The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by

Ann Shaffer

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Dawsey is a jack-of-all-trades on Guernsey and a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Prior to his membership in the Society, however, Dawsey was extremely shy, quiet, and had a stutter. After his parents' early deaths, he was alone and mostly friendless. After the Society began and he started reading, Dawsey's stutter disappeared and he became more confident. He writes to Juliet after obtaining a used copy of a Charles Lamb book that Juliet used to own. The two begin a correspondence about the Society, the German occupation, and about their shared love of books and of Charles Lamb in particular. He's instrumental in asking others, specifically Amelia Maugery, to write to Juliet about their experiences of the occupation. Through their letters, Juliet learns that Dawsey was good friends with Elizabeth and eventually, Elizabeth's lover, the German Christian Hellman. In the present, with Elizabeth missing on the continent and Christian dead, Dawsey helps the other Society members care for their four-year-old daughter, Kit. He adores Kit and loves caring for her. When Juliet arrives on Guernsey, Dawsey shows her a number of beautiful places and generally acts as her tour guide. Others observe that Dawsey is in love with Juliet, but neither Dawsey nor Juliet accept this until much later. Things become more complicated after the Society receives news of Elizabeth's death from Remy, a Frenchwoman who met Elizabeth in the concentration camp. Dawsey believes that it's the Society's moral obligation to Elizabeth to house and care for Remy, which Juliet takes to mean that Dawsey loves Remy, not her. Isola notices that, after Remy announces her return to France, Dawsey—who has always been lonely—seems to mind being lonely for the first time. Isola also takes this to mean that Dawsey is in love with Remy, but rather than discover clues that support that hypothesis, she finds a number of clues that Dawsey actually loves Juliet. When Juliet proposes to Dawsey, he accepts immediately. Juliet writes to Sidney afterwards that becoming engaged seems to have done away with all of Dawsey's shyness.

Dawsey Adams Quotes in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society quotes below are all either spoken by Dawsey Adams or refer to Dawsey Adams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Literature and Connection Theme Icon
).
Part 1: 12 Jan, 1946 Quotes

Charles Lamb made me laugh during the German Occupation, especially when he wrote about the roast pig. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society came into being because of a roast pig we had to keep secret from the German soldiers, so I feel a kinship to Mr. Lamb.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1: 2 Apr, 1946 Quotes

The way that Christian and I met may have been unusual, but our friendship was not. I'm sure many Islanders grew to be friends with some of the soldiers. But sometimes I think of Charles Lamb and marvel that a man born in 1775 enabled me to make two such friends as you and Christian.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton, Captain Christian Hellman
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: 2 Sep, 1946 Quotes

She told me once that those guards used big dogs. Riled them up and loosed them deliberately on the lines of women standing for roll call—just to watch the fun. Christ! I've been ignorant, Juliet. I thought being here with us could help her forget.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton, Sidney Stark, Remy Giraud
Page Number: 255
Explanation and Analysis:
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Dawsey Adams Quotes in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society quotes below are all either spoken by Dawsey Adams or refer to Dawsey Adams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Literature and Connection Theme Icon
).
Part 1: 12 Jan, 1946 Quotes

Charles Lamb made me laugh during the German Occupation, especially when he wrote about the roast pig. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie society came into being because of a roast pig we had to keep secret from the German soldiers, so I feel a kinship to Mr. Lamb.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1: 2 Apr, 1946 Quotes

The way that Christian and I met may have been unusual, but our friendship was not. I'm sure many Islanders grew to be friends with some of the soldiers. But sometimes I think of Charles Lamb and marvel that a man born in 1775 enabled me to make two such friends as you and Christian.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton, Captain Christian Hellman
Page Number: 97
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: 2 Sep, 1946 Quotes

She told me once that those guards used big dogs. Riled them up and loosed them deliberately on the lines of women standing for roll call—just to watch the fun. Christ! I've been ignorant, Juliet. I thought being here with us could help her forget.

Related Characters: Dawsey Adams (speaker), Juliet Ashton, Sidney Stark, Remy Giraud
Page Number: 255
Explanation and Analysis: