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‘Tracy Chevalier’s first novel is a triumph. Excellent’ Time Out
‘An intriguing and poignant read’ Sunday Express
‘Such an achievement for a serious writer that you feel it deserves an award’ Independent
‘A beautifully crafted story shot with vivid colours’ The Times
Sunday Express
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But be warned: make sure you buy more than one copy. Because when you finish reading, you will want to share it with others - and you will also want to go back to the beginning and read the whole thing again, just in case you missed any of the clues the first time round.
Five hundred years ago, a red-haired Huguenot girl, La Rousse, sees her mother, a sage-femme or midwife, killed in the remote Cevenol area of France. Subsequently, she is married, unwillingly, to a bullying husband and forced with others of his faith from their home. She falls in love with an Italian pedlar and is mysteriously protected by a wolf, before her love of a piece of blue cloth brings disaster. When Ella Turner, an American married to Rick, comes to the same area she begins to be haunted by flashes of the colour blue - the colour of the Virgin Mary's robe. She is trying to become pregnant, although her relationship with her husband is increasingly compromised by an attraction to the French librarian, Jean-Paul. With his help, and that of her Swiss relations, Ella uncovers fragments of an ancient crime involving the persecution of the Hugenots and the presence of the mysterious blue of the Virgin's robe...and as she does so, her own hair turns red, like that of her ancestress.
The novel switches between Ella's narrative voice and an account of a past that may or may not be "true". Ella is a highly engaging character - quirky, stubborn, funny, and completely at odds with the provincial French town in which she finds herself. Her growing passion for Jean-Paul is conveyed with an economy that successfully skirts the novelettish, and her professional pride in her work as a midwife gives her a realism that is particularly welcome in a tale of shifting times and perceptions. An excellent and entertaining novel, which will be enjoyed by fans of Alice Hoffman and Rose Tremain.
I have to admit I knew little about sixteenth century French history before I read this and the story of Isabelle was fascinating. She lead a hard life, married into a harsh family who required her to follow their religion and treated her badly. Sadly, her story ends in tragedy.
When American, Ella Turner travels to France with her husband's work, she finds herself with time on her hands and decides to look into her ancestors' history. She feels drawn towards Isabelle and repeatedly suffers nightmares that she cannot explain.
As the two stories unfold in alternating chapters, the truth is revealed and Isabelle can finally rest in peace.
Excellent book, don't miss it.
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