Guernsey Sweet Cake

Recently we finished reading, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. And we had our meeting at the end of February where I wanted to make a traditional Guernsey dish for that morning. I chose to make a Guernsey Sweet Cake out of some recipes a friend had given me. Her family is originally from Guernsey and she still goes back to visit with those still living there so she had some good ones in her arsenal but me not being as skilled as her, just took the easy way out. And of course I had to share with you.

Ingredients:

6 oz butter (not margarine)
6 oz caster sugar aka superfine sugar (I just used regular sugar)
3 eggs
5 oz self rising four
3 oz plain flour
1 to 2 tblsps milk (I used 2)

Cream together butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add milk and finally fold in mixed flour. Bake in a 2 Ib. loaf tin or equivalent size for approximately 1 and 1/2 hours at 325. I baked mine in a 8 inch cake pan because I didn't have a loaf tin for 1 hr and 15 min.

I was kinda freaked out making it since I had no clue what it was supposed to turn out like. And after it was done... my thoughts were.. is it like a cornbread? a pound cake?.... hmmm I would have to say it's like a cross between the two. Slightly grainy like cornbread but not really possibly because of me using regular sugar than using superfine... ?? Although a pound cake would be the best comparison because it would probably be real good with some fruit and cool whip. But we just had it plain with coffee and that was good too. So there you have it folks, An easy from scratch traditional Guernsey Dish that you can make on your own if you missed our meeting.

Part 2 of the letters and conclusion

We have had our meeting for this book this past Saturday and there were 5 of us to chat. A good friend of mine came who's family is from Guernsey and shared pictures, stories and food! (more on the food later) We had a good conversation and were sorry that so many couldn't make it this month but I do know many had trouble getting in to the book's story. But then I know several who really enjoyed it. I think it might be the letter format that bothers some. But oh well, can't win them all! I almost feel ashamed at how little I have written about this book that I claim to enjoy so much but I just can't get into the writing for it. And my apologies for glossing over so many of the smaller story lines within the book but it's no matter now. Let's finish up!

In part 2 of the letters in the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society the letters have changed some now that Juliet is on the actual island. We really get to know the people even better and learn their hardships. The author does a great job of really making these people come alive. When I finished reading the book, I didn't want it to stop, I wanted to keep reading about these people because I felt like I really knew them. I have to remind myself that this book is fictional! We have a love triangle that goes on with Juliet and Dawsey and isn't resolved till the end of the book as we read the "Detection notes of Miss Isola Pribby." And I have to say I felt like it was a happy ending. I was happy to see Juliet and Dawsey end up together. I enjoyed the last letter in the book from Juliet to Sidney. I love how when Juliet writes she compares her life to a book and how she describes everything to Sidney in the last letter. The author did a fantastic job of portraying so happy, in love and content Juliet has become.


If you make a visit to the website for the book there are lots of resources there to be used depending on your interest. I got our discussion questions off of the site even though they have them in the back of the books on the chance that someone forgot their book for the meeting or something. Also check out this neat map on Google that shows the island and different pictures of places mentioned throughout the book. After reading this book, Guernsey is added to places I would like to visit one day.


And on the chance you are reading and were not at our meeting but would like to share your opinions on the book feel free to answer some questions from the reader's guide or just tell us what you thought! I have answered in Italics a few with my opinions on the chance you are interested. :)


1. What was it like to read a novel composed entirely of letters? What do letters offer that no other form of writing (not even emails) can convey? I loved reading the book of letters and it really didn't throw me off at all like it has some readers. After a while I stopped paying attention to the dates and other info and would just look at who it was from and to. I still believe in written hand notes and letters as they convey the thoughtfulness and time someone sat down and took to think of you. It conveys someones personality with handwriting and misspellings.. something they actually touched and held in their hands.



2. What makes Sidney and Sophie ideal friends for Juliet? What common ground do they share? Who has been a similar advocate in your life?



3. Dawsey first wrote to Juliet because books, on Charles Lamb or otherwise, were so difficult to obtain on Guernsey in the aftermath of the war. What differences did you note between book selling in the novel and book selling in your world? What makes book lovers unique, across all generations? In the novel during that time period it was definitely alot more personal and people were grateful for the books. In today's time you can be hard pressed to find a book store owner who cares that much about their customers. It is easy to take for granted the mass of books we have at our fingertips.



4. What were your first impressions of Dawsey? How was he different from the other men Juliet had known?



5. Discuss the poets, novelists, biographers, and other writers who capture the hearts of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What does a reader’s taste in books say about his or her personality? Whose lives were changed the most by membership in the society?



6. Juliet occasionally receives mean-spirited correspondence from strangers, accusing both Elizabeth and Juliet of being immoral. What accounts for their judgmental ways? I'm not making excuses but I do think it needs to be remembered that the war was hard on everyone and it was a difficult time and place. Things are much different in today's time. And people may have said and done things they may not have under different circumstances.



7. In what ways were Juliet and Elizabeth kindred spirits? What did Elizabeth’s spontaneous invention of the society, as well as her brave final act, say about her approach to life?



8. Numerous Guernsey residents give Juliet access to their private memories of the occupation. Which voices were most memorable for you? What was the effect of reading a variety of responses to a shared tragedy?



9. Kit and Juliet complete each other in many ways. What did they need from each other? What qualities make Juliet an unconventional, excellent mother?



10. How did Remy’s presence enhance the lives of those on Guernsey? Through her survival, what recollections, hopes, and lessons also survived?



11. Juliet rejects marriage proposals from a man who is a stereotypical “great catch.” How would you have handled Juliet’s romantic entanglement? What truly makes someone a “great catch”? I didn't think Reynolds was a great catch... he didn't care about what Juliet cared about or was interested in.


12. What was the effect of reading a novel about an author’s experiences with writing, editing, and getting published? Did this enhance the book’s realism, though Juliet’s experience is a bit different from that of debut novelist Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece, children’s book author Annie Barrows? I did feel like the book was real and since I am so into books I really enjoyed this aspect.



13. What historical facts about life in England during World War II were you especially surprised to discover? What traits, such as remarkable stamina, are captured in a detail such as potato peel pie? In what ways does fiction provide a means for more fully understanding a non-fiction truth? I think fiction helps a non-fiction event feel more personal and real than a just the facts rendition, which can sometimes be lacking depending on who is telling the story.



14. Which of the members of the Society is your favorite? Whose literary opinions are most like your own? I would have to say that Isola was my favorite. I enjoyed her quirkiness and she just was a likable.. different type of person who didn't care what others thought of her.



15. Do you agree with Isola that “reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones”? I suppose that could be true.. but nevertheless you could say that about all things correct? Watching good movies ruins you for the bad..etc.


I really do hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned as I will make one more post for this book and share a Guernsey Sweet Cake recipe before starting on March's book. Happy Reading!

Part one of the letters

Because of the format of the book I haven't had much to say on it this month and my apologies if you are a faithful reader of the blog. In the beginning some say the book is slow going. And I can see that, but I have to say that I didn't have a problem getting into it right away which may be because of how much authors, books, history and the like interest me so. Rather than recount our start and what the book is about which you know if you are reading is jump right in to two of my favorite quotes. I especially love two of the first thoughts Juliet shared with us in her very first letter to Dawsey Adams:

"I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers."

"That's what i love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight and for no other reason than shear enjoyment."

I love Juliet's English humor that is shown through her letters and her thought process. It is neat isn't it how we end up with books that belonged to those who have come before us and the common interest that we show in them. Amazing how books can bring people together. And I love what she says about one book leading to another. I can certainly agree with that wholeheartedly as I have a reading list because of this process that expands to 150 books plus! Juliet has a job to do for an article for the times and becomes interested in the Literary Society that Dawsey Adams mentions. And so begins the correspondence between her and the members. We learn how the society came about with the unusual name. On the off chance you are interested here's the recipe I found online for a Potato Peel Pie... I would try it at your own risk if I were you! Here it is word for word from the site:


"Here’s a recipe for a potato peel pie, but I warn you, it tastes like paste. The more authentic it is, the nastier. These ingredients will make a very small pie (expand at will):

1 potato
1 beet
1 Tablespoon milk

Peel the potato and put the peelings in a pie pan. Don’t cook the peels, because you’re in the middle of an Occupation and you don’t have any fuel. Boil the potato and the beet together in salty water, but not for very long, due to the fuel problem. Just until you can stick a fork in the potato. Take them out and mash them up with the milk. Pour the glop in the pie pan. Bake at 375 for as short a time as is consonant with digestion (fuel again), say, fifteen minutes.

The finished product will look quite attractive and pink. If you squint, you can almost imagine raspberries. Don’t be fooled. It looks a lot better than it is. However, if you forgot that you were in the middle of WWII and added a bunch of butter and milk and salt, it could be quite tasty. "

Blech! Don't believe I will do any pretending with that dish anytime soon. But this is the truth in what the Island was restricted with, how thankful we should be for all we have today. We learn history of what was going on with the island of Guernsey during WWII through the letters of the Society members writing to Juliet. It is quite amazing reading all these different stories and how books pulled them all together. It is amazing how you could never have been a reader before and all it takes is that one right book to pull you in to the wonderful world of literature. I dare say this has happened to some of you since we started this club as several of you tell me all the time.

It's interesting reading the letters from the individual who is disapproving of the Society and I am glad the author also made this perspective for us. I enjoy the fact that books helped one man romance a woman to be his wife and begin his new love of reading. And with this, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing you can't do if you are willing to pick up a book and read about it. The letters that go back and forth captivated me and are quite believable. The author gives you a great sense of feeling as if you know these people. We come to the end of Part 1 and Juliet is off to Guernsey to meet all those she has been writing back and forth with and the adventure is just beginning for her.

February 2010 Book Club Selection

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is going to be our book club selection for February. I recently finished reading this book, fell in love with the characters and didn't want to see their stories end. I told you about this book previously on the blog here. This book is fiction based on some historical facts (which I know is a book club favorite). It is not considered to fall in the Christian genre of books but it is a book that is sweeping through many book clubs across the country with wondrous praise and I thought that it would make for a great selection for our group too. It is 274 pages and has some discussion information in the back we will use at our meeting. It is written as a series of letters back and forth between the characters. Here is what the Barnes and Noble website has for a description of the book:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society begins in January 1946, when popular author Juliet Ashton, much like her fellow British citizens, is emerging from the dark days of World War II. As Juliet exchanges a series of letters with her publisher and her best friend, readers immediately warm to this author in search of a new subject in the aftermath of war. By the time Juliet receives an unexpected query from Dawsey Adams, we are caught in a delightful web of letters and vivid personalities and eager for Juliet to find the inspiration she seeks. Dawsey, a farmer on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel, has come into possession of a book that once belonged to Juliet. Spurred by a mutual admiration for the writer, the two launch an epistolary conversation that reveals much about Dawsey's Guernsey and the islanders' recent lives under Nazi occupation. Juliet is especially interested to learn about the curious beginnings of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," and before long she is exchanging letters with its other members — not only Dawsey but Isola the vegetable seller, Eben the fisherman, and blacksmith Will Thisbee, creator of the famous potato peel pie. As Juliet soon discovers, the most compelling island character is Elizabeth, the courageous founder of the society, who lives in the memories of all who knew her. Each person who writes to Juliet adds another chapter to the story of Elizabeth's remarkable wartime experiences. Touched by the stories the letters deliver, Juliet can't help but travel to Guernsey herself — a decision that will have surprising consequences for everyone involved. Drawn together by their love of books and affection for each other, the unforgettable characters of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society collectively tell a moving tale of endurance and friendship. Through the chorus of voices they have created, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have composed a rich tale that celebrates the power of hope and human connection in the shadows of war. (end quote)


I had heard of this book and ended up reading it because a friend's family is originally from the Island of Guernsey. Her mother was a child during the time of the occupation and had to convince her mother (friend's grandmother) to leave the island before the German's arrived. I love history and the fact that I have a friend that has a connection somewhat to this means I may be a little biased. But overall I felt this was a light enjoyable read. I felt like the author really made the characters come alive. I could picture them in my head. I could even picture the main character in my head played by Emma Thompson if it ever becomes a movie. This book also successfully places Guernsey on my list of places I would like to visit one day. So anyways no big monumental thing to tell you about this book just that it is good. You can visit the official website from Random House here and check it out. Our February meeting will be in Swift's new annex at 8:30 AM on February 27th. I will be providing a traditional Guernsey dish for us to enjoy that morning with coffee.And may possibly be able to have my friend who's family is from Guernsey as a guest with photos. But I'm not making any promises at this time. I sure hope you can make it!



**Don't forget the January meeting is coming up soon on January 30th at 8:30 am in Swift's new building. Feel free to bring your friends and family!**


**And don't forget, any book suggestions are always appreciated as well!**

Happy Reading!