"She was called Isabelle, and when she was a small girl her hair changed colour in the time it takes a bird to call to its mate."
The Virgin Blue ~ by Tracy Chevalier, 1997, fiction (France)
Meet Ella Turner and Isabelle du Moulin — two women born centuries apart, yet bound by a fateful family legacy. When Ella and her husband move to a small town in France, Ella hopes to brush up on her French, qualify to practice as a midwife, and start a family of her own. Village life turns out to be less idyllic than she expected, however, and a peculiar dream of the color blue propels her on a quest to uncover her family’s French ancestry. As the novel unfolds — alternating between Ella’s story and that of Isabelle du Moulin four hundred years earlier — a common thread emerges that unexpectedly links the two women.
Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays. Click here for today's Mister Linky.
I love Tracy Chevalier. I read The Edge of the Orchard recently and it was great. Hope you enjoy.
ReplyDeleteMy Friday Book is Faithful , by Alice Hoffman.
This looks very good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy Friday Book is Faithful , by Alice Hoffman.
Besides The Virgin Blue, I've also read Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, and The Last Runaway that I can think of right now. She's an excellent writer. I haven't heard of The Edge of the Orchard and will have to see if I can find it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI loved Girl With a Pearl Earring and I'm drawn to books that feature midwives, so this sounds like a story I'd enjoy. The opening makes me want to keep reading to find out why her hair color changed so rapidly.
ReplyDeleteMy Friday post features The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
I've been wanting to read Tracy Chevalier's books for sometime but have never gotten around to them. I love the art connections and I hope you enjoy this one!
ReplyDeleteThis looks good. I enjoyed her book THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARRING.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Book Beginnings
I like the idea of the changing hair! I hope this turns out to be a good one and not too gimicky
ReplyDeleteNo, it wasn't too gimicky, and the reddish hair did run in their family and is part of the story that matters. I rated the book 8 of 10, a good book.
ReplyDelete