I’m currently reading “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” and have been absolutely charmed by the story and especially its main character, Juliet.

The book is written as a series of letters between Juliet and various people, and today’s quote comes from a letter Juliet wrote to Sidney, her dear friend and publisher. She is describing the delights of train travel since World War II has ended. She is especially happy because there are no more black-out curtains in the windows of homes, and she explains why in the quote below.

“All the windows we passed were lighted, and I could snoop once more. I missed it so terribly during the war. I felt as if we had turned into moles scuttling along in our separate tunnels. I don’t consider myself a real peeper — they go in for bedrooms, but it’s families in sitting rooms or kitchens that thrill me. I can imagine their entire lives from a glimpse of bookshelves, or desks, or lit candles, or bright sofa cushions.”  ~ “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I was already drawn to this character because she, too, is a writer, but this quote further solidified my connection to her because much to my husband’s chagrin, I also like to snoop in this way. I can’t help it. It’s just fun to witness in passing a moment of their lives.