The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Part 1: 28 Feb, 1946 Summary & Analysis

Juliet writes to Sophie and says that she's surprised that Sidney went to Australia, but she's happy he's there to take care of Piers. She's also happy that Sidney isn't in London—with him gone, Juliet can spend time with Mark. Sidney doesn't like Mark at all, but Juliet thinks that Sidney is too dramatic. She says that she's having a grand time with Mark; they go out nearly every night and Juliet is struck by the fact that Mark seems untouched by the war. In closing, she asks if Dominic is too old for a jack-in-the-box.

Juliet writes to Isola, thanking her for her letter. She says that the first time she read Wuthering Heights, the ghost hooked her too. Juliet explains that her teacher had assigned the book over a holiday. She and Sophie whined about it for two days, started reading, and then spent the rest of the holiday working through all of the Brontë sisters' novels. She explains that she chose to write about Anne Brontë because she's the least known, but still an exceptional writer.

Eben Ramsey writes to Juliet. He says that before the war, his family cut tombstones, but now he mostly fishes. Eben says that though he hadn't wanted to ever talk about the war, he trusts Amelia's judgment and wants to help with Juliet's article. He says that before the Society began, most of the members hadn't read since school. Eben selected Selections from Shakespeare that first afternoon and though he was initially unenthusiastic about reading, he soon came to believe that Shakespeare wrote for men like him. Eben believes that if he'd read Shakespeare before the occupation, he would've had the words to console himself when the Germans landed.

Eben writes that the Germans arrived on the 30th of June, 1940, after bombing the island. The bombs killed about 30 people. At first, the Germans were generous and full of themselves, as they thought taking London would be easy. However, when it became clear they wouldn't be able to, they became mean. They changed rules constantly. Food soon disappeared and the Society members clung to their books and to each other. By 1944, everyone went to bed by 5pm to keep warm. After D-Day, the Germans no longer received supplies from France, so the soldiers were just as hungry as the locals. They killed house pets and stole from gardens, even though it was illegal. Eben watched one soldier shot for stealing, and comments that hunger makes a person desperate. He says that his grandson, Eli, was evacuated.