Customer Reviews

The Virgin Blue (Highbridge Distribution)

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The Virgin Blue is indicative of the author's love of art and history, the plot marginally less sophisticated than her later and more successful novel, The Girl with the Pearl Earring. As a first effort, this novel certainly shows the author's burgeoning talent. In a plot that has become quite familiar in recent fiction, the story contrasts the life of a young woman in France with a distant relative who lived four centuries earlier, under much harsher conditions.

Ella Turner moves to France with her architect husband, Rick. Not far from where the couple settles in Lise-sur-Tarn, Isabelle du Moulin married Etienne Tournier when pregnant with their child, in 15th-Century France. At the time of Isabelle's marriage, France is suffering through the religious upheavals that are scouring the countryside, as strict Calvinist sects wrench themselves away from the Catholic Church, intent upon purifying the religion. Still, there are holdouts scattered throughout the country, mostly in the north, were the fleeing refugees resettle, driven from their lands, their farms and goods burned to the ground.

Known in her village since a child as "La Rousse", Isabelle is now shamed by her flaming red hair, the object of unwanted attention. It is said that the Virgin had red hair, a mark of the Papacy. Isabelle hopes to pass unnoticed among the other villagers, always covering her hair in public. Her husband, Etienne Tournier, a distant and controlling man, has never trusted his beautiful young wife, fathering two sons and a daughter with her, but rigid in the ruling of his family. When Isabelle's daughter, Marie, grows fiery red strands of hair among the brown, her mother is terrified and with good reason. The innocent Marie meets her fate in a cruel world, beginning a mystery that haunts the dreams of her distant relative, Ella, four centuries later.

Ella's unremitting nightmares and the recurring shade of blue that accompanies the dreams, drive her to search for her distant ancestor and their common history. Although never as portentous as in Isabelle's day, Ella's life choices are daily more difficult; in pursuing the mystery of the past, Ella's life takes a direction she could never anticipate.

Isabelle Tournier is a strong presence in Chevalier's hands, the treatment of the past historically compelling. A sincere and honest young woman, Isabelle suffers greatly for her simple faith at a time when women have few options, save the comfort of their families. Her stigma, the genetic accident of red hair, is unavoidable, but such is the superstition of the times that Isabelle is marked irrevocably. The 15th Century is tainted by religious intolerance, as the religion in ascendancy cleanses away the beliefs of another, leaving a wake of burning homes, villages and memories. This novel is an indication of the work to come, as Chevalier fashions compelling historical fiction, a genre she makes her own. Luan Gaines/2004.

Despite having read less-than-perfect reviews, I recently read The Virgin Blue on the recommendation of my English teacher, and was pleasantly surprised. While I have never read Girl With a Pearl Earring or any other of Chevalier's novels (and perhaps it is in comparison to them that many people beleive this novel to have fallen short), I can personally say that I was disturbed, moved, and ultimately satisfied with this book.

The story moves back and forth between Isabelle du Moulin, a young woman in 16th century France abused by her cruel husband, whose family belongs to a strongly anti-Catholic sect, and Ella Turner, her anscestor, a modern-day American midwife whose husband's job had relocated them to France. Both women find themselves horribly unhappy; Isabelle, who still secretly loves the Virgin and has her characteristic red hair, is suspected of treason and witchcraft by her husband Etienne, and Ella finds herself having strange nightmares about the color blue when she and her husband begin trying to conceive. As Ella and her "friend" Jean-Paul, a stubborn, often crass librarian who Ella is striving not to fall for, search for the story of Ella's anscestors, Isabelle's own disturbing fate slowly creeps into light.

While many reviewers have complained of the "coinicences" that lead to the story's chilling conclusion, I believe that it is this slightly supernatural and coincidential force tying the two women together that drives the story. The parallels between Isabelle and Ella are enticing, and only occasionaly (Ella's hair color changing to red being the most notable) are they far-fetched to the point of eye rolling. Although I will admit it lagged at times, the segments of each woman's story ended in precisely the place each time to keep me reading to figure out what befell them.

All in all, I would definitely reccommend this book, despite its luke-warm reviews. The end is well worth the read.

This is a beautifully written debut novel. Exquisite in its imagery and clarity of language, the author tells two parallel tales. One takes place in sixteenth century France, during the Protestant reformation and religious persecution of the Huguenots (Protestants). The other takes place in present day France. There are historical ties that bind these two stories, as well as a haunting familial legacy that reaches out across time to makes itself felt in the present.

The sixteenth century tale is based around a young woman, Isabelle du Moulin, who marries a boorish lout named Etienne Tournier, the oldest son of one of the more prominent families in their provincial town in France. She is a young woman upon whom the Virgin Mary made a great impression, when she was but a girl. The Tourniers, however, are believers of the new, harsh, Calvinist faith, and so Isabelle must also fully subscribe to it, if she is to survive in her husbands family and in the town in which she lives. When the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre occurs, in which Huguenots are slain without mercy throughout all of France, Isabelle is forced to flee to safety with what remains of her husband's family. Unhappy in her marriage, she goes on to have an event occur in her life that is so tragic that her pain and sorrow is made palpable in the present, touching one of her ancestors, Ella Turner.

Of course, the parallel tale focuses around Ella Turner, a young, married American woman, who moves to France with her husband Rick, in order to advance his career. Ella agrees to the move, because it will take her to the region in France from which she knows her family originated. Once in France, Emma has some difficulty acclimating to life in the small provincial town to which they have moved, as well as to its denizens. Ella also finds herself having inexplicable nightmares and begins to feel herself somewhat alienated from her husband. To occupy her time, she begins a quest to discover more about her French ancestry. As Ella's story unfolds, alternating with the parallel story of Isabelle, commonalities between the past and present begin to emerge. These parallel stories then converge in a stunning denouement to resolve a tragedy of the past in the present.

I absolutely loved this book, as it covered many of the genres that I enjoy. The author combines historical fiction, suspense, romance, and touch of the supernatural all in one beautifully realized novel. The author writes with the heart of a poet and the soul of a great storyteller, one whose prose is delicately nuanced as she weaves gossamer threads of a tale well told. This is simply a superlative and stunning debut novel that will keep the reader turning its pages until the very last. Bravo!

Having not yet read any of Chevalier's other works, but having enjoyed the "Pearl Earring" film adaptation, I had no particular expectations for this one. I was simply looking for an entertaining audiobook - compelling and sympathetic characters to pass the morning commute with. This novel certainly fulfilled and exceeded my hopes on that account. The prose is lovely, and the author employs exquisite, yet not excessive, detail in drawing a mental picture of the surroundings. While lengthy prose may be desirable in print, it is not my personal taste in an audiobook.

It is a tragic tale of Isabelle and Ella, and their various hardships and personal struggles. The narrative jumps erratically between their points of view. Just when one character's story is gaining momentum, it slips away to the other, and carries on with a vastly different tone and tempo. The effect can be jarring, but also an enticement to keep reading (or listening, as it were). What saves this story is the fundamental strength and pathos of Isabelle, and the remarkably perfect performances of both narrators. A bad narrator can torpedo even the most delightful book, so it is refreshing to hear two such wonderful performances as this book features.

The novel's flaws lie primarily not with the prose, or even the plot, but with the character development. Isabelle's attraction to the completely unsympathetic Etienne is as unexplained and unfathomable as Ella's attraction to the nearly as unsympathetic Jean-Paul. Etienne himself is merely an outline of unpleasantness and fear, lacking any redeemable qualities. Ella's motivations also seemed unclear, and although she was not a "bad" character, she was not someone I would relish spending "real life" time with.

But despite those flaws, it was Isabelle's story that kept me going. Which is why it was such a grave disappointment to find her story almost entirely neglected during the novel's denouement. Chevalier abandoned Isabelle to her fate, without sharing with the reader what that fate may have been. Ella's own resolution was only slightly better outlined, but I was left with the overwhelming feeling that the story didn't end, it merely stopped.

I do recommend the novel, especially in audiobook format, based on the strength of the parallel narrators' performances, and the well conceived story. But the ending was ultimately a tremendous disappointment.

`The Virgin Blue' was written some years before `Girl with a pearl earring', but was kind of unnotice so far. Not only after the huge success of `Girl' did `Virgin' received its deserved attention. The book tells the story of two women that live centuries apart but with something that ties them together throughout the years.

Ella Tourner moves to France with her husband. Alone and with not so many things to do, she decides to investigates her family's origins. Eventually she'll come across Isabelle du Moulin --aka La Rousse. What binds these two woment together?

Since the first chapter we are aware that both lives will change drastically, otherwise there wouldn't be a reason for a novel. Ella will face problems in being accepted by French people; while Isabelle will not be accepted the people form her own village. Both women try to find rendenption in love-- but it may not be the right place.

Chevalier writes with confidence and brings us believable characters with heart and soul. The structure that she uses can be tricky for some writers, but in her hands it is useful --and she does have a point when she alternates the two stories. `The Virgin Blue' is simple, but at the same time complex. I highly recommend for those who liked `Girl...'.

First of all, if you struggle with the French language, then listen to this book on tape! The beauty of the language inhances the book ten fold! I found my mind being compeled to think of the book often, making it extremely difficult to ignor. Finishing it couldn't happen soon enough, and I mean that in a positive way! After finishing the book, I still found myself thinking on the manner in which it was written, the characters, the intertwining aspects, the love, the sorrow, the struggle. I was constantly drawn to the characters of two life times and loved every minuete of it. Chevalier did an excelent job of captivating the imagination by hypnotically mesmerizing the reading ... urging the reader to proceed. If the reader is not familiar with the history of women and the history of the Reformation, then they may be likely to feel confused at certian areas within the book, but trust me when I say, that Chevalier hit it right on the mark! The historical aspects of the book were very accurate as well as believable! The present day aspect was totally understandable. I gave this book a 5 star rating for it's beauty, it's history, the way it captivated my soul, and for the way it did not disappoint me.

Tracy Chevalier's first novel isn't as good as "The Girl With The Pearl Earring." But I enjoyed it and reccommend it. It begins with a small girl named Isabelle, whose hair changed color "in the time it takes for a bird to call to its mate." The Duc brough paint from Paris and painted the niche behind the statue of the Virgin Mary a brilliant blue. The sun caught Isabelle's brown hair, and turned it copper, and that color it remained the rest of her life. This blue gives the book its title. Isabelle's change in hair color gives her the nickname "La Rousse" after the Virgin Mary, who in France was then shown with red hair. Isabelle was a devout Catholic, even after the Calvinist preacher converted the familiy she later married into and she was forced to outwardly conform. It was a mystical age--remember when Ettiene told her the marks on the page of the Bible invisibly flew into the preacher's mouth?

Remember not to put 21st C. ideas of independent women onto 17th C. women. She would have inherited the farm, but she could not have farmed it by herself. As her father had said, hiring hands to help was impossible. She was already seen as an outcast in the community because of the fact that her hair had turned red. She had not really consented to sex with Ettiene. Who would marry an outcast woman who was rumored to be a witch and was pregnant or had a child? What choice did she really have, even though she already knew he was not a good choice and his family feared her?

I liked Ella. Culture shock is a real thing. Rick was a cardboard character, but I think that was part of the point. She hadn't really known him in the US. You put a relationship in a new setting, and it looks different. His lack of listening to what she was really trying to say to him fit my experience of some men, including the one I was married to. He listened on the surface, wanting to fix, not wanting to find out about her feelings. She really did try--an American try--to fit in, and was devastated when Jean-Paul told her what the town thought of her efforts.

I've read about the religious wars of the 16th C. but from the historian's point of view. Seeing how it might have affected a family was fascinating. And I understand Ella's sudden interest in genealogy. Remember that her father had told her she had roots there, and given her the information on her cousin in Switzerland. I'm into genealogy too, and once hooked, it's got you. Somebody with European roots who has a chance to be there, look at records, find a family Bible, look at places people might have lived, feel the vibes as Ella did--boy did that ring true for me.

Jean-Paul was at first an irritating character. But he seemed quite real to me, and as Ella said, she liked his teasing. It was better than Rick's, "You want to have a baby? Well, then, let's have a baby." Their relationship developed, which hers with Rick didn't seem to. I hoped at the end that she ended up being good for him and they got married.

There were too many coincidences, yes. It was hard to sort out the characters when the plot flipped back and forth from one time period to the other. But I did enjoy this book. It's good to know that Chevalier developed her writing from this book to "Girl With a Pearl Earring." Wonder what she'll come up with next!

Must admit that the book is a fast read and there are parts that are very beautifully written, but it took me awhile to figure out the relationship between La Rousse and the modern heroine's hair turning color,why she suddenly seemed to find her husband so unappealing when he didn't seem to be very well defined and had none of the characteristics of her forebear's overbearing and boorish husband. I think had Ms Chevalier stayed in the present and focused on the modern woman's isolation and loneliness in a foreign country without the outlet of her own profession the book would have appealed to me more; on the other hand the story of the medieval woman who allows herself to become involved with the more highly placed neighbor's boy may have been worth exploring more deeply. The combination of the two left me perplexed and I still haven't figured out the ending. Am going to try Fallen Angels though, because I loved Girl with a Pearl Earring.

I normally don't like to review a book or anything else that already has a lot of reviews, but this particular book made me so angry that I just had to. I looked and looked for this book in audio format and my Library FINALLY got it in. I was ecstatic and had really looked forward to it, after reading Girl With the Pearl Earring, which I loved.

After listening to the whole thing, which was at times, painful, I was extremely disappointed. I will say that Ms. Chevalier's writing style is very enjoyable and had this story been about only Isabelle and focused on her life as a reluctant Hugeunot married into a cruel family in 16th Century France, I bet it would have been wonderful. That part of the story was touching, poignant and engaging. But, she threw in Ella and the story of the modern day descendant of Isabelle's family. The thing about that part of the story was that there wasn't any logic to it. If Ms. Chevalier had made Ella's husband unlikeable or gave him more negatives than her skin condition grossing him out, it might have made sense, but as it was when the story started, Ella loved her husband. Not nearly enough time passed for such a dramatic change to have taken place. Ella came across as shallow and annoying and any shred of likeability that might have been possible was diminished because the character was so 2-dimensional and illogical in the decisions she made, her actions, her choices, etc. She came across just plain stupid. Because she was such an unlikeable character, yet was written in such a way that I felt the author wanted me to identify and feel sorry for her, it felt confusing and uncomfortable. Apparently some people liked this character, but I, for one, did not and it ruined what might have been a beautiful historical novel.

The audio portion of it was handled very nicely, though. There were two narrators; one for each of the two main characters. It was an interesting format and nicely done. However, I cannot recommend this book as I disliked it immensely.

While the basic idea is intriguing, the book fails to deliver in terms of character development and plot.

I found Ella selfish and whiney, an impression that only intensified through contrast with Isabelle, who lives at a time when as a woman and refugee she has far fewer options than Ella has today, and yet responds with courage and concern for others. Isabelle's character interested me initially, but unfortunately she remained the same from childhood to middle-adulthood. Isabelle makes little impact on her surroundings, and at the same time it is not shown how circumstances impact her. Ella stays consistently whiney throughout, and if anything, the book celebrates her becoming even more selfish.

The coincidences used to tie the past/present plotlines feel contrived. The end of the book feels rushed, with Ella making the remaining discoveries about her family's past through dreams (which, conveniently, are no longer abstract) and through especially unbelievable guesswork. Finally, in a book that condemns the persecution of Catholics, which is largely motivated by ignorance, the author nevertheless perpetuates common misunderstandings, showing the central Catholic character eager to "worship" Mary.