Mary Ann Shaffer

Historical fiction set during the German occupation of the Channel Islands achieved widespread acclaim through an epistolary story centered on community, literature, and resilience during World War II. American writer Mary Ann Shaffer brought this story to life in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a posthumously published novel created with her niece, Annie Barrows, that illustrates the sustaining power of reading and personal connection amid conflict.

Career & Background

Mary Ann Shaffer was born Mary Ann Fiery on December 13, 1934, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and attended Miami University. Throughout her professional life, she worked as an editor, librarian, and bookshop employee. She spent over three decades deeply embedded in the Northern California book world, holding positions at the San Anselmo library, the Larkspur library, Book Passage, and A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books.

Shaffer harbored a lifelong dream of writing a book that would be published. Her interest in the Channel Islands began during a journey to London, when she took a flight to Guernsey on a whim and became stranded at the airport after a dense fog grounded all transport. While waiting for the weather to clear, she read about the island's history during the German occupation. Encouraged by her writing group over many years, she eventually drafted her novel. When illness prevented her from finishing final revisions, her niece Annie Barrows stepped in to complete the manuscript. Shaffer passed away on February 16, 2008, in San Anselmo, California, shortly before the novel was published.

Writing Style & Themes

Shaffer framed her narrative using an epistolary format composed of personal letters and telegrams, allowing a diverse group of characters to share their distinct perspectives on wartime isolation and survival. Her writing highlights how shared literature and secret gatherings foster resilience, humanity, and solidarity during military occupation. The text balances historical detail with warmth, gentle humor, and an emphasis on quiet acts of courage.

Major Works

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society — Co-authored with her niece Annie Barrows and published posthumously in 2008, this epistolary novel details the lives of Guernsey islanders during and after the German occupation of World War II and the unexpected comfort found in a local book club.