Remy Giraud Character Analysis in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Remy is a young Frenchwoman whom Elizabeth met at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. At the age of 22, Remy was imprisoned for stealing ration cards. She and Elizabeth soon became friends and Remy clung to Elizabeth's stories of Guernsey and the Literary Society. After the war, Remy writes to the Society to tell them of Elizabeth's death, as she wants Kit in particular to know how brave and kind her mother was. Remy's nurse, Sister Touviers, includes a note explaining that Remy is very ill and frail; she came to the hospital weighing only sixty pounds. Sister Touviers believes that Remy needs to move on and forget her time at the concentration camp. After receiving Remy's letter, Amelia and Dawsey visit Remy in France. They find that she's still very weak and thin and has a haunted look about her. Though she initially refuses their offer to host her on Guernsey, she eventually agrees to visit thanks to Dawsey's convincing. Remy slowly begins to open up on Guernsey; she starts to laugh and occasionally shares recollections of the camp or of Elizabeth with Juliet. She and Kit become very close, and it's clear to everyone that Remy feels very comfortable with Dawsey. This leads Juliet and Isola to believe that Remy and Dawsey are in love, and Juliet becomes quite jealous. Juliet feels horrible about her jealousy after an experience in which Remy experiences a violent panic attack at the sight of a German Shepherd; Dawsey later explains that the German guards used to let dogs attack prisoners for sport. This impresses upon Juliet that while Remy may look better, she's still recovering from the trauma of the camp and isn't well. Near the end of the novel, Remy decides to return to France to apprentice in a Paris bakery.

Remy Giraud 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 Remy Giraud or refer to Remy Giraud. 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:

I also know that she cherished you as her family, and she felt gratitude and peace that her daughter, Kit, was in your care. Therefore, I write so you and the child will know of her and the strength she showed to us in the camp.

Related Characters: Remy Giraud (speaker), Elizabeth McKenna, Kit McKenna, Eben Ramsey, Isola Pribby

Page Number and Citation: 178

Explanation and Analysis:

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 and Citation: 255

Explanation and Analysis:

Remy Giraud Character Timeline in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The timeline below shows where the character Remy Giraud appears in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

The Society receives a letter. The writer is Remy, a Frenchwoman, and she writes to say that Elizabeth was executed at the Ravensbrück Concentration... (full context)

Remy says that they lived in a block with almost 400 women. Elizabeth would talk about... (full context)

Remy says that most women stopped menstruating, but those that didn't stop were given no hygiene... (full context)

Sister Cecile Touvier includes a note with Remy's, explaining how ill Remy is and how bad she believes remembering what happened is for... (full context)

Amelia writes to Remy and thanks her for her letter and the news of Elizabeth. She asks if she... (full context)

Amelia tells Juliet that meeting Remy yesterday was very difficult. Remy is so thin she's almost like glass, and her eyes... (full context)

...with her for a while, as Amelia is tired after the trip to France and Remy might yet come to stay with her. Kit knows that Elizabeth is dead, and Juliet... (full context)

...assures Sidney that he didn't see the best of Dawsey, as Dawsey is preoccupied with Remy at the moment. She also asks what Sidney said to Isola, since Isola recently berated... (full context)

...to Sidney and says that he's absolutely right; Elizabeth's voice is perfect. She shares that Remy will come to Guernsey soon and stay with Amelia, so she'll get to keep Kit... (full context)

...it. However, last night, Dawsey came to borrow a suitcase for his trip to collect Remy. Kit was asleep, so Juliet and Dawsey walked out to the cliffs and watched the... (full context)

Dawsey writes Juliet from Louviers. He says that Remy is doing better, though she's still frail. Sister Touvier has cautioned him that Remy needs... (full context)

Juliet shares with Sidney that Remy is in Guernsey. Remy is still very frail, intense, and reserved—unless she's with Kit. Amelia... (full context)

...come of this is that, at supper last night, Isola was inspecting Eben's head and Remy was unable to contain herself—she burst out laughing. Juliet mentions that she and Dawsey are... (full context)

...ashamed of himself for writing it. The Society discussed original sin and predestination, and even Remy spoke: she said that if there's predestination, than God is the devil. (full context)

Booker arrived, wearing a uniform jacket, with Remy carrying a hoe. Booker growled that he wouldn't arrest Billee Bee, but he'd make sure... (full context)

...day they discovered Billee Bee, but that evening, she began to get nervous. Dawsey and Remy stopped to check in on Juliet. Juliet didn't find it particularly comforting. She wonders if... (full context)

...disturbing event that took place in the afternoon. She was walking along the cliffs with Remy and Dawsey when they saw a woman coming towards them. The woman had a German... (full context)

Juliet is ashamed of herself for thinking that Remy was well enough to go home, and wonders if she just wanted Remy to get... (full context)

Juliet sends a distraught telegram to Sidney. She saw Dawsey and Remy in St. Peter Port, buying a suitcase. They were smiling and happy. She wonders if... (full context)

For the next few days, Isola notices nothing. On Thursday, Remy comes to visit with a letter from the French government. Isola makes a note to... (full context)

...Friday, Isola tests her idea to look at things sideways. She accompanied Dawsey, Juliet, and Remy to fetch Sidney from the airfield. She observed that Dawsey shook Sidney's hand but refused... (full context)

...from the picnic. As everyone was poking the fire, Eben made an announcement, flanked by Remy and Dawsey. Juliet went strangely rigid. Eben explained that this is to be a farewell... (full context)

...worrying about her. Isola decided to look for evidence of Dawsey's feelings to share with Remy and so offered to scrub Dawsey's floor on Monday. On Sunday, Isola writes and wonders... (full context)

...looking for the box and found it under Dawsey's bed. There were no notes from Remy. It contained a handkerchief of Juliet's, which Isola figured he meant to return. Isola admitted... (full context)

...and Dawsey will be unhappy. After Isola calmed down, she told Juliet about Dawsey loving Remy but finding no evidence. There were plenty of photos of Juliet and Kit, and Juliet's... (full context)

...with Dawsey. Isola was sure that Juliet was going to tell Dawsey to propose to Remy, but instead, she proposed to Dawsey herself. Dawsey swore, said yes, and sprained his ankle... (full context)

Remy Giraud Character Analysis

Remy Giraud Quotes in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Part 2: 12 Jun, 1946 Quotes

Part 2: 2 Sep, 1946 Quotes

Remy Giraud Character Timeline in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society