I really enjoyed the split narrative (two female narrators, one in the 16th century, the other in the present day), but I wanted more closure than the ending ultimately provided. I'm tired of concluding in a state of liminal possibility.

S obzirom na to da je ovo prvi Trejsin roman, treba joj oprostiti neke propuste i klišee, kao i slabe delove. Sve u svemu, nakon ponovnog čitanja, ovo ostaje knjiga koju mnogo volim i to zbog motiva koji me uvek privlače - porodične tajne, pronalaženje predaka, povezanost dve žene kroz vreme i prostor, kao i pokušaj da se odgovori šta je to što nas "tera" da volimo nekoga, a šta nas posle nekog vremena zažulja.

Ending was very rushed and unsatisfactory but the rest of the book had me hooked

Read for a book club discussion.

Historical parts were engaging, however the contemporary sections - riddleded with bad writing, flimsy plot and cardboard characters - ruined the overall impression for me.

"The Virgin Blue" is two stories in one. Or possibly two sides of the same story.

In one story, set in modern day, American Ella Turner is a midwife studying for re-licensing after relocating with her husband to France. She investigates her ancestral roots for something to do and becomes intrigued in both her family history and the local librarian, Jean-Paul.

The other story is that of Isabelle du Moulin, a French Protestant woman who marries into the Tournier family and who escapes persecution by the Catholics by fleeing into Switzerland.

The stories of Ella and Isabelle run in parallel and it's not hard to see that Isabelle is a proxy for Ella or vice versa, what with Ella's hair turning red as Isabelle's does, both of them being midwives, and both being married to less than ideal husbands. There's a "wolfish" love interest in both stories too (the double-quotes are for the grimace that accompanies the word).

I read the book in one sitting and found it to be highly satisfying, in the way that well-written, entertaining detective fiction is, even if you can see the ending from a way off.

I suppose it's inevitable that I compare this book with Chevalier's more well-known Girl with a Pearl Earring. I enjoyed this one more because of a clearer structure and quicker pace.

On the other hand, I can also spot a fatal flaw in trying to make the ending too clear, in making the narrator of one story the author of the other. It ruins that lovely sense of distance that's created in Isabelle's story and the effect of having the two stories exist simultaneously in time. I'd like very much to cut the Epilogue out of every edition and have the uneasy thought of Isabelle's ending jar in the reader's mind with the happy satisfaction of Ella's story.

Ella Turner and Isabelle du Moulin are two women born centuries apart who share a mysterious legacy. Ella and her husband Rick move to France for his work and for desire to brush up on her French, qualify as a midwife and start a family. Almost from the beginning Ella found living in France less than she hoped for with coldness and suspicion instead of friendliness. Several strange events propel Ella to research her family history specifically the meaning of a recurring dream that features a startling blue tapestry along with a feeling of dread. Isabelle du Moulin's story provides a look at Huguenot France including the hatred of Catholics. Ella's research leads her on a quest that tests her marriage and her sense of reality but also provides her with an understanding of her heritage that is satisfying and most welcomed.

Such a brilliant novel...I loved it

Drie en halve ster.
Mooi verhaal met een licht gruwelijk slot.

Before penning her bestselling novel Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier wrote The Virgin Blue, the mesmerizing story of two women living in France 400 years apart. Let me just say that I loved, loved, LOVED this novel! I couldn't bear to put it down and so I read it practically straight through in a matter of hours.

Chevalier's description of the people and towns of France both in present day and in the past are amazingly full of life and incredibly beautiful. It was impossible not to fall in love with France while reading The Virgin Blue. The author's love both for history and art is easy to see and infectious - I am eager to read her other novels as soon as I can get my hands on them.

The characters are well-written and and believable and the plot is quick-moving and engrossing. The Virgin Blue is possibly the best book that I've read this year. Don't let yourself be distracted by reviews that it is not as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring - The Virgin Blue is every bit as good as some of the best historical fiction out there.

Even though not stellar, this was a nice read about a contemporary woman and a story about her ancestor from long long (400yrs) ago.

I found the 15th century Isabelle's story stronger of the two - much less typical - and I wanted "more". On the other hand, I could have heard "less" about Ella and her love life - giving her psoriasis made her more interesting for some reason. The magical realism didn't quite work but it was not so annoying that I would discount the read which was engaging.

Shuffling narratives is very popular with authors, but I have to admit to once again sticking to one character's storyline at a time instead of reading the chapters in the order provided. Sorry authors!

I recommend this book to Chevalier fans in that it was her first published novel. Her ability to draw a sense of place and lay out a plot is already evident. Be prepared for an abrupt ending that is not tied up nicely in a bow.

btw - once again, Catholics don't come out looking too good. In this case, they persecuted and massacred the Huguenots in France.

În principiu este o carte despre căutarea de sine în arborele genealogic al familiei. Ce a început ca o activitate desfășurată din plictiseală, devine pt Ella Turner “un raison d’être”.
Descoperind secretul morbid al familiei din epoca prigonirii hughenoților în Franța, Ella se redescoperă de fapt pe sine, cu dorințe și priorități noi.
Romanul a început puternic cu istoria Isabellei de Moulin, strămoașa Ellei, însă se termină vag cu Ella scriindu-și povestea. Parcă mi-aș fi dorit ceva mai mult de la final dincolo de vaga legătură dintre Ella și strămoașa ei.

3.5. En fin berättelse. Jag hakar upp mig på otroheten som inte tillrättavisades. Det är något som förekommer i allt för många böcker och jag HATAR det verkligen.

Jag tycker att bakgrundshistoriken är spännande med kalvinismen under tidigmodern tid. Jag hade önskat att boken baserades under 1500 istället för 1700 då den mest spännande tiden av kalvinismen tog plats, anser jag.

Utöver 1700-talet som berättas av Isabelle berättar Ella ur sin samtid under 1900. Ellas tid uppskattade jag också. Hon släktforskar om sin familj från 1700. Det fanns också perspektiv av arkeologi.