Simply put, this book is like an interesting fusion of 'Labyrinth' and 'Practical Magic'. Isabelle is a young woman in rural France who finds herself increasingly despised by those around her. Her bright red hair links her to the Virgin Mary, and whispers of witchcraft float around her as the Calvinist 'Truth' spreads through the people and the Catholics turn to persecution to fight back. Marrying into the wealthy but arrogant Tourniers, she is still marginalised and life becomes ever more difficult. Several hundred years later, Ella Turner moves from America to France with her husband, to a little provincial town that doesn't take kindly to strangers. Increasingly miserable and lonely there, she takes up the search for her ancestors as a project to pass the time, enlisting Jean-Paul, a local librarian, to help her. Tormented by a smothering nightmare of billowing blue and chanted words, she moves ever closer to discovering the fate of Isabelle and her children.

The book began disastrously for me. It was clunky, irritating, confusing and disjointed. In fact, if it hadn't been for a fellow LT-er mentioning having a similar experience but really liking it in the end, I might have given up before the end of the first chapter. I'm glad I took that advice and persevered! I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Isabelle and Ella building, wondering if anyone else in the 'modern' chapters might be descendants of those in the 'old' sections, and how the tangle of characters around these women fitted together. The ties between women, in friendship as well as through the generations of a family, is nicely explored, with the whispering echoes of Isabelle and her red hair reminding me of the mysterious family curse at the centre of 'Practical Magic'. The chapters alternate between Isabelle and Ella, between the third and first person voice, and between narrative styles, until the climactic chapters where both alternate ever more quickly, building suspense and a horrible sickly sense of dread and fear. That said, I worked out what was coming a little too early, which meant that I was waiting more for the WHY than the WHAT - and was therefore disappointed when the truth was revealed but never explained.

All in all, I'm really glad I carried on reading it - but I was a bit distracted by it's similarity to the later 'Labyrinth', which I read (and loved) a few years ago now. It was evocative and exciting and suspenseful, but the anticlimactic ending let it down to some extent. I think the story will stay with me so I'll hang on to it a while and let the reflection run its course before I decide whether it's a keeper or not! ( )

After reading the mixed reviews of this book, I was hesitant to read it but hopeful I would like it. I usually read historical fiction and avoid modern fiction. So when I found that this book alternated between past history and modern occurences I was not happy and was confident this book would not be one of my favorites. I was so wrong.

This story of Isabelle in the 16th century is interesting and sometimes suspenseful and frightening. Her modern counterpart, Ella, begins searching for information about this family in hopes it will help her feel connected while she's living in France. But what she finds out is surprising and shocking. I didn't see this ending coming.” ( )

I liked it better than Girl with the Pearl Earring. ( )

lovely book. I loved the French history, the characters, and the love story. ( )

I loved the historical sections of this, they were rich in detail. The color was woven through the story nicely, tying the historical with the contemporary. It took a bit more time for me to connect with the contemporary heroine, but in the end I thought it was a satisfying story. I would recommend it. ( )