The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society tells the story of the wartime book club and its island members.

In 1946, London-based writer Juliet Ashton, played by Lilly James, was invited to the island to meet the club whose wartime experiences capture Ashton’s imagination.

But for some, their wartime experiences were still too raw, and she knew that if a book were to be published it would be very much against their wishes.

However, Ashton couldn’t get the idea out of her head and after much soul-searching, she began to write.

But instead of publishing it, she sent it as a gift to the club’s members – and the film portrays the arrival of the manuscript beautifully.

Building to an emotional climax, silence descends on the group as they sit gathered around their dimly lit meeting table and Dawsey Adams carefully unties the string around the packaging.

With the soundman picking up every loud crinkle, the paper wrapping is slowly and carefully peeled back to reveal the beautifully typed manuscript in all its 274-page glory.

And with a final flourish, the camera zooms in on the creamy-white 90gsm typewriter paper carrying the unmistakable 12-point Courier typeface.

Would the arrival of an e-book have had the same effect?

Probably not.

Which is yet another example of the impact of print and how with a little careful thought your marketing material can cut through the digital clutter.

If you’d like to jump on a call for a quick chat about anything to do with print and graphic display, I’d love to hear from you. Just check my diary here to book your call.

Stay safe.

Alec