THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY

So often when it comes to war films we see the fighter’s side, the politician’s side, the family’s side - and I get it, that’s where the action, the romance and the emotional heartstrings are located. From a storytelling perspective, it’s a goldmine. But not all victims of war saw bombs, bullets and death at their feet. Some simply had to sit back in horror as their loved ones were taken from them one by one overseas or at home. But on the small English island of Guernsey, things were a bit different.

It’s 1946 and England is in recovery mode. After so many years at war, people are still having trouble believing that it’s actually over and also getting used to those little pre-war luxuries returning to their lives. Author Juliet Ashton (Lily James, ‘Cinderella’, ‘Baby Driver’) has written a book that she’s not entirely proud of and about to reluctantly set off on a book tour with her publisher Sidney (Matthew Goode, ‘The Imitation Game’) in tow. When she receives a surprise letter from Dawsey (Michiel Huisman, ‘Game of Thrones’, '2:22'), a resident on the island of Guernsey, the two begin a correspondence until their shared love of books and the pen pal’s intriguing story about a literary and potato peel pie society drive Juliet to the island to learn more about its members. When she gets there, Juliet quickly learns that there’s much more to the story than a simple book club formed during the occupation, and sets about ingraining herself into everyone’s lives to learn more.