Shakespeare" too--it's a great thing for a child to read.

[JoanR]

Some years ago, my husband and I went to a huge antique market in Newark, England in November at dawn's early light. We were freezing!!  We bought "jacket potatoes" from a stall, sat on the cold, cold ground and were instantly warmed by the potatoes! ( does the plural of potato really take an "e"? looks funny)

Here's a recipe for potato peel pie:
POTATO PEEL PIE RECIPE.

Our newly-formed Literary Society at Woy Woy – Central Coast of NSW, Australia - read the Guernsey and Potato Peel Society book last week and I devised the following book-inspired recipe. It was interesting and unusual. I topped one half only with sour cream. (Loved the book, by the way.)

2 cups grated, peeled, raw potato skins (well packed). Use mashed potatoes for filling.
1/4 cup grated onion. More onion can be added to mash.
1 large egg, well beaten
2-3 tablespoons self-raising flour.
1/2 teaspoon salt. 2-3 small slices of beetroot, diced. Sour cream, chives for topping.

Preheat oven to 400°F (210c). Oil small pie plate. Mix grated potato peelings In a bowl, add the beaten egg and grated onion. Sprinkle with flour and combine mixture.
Using floured hands or the back of a spoon, put the potato mixture into well oiled pie plate, pushing mixture up the sides of the plate to form the crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes, then brush the crust with a little oil to help brown more. Cook potatoes (add grated onion if desired) drain, mash. Add mash filling to crust, top with beetroot pieces. Add sour cream, chives, thyme, if desired. Turn oven temperature down to 375°F (190c). Bake for additional 10 minutes (total of 30 to 35 minutes) or until browned.

Remove tart from the pan and serve hot or at room temperature.

Temperatures may vary with ovens, as mine is fan-forced so I use slightly lower heat. Smells absolutely wonderful, but taking it to the society this afternoon, Will add more about the taste and comments received after the meeting. Enjoy!

Trish - Empire Bay Australia.
   
Go to page 1, 2  Next Page >>

[JoanR]

please ignore that "go to page....."  It was in the text I copied and I didn't notice it.

[kidsal]

We recently discussed on SeniorNet THE UNCOMMON READER which introduced us to many books.
PBS had a serial on people who lived on an island off the coast of England which was occupied by the Germans.  Can't think of the name of it now.
Also another senior moment -- the book about the woman who wrote letters to an English bookstore owner during WWII.  She purchased books and sent them food stuffs, etc.

Have ordered the Guernsey book from Amazon and is on the way.

[nlhome]

I've read the book and am looking forward to this discussion.

I went in the other room to get the book kidsal mentioned - 84, Charing Cross Road - and got distracted for quite awhile  so I assume someone else also has remembered that. The authori is Helen Hanff.

[Gumtree]

JoanP and Pedln - Thanks for undertaking this discussion. so good to be in pre-discussion mode with so much ahead.

JoanR - Didn't realise you are an Aussie - Is Empire Bay near Woy Woy?  I'm in WA - live in beautiful Perth. -

I also have a very old copy of Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and I think somewhere I have one or two of the essays - maybe in an anthology but I'll try to track it down.

IN Aussie English and English English the plural is definitely Potatoes - like it is with Tomatoes....

JoanP  I don't recollect the film you mention about life on Guernsey under German occupation but I do remember a film called Appointment with Venus with British actors Glynis Johns and David Niven. The plot involved  the rescue of a prize cow named Venus which was earmarked for shipping to Germany. The film was set in the Channel Islands under German Occupation but I think they used a fictitious name for the actual island.

In response to your Question No 1 regarding having read other epistolary novels I can answer YES ! Indeed I have...those which come readily to mind are Aphra Behn's Loveletters Between a Nobleman and His Sister and  Samuel Richardson's Pamela and the great Clarissa.
Probably the greatest in this form is Les Liaison's Dangereuse by Pierre Chonderlos De Laclos written in the 18th Century - (as were Richardson's). which is a story of seduction and malice aforethought told mainly through letters between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. The plot was to make a virtuous young woman fall so in love with the villain that she surrenders herself to him....there have been a number of films of it...Glenn Close and the great John Malkovich is probably the best though I guess the French have made a good fist it too.

As for a Potato Peel Pie - the recipe posted sounds delicious but on Guernsey during WWII they wouldn't have had the ingredients - I imagine what is implied is simply a boiled or baked potato with the skin intact and so providing the 'piecrust' - or perhaps cooked in the skin with the flesh then scooped out, mashed and returned to the skin shell - nowadays I do that sometimes adding grated cheese, chopped onion, herbs, butter and then lightly grill the tops YUM. When I was a child we often had new potatoes dug from the garden and roasted whole in the hot ashes of the fire....More YUM

[Gumtree]

84 Charing Cross Road another entertaining book in the letter mode but I rather thought it was not fiction - weren't the letters  written by real people?

[Steph]

I loved the Helene Haff book.. I also read a book years ago about two friends who live widely separated lives and write to one another. I loved it, wish I could remember the name. I have a friend who was living in England , when I read the book and this slightly predated email.. We wrote about once a month and kept up with each other. I sent her the book after I finished it and we agreed that the fictional characters lived much more interesting lives, but then again.. it was fiction.

[nlhome]

Yes, I believe the Helen Hanff book is based on real letters.

Another book I read long ago was Daddy Longlegs. It's a series of letters from a young girl to her guardian, and only her letters, no replies from him. I remember enjoying that book.

[PatH]

Jane Austen also started a novel told in letters--"Lady Susan"--but she evidently got tired of it, because she wound up the story abruptly with a non-letter summary.

Nlhome, I remember enjoying "Daddy Longlegs too.  It was made into a movie in 1955 with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron, available on Netflix.

[Babi]

Back to my notes! I've been 'locating' them with page numbers, but I now see  we will be discussing them by groups of letters.  So glad I discovered that well before time.
   I knw a little about Guernsey; I did know it has a long history of smuggling. But didn't most of the Channel Islands do that?  It sounds so lovely. I'm looking forward to perusing that link Pedln found.  But I really wish I could visit it myself!

[JoanR]

No, Gumtree, I don't live in Australia but halfway round the world from it - near New York City!  Would dearly love to visit Australia and New Zealand.  Have met some wonderful folks from there.  The recipe for potato peel pie turned up while I was poking about the internet searching for a good one.
I should think that it is more difficult to write a good novel in letter form whereas the non-fiction exchange of letters between 2 interesting people can be fascinating.  I'm thinking of the "Words in Air", letters between Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop.

[pedln]

It’s just terrific to see you all here.  Welcome everyone.

Herbaltea and JoanR,  I love your potato stories. Do folks still carry hot potatoes in their pockets when out braving the elements?

Sally, I’m so glad you’ve come over from Latin class to join us.  That’s right about Uncommon Reader.  That was a great book, and led you to so many others.  Judging from what I’ve seen here on SL, Amazon must be getting a run on Guernsey.  Mine’s due here on Tuesday, I hope.

PatH and nlhome, isn’t there another one by the same author as Daddy Longlegs, called Dear Enemy, also in the letter format.  I think in that one, Enemy turned out to be a young woman’s guardian.

Gum, thanks for all the other titles in the letter format. What do you think makes this format so appealing? You aren’t kidding when you say there are a number of  films made from Les Liaison's Dangereuse.  That looks worth checking out.

Steph, I wish you could think of the name of that book, too.  That was a cool gift to your friend across the sea, but judging from all your posts on SN & SL, I would say your conclusion is not correct.   

Babi, that's interesting about the smuggling in the Channel Islands.

Does anyone remember when we read All Is Vanity by Christina Schwarz?  That, I guess, would be an example of your modern epistolary novel, as the format was e-mail.  I remember some years back, when email was forging its way, someone wondering if the writing of letters was going to be a lost art.  What do you think?

[Gumtree]

I should think that it is more difficult to write a good novel in letter form whereas the non-fiction exchange of letters between 2 interesting people can be fascinating.  I'm thinking of the "Words in Air", letters between Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop.

JoanR Sorry I got confused....
Haven't read the Lowell/Bishop letters but the Georges Sand/Gustave Flaubert letters are sometimes boring but on the whole just that - fascinating

[FlaJean]

Oh dear, I'm #16 on the reserve list at the library for Guernsey Literary Society.  I'm not sure I want to buy a copy, but I'll follow the discussion.

[Janice]

I thought I was getting a copy from the library but now they are saying they won't reserve it for me as they have moved it to the rental list and there are too many on the list :-(

[JoanP]

Janice, have you decided what you are going to do?  We hope you find a way to join us next week.
FlaJean, I was 92nd on our library hold list for the book.  Arlington County does have 17 copies, so it should move - but not fast enough.  I finally bought the book too.  Stay with us here - you'll find a wealth of information that will shed light on the book once we get going.

Your posts are all so interesting - I just want to follow up on everything - all at once.  Will try to hold back, as we do have over a week to go.  Just some short notes - and then will just listen to all you bring to this table.

I agree with many of you - I think non-fiction "epistolary" writing is fascinating - that it is much easier to put on paper than to create believable characters' correspondance out of whole cloth.  PatH, I didn't know about Jane Austen's "Lazy Lady Susan."  Have you read it?  Is it hard to find - maybe it's online?

"N" - do you know if Daddy Longlegs was based on real letters?  Yes, thank you, it was Helene Hanff.
Gum , I believe that 84 Charing Cross Rd  is non-fiction - but that Helene Hanff used pseudonyms for some of the characters because she couldn't clear the use of their names before the book was published.
I remember a trip to London, walking up and down Charing Cross Rd, convinced I had the street number wrong because there was nothing there where the bookshop used to be -  Back in the early 2000s when I visited, there was only a wine bar - the Marks & CO. bookshop had been incorporated into the larger bar.  Here's a site with photos of the shop. for all Helene Hanff lovers.  Wonderful site!  I see there is a plaque where the shop once stood.  I missed that.

Steph, that's a thought -  do the rest of you agree?

Fictional characters lived much more interesting lives

Gum - you are our resident expert on "epistolary" letters, fiction and non..
We'll have to decide after reading Guernsey whether the authors have succeeded in creating characters that seem real to us.  Or maybe "reality" won't  be important.  I do think we need to care about the characters though, don't you?

Babi - the reason the weekly discussion topics were divided by the dated letters rather
than page numbers - the concern that the paperback and the hardcover pages would not correspond.  I'm really glad you noticed the schedule before we started.

JoanR - thank you so much for the potato peel pie recipe - I'm going to make it - even if you doubt its  authenticity, Gum.   Which of the listed ingredients do you think were difficult to come by during war-time?
 I'll bring my pie here to share once I gather the ingredients. 
What is beet root?

[bellamarie]

Oh my heavens, I am gone but a few days and you all have forged ahead so quickly I can barely keep up with reading your posts.  I have gone to Amazon.com to purchase my book to begin reading, although it appears  many of you have already read this book and are ready for take off.  I only hope I can keep up with all of you.  Just to answer the first prediscussion question:
1.  Have you ever read or heard about Guernsey and the Nazi occupation during WWII?

I must say, No, I had never heard of Guemsey before this book and I am very limited to history so this will be interesting for me to learn about the Nazi occupation during WWII and looking forward to it with all of you.

[Babi]

JOANP, I immediately realized the practicality of your dividing the book up by letters.  I, too, am just glad I discovered that in time.
  I believe 'beetroot' is simply beets.  It is a root vegetable, and in some areas it is referred to as beetroot.
  Now, I'm going to go browse through Guernsey and enjoy the scenery.
 

[PatH]

JoanP, it's a wasted question asking a Jane Austen nut like me if she's read "Lady Susan" (Lady, not Lazy).  I certainly have.  It's widely available, usually coupled with something else of Austen's, since it's so short.  It's also available on Project Gutenberg, and no doubt elsewhere online.

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/946

[serenesheila]

"84 Charing Cross Road",is one of my favorite movies.  So much so, that when I was in Germany with my son, and his family, we flew to London.  I rented a driver, and one of the places on my things to see list, was the bookstore.  I was so very disappointed, to discover it is no longer there.  In it's place, was a pizza palor.  The visit was in 2003.

[joangrimes]

Oh yes, I have read and heard abbout Guernsey and the Nazi occupation during WWII.
Infact i have long been fascinated by Guernsey. One of the reasons I wanted to go there was because of my interest in WWII History.   I used to think I would visit Geurnsey one day.  I wanted to go there from France and then on to England afterward.  On one of my trips to France I went so far as to look up how I would get there.  I would have gone once but I was traveling with my cousin and she did not like boats and was frightened of getting on the water.  My husband and I talked about going later but did not get around to it before his death.  If he were still alive we probably would have gone there sometime.  I am really looking forward to reading and discussing this book.

I have read several novels based on letters between two individuals.  I believe my first experience with one was when I read "Daddy Longlegs" and then the sequel to it "Dear Enemy."
   I read those when I was a teenager.  I loved them.  I have also read 84 Charing Cross Road".  Thos three books stand out in my memory most.

Joan G

[Gumtree]

Jane Austen's Lady Susan is fairly readily available. It's generally published in collections of her unfinished work, letters and fragments.
I have it in the Everymans Library edition under the title Sanditon and Other Storieswhich should be available from libraries. Lady Susan is a little masterpiece. The Lady Susan is a scheming widow who bears some resemblances to Madame de Merteuil in Liaisons Dangereuse in that they are both seeking power over others.

The 'epistolary' or letter form of the novel was very popular from the 17th and to early 19th centuries so there are plenty of examples...Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther is another worth mentioning. It's a romance with tragic consequences and was based on incidents which occurred in  Goethe's life. Werther's despair is overwhelming. It provided the perfect vehicle for the rather beautiful opera Werther by Jules Massenet.

JoanP Believe me, I'm no expert  but I guess even a falsely crowned 'resident expert' on the epistolary form has to earn his salt. I'll try not to overdo it. 

[Steph]

I have read about Guernsey, but in connection with smuggling and did not know that the nazi's were there. Most of the islands around England, wales, etc were full of smugglers. The islands are on a long long list of places we want to visit. I have been told that the Scottish islands are particularly interesting. But I would only want to try them in the summer. We were in Edinburgh and Aberdeen in April and wow... that is really cold up there. Fun, but cold.
Still have not gotten the book. Amazon has not shipped yet. Hmm. Watch, this will be the one way it will be slow.

[joangrimes]

STeph,

The Scottish Isles are wonderful.  Theron and I did a wonderful trip to that area in July.  It was very cold in some areas and very windy.  Loved the trip though.

Joan G

[Babi]

  I, for one, had never heard of "Lady Susan" and am delighted to learn there is another Jane Austen still waiting to be read.  I shall search for her at the first opportunity.

  At the risk of seeming disrespectful, I have always been amused by a poem I read about young Werther.  It's three verses, but I only recall fully the first and last.  Asking your forgiveness in advance, I will do my best.

   "Werther had a love for Charlotte
      Such as words could never utter.
      Would you know how first he met her?
      She was eating bread and butter."

   (The second verse describes how he 'sighed, and pined, and fluttered' until he died)

    "Charlotte, when she saw his body
     Borne before her on a shutter,
     Like a well-conducted person
     Went on eating bread and butter."

[JoanP]

Babi - the poem about young Werther reminds me of another ingredient found in so many of these epistolary novels...besides romance and tragedy - HUMOR!

Bellamarie, you are not behind, not at all.  This prediscussion conversation is here to help us better understand the story for when we actually get going next week.

Pedln found a great link - Visit Guernsey - you might want to start there.  I spent some time reading through though, and think we need to find out more than this site provides on the Nazi occupation...since the book we are about to read takes place in 1946.  Would welcome more  information to add to the heading.

Did any of you have a chance to read Jane Austen's Lady Susan?  PatH provided the Gutenberg link yesterday. 
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/946
I tried to read it last pm.
Maybe it was the late hour...but I had a hard time reading it. (Sorry, PatH, I know you love everything-Austen.)  Gum, if you say it's a masterpiece, I believe you and will try it again.  To me, it was too much a novel in the first person.  I know letter-writing was an art form in the 18th-19th centuries, but this was too much novel writing to be included in letters.  I'll go back and try again.  I do think it is difficult to write a good story in letter form and keep the reader's interest.

Sheila, a pizza parlor!!  Npt a record store - or a wine parlor? Did you stop in for a pie, or were you too disappointed to find no trace of Marks and Co?  I know exactly how you felt!!!  Did you see the plaque on the wall - outside?

84
CHARING CROSS ROAD
THE BOOKSELLERS
MARKS & CO
WERE ON THIS SITE WHICH
BECAME WORLD RENOWNED
THROUGH THE BOOK BY
HELENE HANFF

Off to get my ingredients for my peel pie.   Some potatoes,  beet, (thanks, Babi),, an onion, some sour cream, an egg, some chives...Mmmm. Gum, do you think that the sour cream would have been a delicacy during wartime?  I was thinking that the Guernsey cows could provide the cream, but perhaps the Germans had rounded up all the cows for themselves.

Guernsey cows - I had a conversation with a friend who visited the Aran Islands not so long ago - she claimed that the milk was so sweet, the grass so green because of the constant drizzle.  Steph, JoanG, yes, cold, and windy...and always raining.  When we were there it rained everyday, but everyday the sun came out for a stretch of time too.

[pedln]

Sheila, what a comedowm, from a lovely bookstore to a pizza parlor.  But at least a bookstore commemorated by a plaque.  That certainly demonstrates the power of a book.  I’m glad you found the location, at any rate.

I hope you do get to Guernsey, JoanG, from one of your trips to France.  You’ll have lots of company as there are many here who also want to go.

I’ve had my map program up and running this morning, after reading so many comments about the islands – Aran Island off the coast of Ireland, and the Scottish Islands – they are really far north.  No wonder it’s cold and windy up there.  Guernsey, right in the English Channel, is much closer to France than it is to England, if my shaky distance locator does me right --  about 30-some miles off the coast of France and 70-some miles from right near Weymouth.   How big a part did location play in the Germans selecting this island to occupy?

I did’t know Werther, Babi, but your poem is great.  Loved it.  And thanks for the link to Lady Susan, PatH.  I hope to investigate that.

JoanP, you’re right.  We do need to know more about the actual occupation.  I’ve got an Inter-library-loan request at my public library for The Model Occupation: the Channel Islands under German Rule by Madeleine Bunting, but it will take a couple of weeks.  Maybe some of you whose libraries are larger can find it on the shelf.

Here’s a link that may offer more information.  I just came across this, but haven’t had a chance to explore it.  It offers many more link about the occupation.

Channel Island links

How did the pie turn out?

[pedln]

Here’s a link to the German fortifications on Guernsey.  The first paragraph (below) describes the initial invasion.

Fortifications on Guernsey

“The planned invasion of the Channel Islands codenamed Grune Pfeile (Green Arrow) had evolved during June 1940.The German High Command was unsure whether or not the islands were defended. Various reconnaissance sorties were flown over the Islands ending with a bombing raid on the harbour facilities of both Guernsey and Jersey. Meeting little opposition it was decided to proceed with the planned invasion. This would involve Stuka dive bombers to soften up the coastal defences followed by landing craft carrying troops armed with light weapons to take the beaches. However before finalizing any arrangements it was decided to send a second armed reconnaissance flight to try and land. If no opposition was met, naval and army units would be flown in. On 30 June 1940 Hauptmann Liebe-Pieteritz, on a routine Luftwaffe reconnaissance flight, anticipated this decision and decided to test the Guernsey defences. Seeing that the airport appeared deserted he landed and found it to be undefended. When news of this reached Luftflotte 3 they concluded that the islands were undefended and were awaiting invasion. A platoon of Luftwaffe troops were flown into Guernsey on Junkers transport aircraft.”

[Pat]

Sheila, a pizza parlor!!  Not a record store - or a wine parlor? Did you stop in for a pie, or were you too disappointed to find no trace of Marks and Co?  I know exactly how you felt!!!  Did you see the plaque on the wall - outside?

Yes, I took a picture of it when I was there in '03.  It was a pizza parlor.

[straudetwo]

pedln,  The Guernsey Islands have a long, proud history. The ending "ey" meaning 'island is attributed to the Vikings.

Victor Hugo spent nineteen years in political exile, first in Jersey, then in Guernsey. He is said to have loved the  contrast betweeen the rocky cliffs with their many warrens and the mildness of the interior. He wrote Les Misérables at Hauteville. The house  still stands and is accessible. The islands are a popular tourist destination.

The Guernsey Islands were part of Hitler's "Atlantic Wall" defense system and heavily fortified. Like the [Siegfried Line" it too crumbled.