Mary Ann Shaffer (1934–2008)
Author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
About the Author
Mary Ann Shaffer was an American writer, editor, librarian, and a bookshop worker. She was born on December 13, 1934 in West Virginia. She later moved to California where she married and raised two daughters. She worked in the public libraries of San Anselmo, San Rafael and Larkspur. She then moved show more on to become an editor at Harper & Row. She is known for her posthumously published work The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which she wrote with her niece, Annie Barrows. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Mary Ann Shaffer
2009 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Shaffer, Mary Ann
- Legal name
- Shaffer, Mary Ann Fiery
- Birthdate
- 1934-12-13
- Date of death
- 2008-02-16
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Country (for map)
- USA
- Birthplace
- Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA
- Place of death
- San Anselma, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA
California, USA - Occupations
- writer
librarian
editor
bookseller - Relationships
- Barrows, Annie (niece)
- Agent
- Liza Dawson
- Short biography
- Mary Ann Shaffer (December 13, 1934 – February 16, 2008) was an American writer, editor, librarian, and a bookshop worker. She is noted for her posthumously published work The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which she wrote with her niece, Annie Barrows.
Mary Ann Fiery was born on December 13, 1934 in Martinsburg, West Virginia. She had an older sister, Cynthia. They were raised in nearby Romney, West Virginia, but moved back to Martinsburg and went to high school there. Mary Ann is an alumna of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She married Carl Richard Shaffer in 1956, and in 1958 they moved to California, where they raised two daughters, Morgan and Liz. She worked in the public libraries of San Anselmo; Larkspur; and San Rafael during her career. She also worked at Harper & Row, advancing from a receptionist position to an editor's chair.
She died at her home in San Anselmo on February 16, 2008.
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Discussions
The Book Thief and The Guernsey Litereary & Potato Peel Pie Society in Books Compared (October 2013)
Reviews
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A… by Mary Ann Shaffer
Loved it! Absolutely delightful. Great characters and well told. And learned something about the Guernsey occupation during WWII along the way. I will read this one again and again.
Charming, informative book of letters between a London writer and the citizens of the Isle of Guernsey about German occupation of the island during WWII and its affect on the islanders. Very poignant and personable tale.
What a lovely, lovely book. Great story, cleverly told, I adored all the characters and laughed and cried along with them.
My only criticism is its lack of diversity. It's a very white book. I am assuming that, like mainland Britain and France, Guernsey's population included people of colour during the Second World War. However, they are completely absent from this novel. This is not forgiveable in the twenty-first century.
My only criticism is its lack of diversity. It's a very white book. I am assuming that, like mainland Britain and France, Guernsey's population included people of colour during the Second World War. However, they are completely absent from this novel. This is not forgiveable in the twenty-first century.
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 4
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 19,709
- Popularity
- #1,104
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 1,277
- ISBNs
- 111
- Languages
- 19
- Favorited
- 9
