Some films serve up a dish of nostalgia that’s hard to resist, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society(2018) offers an especially savory slice. Set in 1946, the story begins with London-based writer Juliet Ashton, played with effervescent charm by Lily James, stumbling upon a curious letter from Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman), a member of a quaint book club on the Channel Island of Guernsey. Her curiosity piqued, she sets off to the island, and what she finds there is a community bound together by literature and war-time resilience. The film’s portrayal of postwar Britain is rich with both authenticity and emotional warmth, drawing the viewer into its pastoral beauty—albeit with an airbrushed sheen that renders even hardship picturesque.
The soundtrack, composed by Alexandra Harwood, complements the film’s gentle drama with delicately arranged piano and string pieces, capturing both the melancholy of loss and the tentative hope of a new beginning. Harwood’s score wraps the film in an auditory comfort blanket, reinforcing the film’s nostalgic tone while subtly evoking the island’s isolation during the German occupation. However, one might wish for a touch more of the era’s vibrant music—perhaps some scratchy big band jazz or wartime Vera Lynn—to provide a grittier counterpoint to the score’s pristine beauty.
Historically, the film’s depiction of Guernsey under Nazi occupation takes a few liberties, glossing over the harsher realities faced by the islanders. There is little mention of the deportations or forced labor that occurred, and the German presence feels curiously benign. Yet, the literary society itself, born out of defiance and camaraderie, is a testament to the power of books as a means of resistance and healing. As much as one might wish for a fuller historical reckoning, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is undeniably heartwarming—a tender ode to the stories we share and the unlikely friendships that sustain us in the aftermath of war.
- Tom Hanson