I’m doing the A to Z Challenge in April, using the theme of the UK & Ireland. Today is the letter G, a great time to talk about the book, and upcoming movie, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society before I had a book blog, but not before I had a Goodreads account — so I know that I added it in March 2009, about eight months after it was published. I remember that it made a big splash in the librarian world — librarians tend to like books about people who like books. Several people recommended it to me before I got around to reading it.

I remember that I loved it. Nine years later, I can’t say that I remember much else — a vague, warm memory of books and WWII and hand-written letters.

I’m ready to have the memory filled out with the film. I get my movie news from Sim Carter at Chapter 1 – Take 1, a blog about movies based on books.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has taken a long path to film adaptation.

Sim first wrote about it in January 2012, when Kate Winslet was slated to play the lead under the direction of Kenneth Branagh. That announcement prompted Sim to read the book, to make sure that she finished it before the movie came out.

As it turned out, she needn’t have rushed.

In October 2015, the next iteration looked like Rebecca Ferguson would get the lead with Michael Newell directing.

Then, it was December 2016, and it looks like this is the version that we’ll get to see. Sim was cautious with her first sentence, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Lily James was cast as Juliet Ashton and Michael Newell, creator of Four Weddings and a Funeral, was to direct.

Finally, in September 2017, Sim shared a publicity still of Ms. James in her 1940s suit, standing on a ferry. It looks like this is really going to happen!

According to IMDB, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will be released this month in the UK. No word on when we get to see it in the US.

In the meantime, the trailer gave me chills:

Have you read the book? Are you hoping to see the film?