Told with a minimum amount of melodrama, and bestselling with limited amounts of hype, Tracy Chevalier's debut novel is quite a nice and tidy effort. The whole split level (the main story in the present intersects with a related story set in the past) storytelling device is executed pretty well, and I definitely cared where the stories and the characters in both eras went.

Interesting the whole 'write what you know' approach has Chevalier taking a young American to France, and has strong themes around her/the character's love of history and art; it could be argued that the historical context of this story is the pull that makes this book a good read? A well deserved solid Three Star, 7.5 out of 12.

2007 read

This was a very imaginative story and the religious history of early France was fascinating to me. I had to keep going to the internet to read more about it. But it is definitely not as good as Girl With the Pearl Earring and I had a hard time understanding the actions of the modern day character who is researching her family history. The family research was very interesting and kept me really absorbed in the two young women from different centuries, but I did not understand why the modern American woman's personal life had to so disagreeable. I do plan to read more by this author as her writing does contain so much history and holds my interest.

I like Tracy Chevalier's writing. Her books, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Falling Angels were terrific. This book was good and I did finish it, but it fell short compared to her others.

I enjoyed the story of Isabelle du Moulin more so than Ella Turner's story. Isabelle is a tragic heroine and I wanted to learn more about her and her situation. Ella's story, while less tragic certainly, entertained me but did not grasp me. I felt distant from her somehow. I think she created her own problems and then looked for others to solve them.

I would have preferred a better ending as well. I still felt at a bit of a loss as to Isabelle's life and her subsequent demise.

I would recommend her other books to this one.

I picked it up and a day and a half later, I set it down. At first, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but 20 pages in and I was completely hooked.

Since I haven't read anything else by Tracy Chevallier, I wasn't sure I would enjoy her writing. I was happy to discover she has a natural knack for character development, I found her to be a very honest author, unafraid to describe what "we" are really feeling inside. Exposing the vulnerability of human nature with her intertwining stories of love, hate, religion, persecution, adultery and redemption.

The pace of the novel starts off a little slowly, there is a lot to get through to grasp all the characters and their roles. Halfway muddling through the French dialog was a little difficult at first, but well worth the effort. And as the story progressed, became more intense and began revealing the secrets shared by the two main characters, the chapters became shorter and shorter, the structure of the chapters began to change, which increased the pace set early on.

My only wish is that there had been more follow through with a few revelations that Ella (our main character from the modern age) discovered about her ancestors. (specifically the painter Nicolas Tournier...Who was this cat after all? Tracy never says for sure)

And I wish there had been more between Ella and Susanne her cousin from Switzerland; they shared the family secret but their relationship ended too quickly for me. And later with Ella and Elizabeth her cousin from France. They shared a kindred spirit, but Tracy left me desiring more of the relationships. Ella's feelings toward Elizabeth were contradictory with the way the story ended. At first she doesn't know if she wants to relate to her, but in the end she's spending quality time with Elizabeth but no reconsiliation has been made for her original emotions regarding Elizabeth and the Tournier family history.

Also, there was no explanation as to who's teeth they discovered under the chimney at La Baume du Monsieur, Tracy discusses it briefly in regards to Hannah (the grandmother from the 1500's) and her belief that "the home is safe, the hearth will protect us...", it was a little confusing because it was never fully explained. And lastly, did they burry Marie near Deborah? She wanted to see her again. Did she finally rest near her?

The only reason I can criticize these things is because I enjoyed the book so much, I wish there had been more to it. I was left wanting more...Is there any better compliment to an author?

This is Tracy Chevalier's first published novel; I think that shows in her handling of plot but not in the storytelling and writing style. The dual timeline doesn't really work well . . . I never believed Ella's connection to her family history was enough to drive her to discover its dark secret and the sorrow of her Huguenot ancestor, Isabelle, "La Rousse".

Enjoyed the setting and history in the novel.

XVI secolo, in Francia: tutto il villaggio conosce Isabelle du Moulin come La Rossa, una ragazza dai capelli color rame, ma l'arrivo dei calvinisti – adepti al fanatismo della Riforma- renderanno il nomignolo di Isabelle sinonimo di stregoneria. Dopo le persecuzioni seguite alla Notte di massacro di San Bartolomeo, incinta, prenderà la via della fuga con il compagno – il giovane Tournier- trovando asilo in un remoto villaggio svizzero, che le riserverà tuttavia un futuro cupo e pieno di sofferenze.

Un destino, quello della giovane Isabelle, che verrà riportato alla luce –secoli dopo- da Ella Turner, l'americana perseguitata da uno strano sogno in cui le appare una veste azzurra e che la porta a trasferirsi nel Sud della Francia. Un istinto che la porterà a risolvere il mistero celato tra le Cévennes, le isolate montagne dove ebbero origine i Tournier (Turner).

L'aspetto storico, l'interesse per la ricerca e il sacrificio si intrecciano nell'opera prima dell' autrice Tracy Chevalier che si avvale dell'arguto concetto di alternanza di una trama storica assimilata e interseca con la nostra contemporaneità (vedi Isabelle e poi Ms. Ella).

L'aspetto di prevalenza, nonché di maggiore interesse, è infatti una storia che vive in due momenti diversi nella storia, seppur nella medesima area geografica. Tale peculiarità non appesantisce una trama che anzi si ritrova snellita da uno stile così vario e avvincente (dopotutto tra le vicende di Isabelle e Ella sono passati secoli, con la diversificazione di usi e costumi che ne consegue).

Una lettura facile dalla narrazione fluente, anche se non raggiunge il livello degli altri romanzi dell'autrice, garantisce senza dubbio un intrattenimento piacevole. 4 stelline - -

I thoroughly enjoyed The Virgin Blue. It's not as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring, but still good enough to recommend. The story alternates between the 16th and 20th centuries and the lives of two women who are distantly related. I thought the story of Isabelle living in the 16th century was actually more believable than Ella in the 20th. As always, stories that showcase devotion to the Virgin intrigue me.

I respect Chevalier's concept for her books -- taking a famous painting and imagining an entire story around it. Now, after a while, I think this concept might get a bit formulaic and redundant. In this book, I can see that she is actively trying to avoid just such a situation. Rather than imagining how the portrait came to be, as in "Girl with a Pearl Earring", Chevalier instead concentrates solely on the girl in the portrait and tries to imagine her life. The pacing of the book was a bit faster than "Pearl Earring," in my opinion a good thing for the plot, but the book crescendoed too late. The reader already figured out the resolution, but the author tried to keep the tension going an extra 10 pages or so, which didn't really work for me. Additionally, I'm just not a big fan of using pastlife experiences as a major plot mover. It simply seems like a cheap way to pull disparate plot lines together rather than using talent to weave them into a coherent plot. So, overall, wasn't a big fan.

I thought this was an ok read. It is a story about an American woman who moves to Paris and starts to have dreams about her ancestor who lived during the Huguenot times.

I did find the bit where they were just carrying around a body in the bag a bit weird. I found it hard to believe that would happen in real life.

Like all of Tracy Chevalier's books, this is beautifully written and deeply engrossing. Unlike her other books, this has elements of a thriller!

The story alternates between Isabelle du Moulin (aka “The Rousse” for her copper colored hair) and her distant descendant, Ella Turner. Both are trained as midwives, both are not able to practice their craft (Isabelle's husband Ettienne won't let her, Ella has moved with her husband to France for his work, and she doesn't have the necessary certifications to work there).

Ella is having repetitive dreams about being enveloped in a shade of blue. She decides to investigate her family tree, she is descended from Tourniers in Franch (who Anglicized their names to Turner when they arrived in America). Isabelle is unhappily married and accused of witchcraft. The two stories are interwoven, coming together in a satisfying climax.

The good: All the scenes describing Isabelle and the past are excellent, she is a very sympathetic character. The finish was good, with every loose string tied up.

The bad: I didn't really care for Ella, she seemed whiney and dramatic. I felt annoyed sometimes with the choices she made.

Overall a very readable book, definitely held my attention, but nowhere near as good as Girl With a Pearl Earring.

This first in a long line of novels by an extraordinarily inventive and resourceful storyteller visits France of now and 400 years ago.

I have enjoyed this author's books for their historical content, but this one missed the mark for me unfortunately.