Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Free-spirited writer Juliet Ashton forms a life-changing bond with the delightful and eccentric Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the occupation of Guernsey in WWII.
A warmly executed period romance-drama based on the beloved epistolary novel, featuring charming performances from Lily James and an ensemble cast. The Guernsey setting is beautifully photographed, lending the film a picturesque quality. The plot follows a fairly conventional arc of a city woman discovering community and love in a rural setting, elevated somewhat by the WWII occupation backdrop and the book-club framing device. The ending feels rushed and tidied up too neatly, with the romantic resolution arriving without sufficient dramatic weight. Novelty is modest — the premise of a literary society formed under Nazi occupation is distinctive enough to separate it from generic period romances, but the film doesn't fully exploit its more complex historical material, settling instead for crowd-pleasing comfort.