BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
(Available in Print: ©3/30/2021; PUBLISHER: Berkley; ISBN: 978-1984802125; PAGES: 576; Unabridged.)
(Available in Digital: Yes.)
* This version--Audio: ©3/30/2021; PUBLISHER: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group; ISBN: 978-0593346679; FILE SIZE: 689028 KB; DURATION: 24:04:06; PARTS: 22
(Not available in Feature Film or tv (yet?)

Series: No

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
A lengthy, captivating historical fiction novel featuring three heroines of different times; Adrienne de La Fayette ([Revolutionary wars] based on the French marchioness Marie Adrienne Francois de Noailles, Marquis de La Fayette 11/2/1759-12/24/1807), Beatrice Chanler ([WWI] based on the philanthropist, Beatrice Minerva Ashley Chanler / born Minnie W. Collins 5/7/1880-6/19/1946); and Marthe Simone ([WWII] based on a medley of actual prominent women of France in the 1940’s.)
Nearly as prominent as the characters, is the castle in Chavaniac, France, where La Fayette was born and later returns to with his wife; so, central to the La Fayettes through the US and French revolutions, it also later becomes, by virtue of a WWI philanthropist’s devotion to his reputation, central in WWI and WWII, in providing shelter and sustenance to war orphans, and strength to the women who serve them while courageously resisting the cruelty and oppression of invaders.
I found it well pieced together and captivating, and enjoyed the author’s epilogue separating the facts from the fiction and her decisions regarding the novel’s creation and direction.

AUTHOR:
Stephanie Dray: There doesn’t seem to be a Wikipedia entry to tell me her birthday, but her own website says she is an author of women’s fiction; that her award-winning work has been translated in eight different languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. She lives in Maryland, or did when the bio was written, with her husband, cats, and history books.

NARRATOR(S):
Tavia Gilbert (Beatrice): I don’t find a Wikipedia entry for Tavia so I don’t know her birthday. Goodreads says she is “an award-winning narrator with 300 audiobooks under her belt.” IMDb says she is a “Grammy nominee, Audiobook Narrator of the Year, and winner of the Best Female Narrator Audie Award, Tavia Gilbert is a producer, writer, and acclaimed narrator of more than 700 full-cast and multi-voice audio books for virtually every publisher in the industry . . .” She did well with the Beatrice character.;
Emma Bering (Adrienne): I don’t find a Wikipedia page for Emma either, so I don’t know her birthday. Audiobookstore-dot-com says she is an Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator and lists a few of the books she has read. I thought she did very well with the voice of Adrienne;
Rachel Jacobs (Marthe): I don’t find a Wikipedia page for Rachel. I see her own website where it says she has narrated over 100 books. She did well, with the exception that her voices for the Baroness and for Beatrice seemed intended to portray the more mature age of these characters, which seemed like a sacrifice to the emotional states the text suggested they should have been in, well particularly the baroness—for me, these voices were kind of society-mavenish and cheery sounding, like they were in the middle of hosting a grand ball.

GENRE:
Historical Fiction

LOCATIONS:
France; United States

TIME FRAME:
1770’s; 1910’s; 1940’s

SUBJECTS:
Family; Famous wars; Revolutionary war; WWI; WWII; History; Jewish; France; United States; Adrienne de Lafayette; Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafeyette; Beatrice Chanler; Willaim Astor Chanler; Chateau de Lafeyette; Orphans

DEDICATION:
“To my dad, who patiently critiqued his teenaged daughter’s first novel, and never told her how bad it really was”

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter Two (Adrienne Paris April 1774:
“In the ancient regime into which I was born, obedience was the rule. Thus it strangely gratifying now to remember that when I was very young—before deference and duty to my father became the hallmark of my character—it was my nature to question. Indeed, when I was a little child, my long-suffering maman once jested that my favorite word was why.
But, of course, she was the one who taught me to ask . . .
It was Maman’s habit to invite my sisters and me into her sumptuous gold and crimson chambers, where, seated by the fire in her favorite upholstered armchair—the one with gilded arms and embroidered with fluer-de-lis—she instructed us with soft eloquence and a sense of justice to believe that though we were girls, we had a right to our own consciences. We certainly tried her patience in adhering to that principle in matters large and small. Little Rosalie’s violent tantrums, pretty Pauline’s aloof disdain, Clotilde’s refusal of all things feminine, and my persistence in doubt in God.”

RATING:
4 stars. Well done.
STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
1/6/2022– 1/24/2022
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It's a very good book. ( )

What a great book. I never favored one character over another as they all contributed equally to the story and made the transition between eras flow easily.

For such a large book, it was one where I would rather have sat and read it, rather than adulting. ( )

This powerful fiction tale weaves in historical events and characters to create an exciting read. The chapters move between three different times and characters, but all are intertwined. The events and writing create a strong text that is easy to read. The women characters focus on two who were real people and one who was created as the hero of the story. The history of Lafayette and the chateau help tie the characters together across the years. An excellent read! ( )

*Soft spoilers*

A fascinating novel.

I love how it threads together the Lafayettes of the 18th Century with ladies of World Wars I and II. Historically based, as well, around Lafayette's historical home, Chavaniac. Lafayette snd his wife lived in the family home, Beatrice Astor Chanler lead philanthropy at the castle during WWI, and Americans bought it for a refuge for Jewish children in WWII.

Beatrice was my favorite and I adored her timeline! I learned a lot that I had forgotten about Lafayette as well.

Almost 5 stars. Taking points off for the WWII character, Marthe, being fictional (although I believe the author honestly tried to find a historical heroine to use) and for giving Marthe serious romantic and sexual feelings for her friend Anna (this seemed inauthentic and forced-in).

Overall, an enjoyable, and enlightening, read!

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