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Coming to the book, it’s a mix of facts and fiction. We have Louis, the real-life loyal salesman of the company, along with various fictional characters. The love shared by the husband and wife and their mutual love for the vineyards were taken from real life, the author said. I thought Blouse did a good job of showing the daily struggles and hardships of the Island's occupants during this time, be it the restrictions and shortages, as well as the brutalities endured and the claustrophobic feeling of always being under such close scrutiny. The sense of tension and the stakes rise as the story goes on and loyalties are tested, with acts of courage and compassion shown.
This is not only a coming-of age story. In some ways, it is a novel about feminism in the nineteenth century, in the sense that Nicole is a woman with her own mind who fights, against all odds, to save her vineyards. Despite being born into an affluent world, she is not afraid of dirtying her hands and working day and night amongst the vines. She hates the “tedious parade of husbands, expectations of womanly submissions” and the tight dresses, like “vices”. Men complain about her “talk of independence” but she understands and prefers the world of wine production to the claustrophobic world she is expected to endure. As their paths entwine, loyalties are blurred and dangerous secrets forged. But on an island under occupation, courage can have deadly consequences... I received a copy of The French House by Jacquie Bloese from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. My favorite character is Emile, his demeanor changes over the course of the story and he becomes a hero. It was interesting to read the author’s notes at the end, the house was originally called Hauteville and belonged to French novelist Victor Hugo from 1856 to 1870 and five stars from me. who got separated due to the war and parental pressure and then who lived miserable lives during the course of the war under untold hardship. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.Of course, no novel is without flaws and on occasion The French House can tend towards being both mawkish and a touch fanciful but all in all, it is a beautifully written account of a very dark period of recent history and gives it a very human face. The book is based on the true story of none other than Nicole Clicquot, the woman who ran the world’s greatest champagne house, Veuve Clicquot, when the world thought the business was no place for a lady. Of course, I wasn’t aware of this when I requested the book. The blurb and cover were enough to attract my attention. But as the seasons change, bringing a spoiled harvest and bitter grapes, the vineyards are on the brink of collapse. Without her husband’s oldest friend, travelling merchant Louis, she’d truly be lost. No one else would stay up all night to help count endless rows of green bottles deep in the cellars, or spread word far and wide that Nicole makes the finest champagne he’s ever tasted. One magical night, as a shooting star illuminates their way under a velvet sky, Nicole gazes up at his warm smile and wonders if perhaps she doesn’t need to be quite so alone…
My favourite aspects are the gorgeous writing and the historical inclusions such as Victor Hugo as well as the effects of war. Watching the characters navigate their pain and circumstances was incredible! Typical of its time, with a small and suspicious community, local people gossip about Isabelle and also treat Emile as someone to be avoided because of his deafness. As a deaf person myself I found Jacquie Bloese's portrayal of Emile to be a truthful and evocative one. His loneliness and frustration at being on the outside are perfectly envisaged here. There were so many things I loved about this book. Most importantly, I love a story about a badass woman entrepreneur who defies all expectations and makes herself a success, especially one that’s based on true events. The French House follows the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, the woman behind the famous Veuve Clicquot champagne. Nicole was going to run the vineyard with her husband, but she’s tragically widowed just years into their marriage. Everyone expected her to give up and sell the vineyard (it wasn’t “proper” for women to do business, everyone said), but she refused. Ultimately, she built a champagne empire.
Emile struggles due to being deaf, he’s troubled and frustrated and spends the odd night sleeping in the potting shed. Soon the locals are gossiping about Isabelle and Emile and it’s only a matter of time before their spouses find out.
I enjoy historical fiction and occasionally read books that are set during WW2 mostly when they concern the people who aren’t on the war front. This is the second book that I have read that takes place in Guernsey and I found it fascinating.I adored this book, it reminds me of my great love of historical fiction and was an part of history which I knew little about and also even less about the great Champagne houses. How wonderful to discover that a woman was behind one of the greatest much to the chagrin of most. Historical fiction is of course just that but what it does and this book does it in abundance is open your eyes and the world up to reading much more about these fabulous women who have shaped history, who have made an impact and should be recognised much more. It reminded me why I love history. Lyrical, moving and compelling, this is a novel about wanting to hear and learning to listen - to the truths of our own hearts. Perfect for lovers of The Nightingale, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and All the Light We Cannot See. It was interesting also to read about a disabled character. I found it difficult to recall many other books that have characters with physical disabilities and Émile’s deafness is a source of frustration in his marriage. He is able to lip read to some extent but often conversations pass him by. The tangled relationships in the novel get under your skin and make it hard to put down. Émile still loves Isabelle but both are married to other people. Émile’s daughter Maud is on a mission to uncover hidden family truths. Letty takes drastic action to earn money. The tensions in Émile’s marriage are portrayed with great insight and originality. There is never a clichéd moment. Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation – or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.
Everything about him is different in French, from the timbre of his voice to his body language, to the way he moves his hands; it’s like watching a stranger, which is a little unnerving, but also rather exciting. It’s like having two boyfriends for the price of one. After falling in love and marrying François, the scion of the Clicquot champagne estate in 1798, 21-year-old Nicole Ponsardin schools herself in the science and poetry of winemaking. After François’s death, from typhoid or self-inflicted rat poison, Nicole is Veuve Cliquot, the widow who revolutionizes the production and sale of French champagne. Lyrical, moving and compelling, this is a novel about wanting to hear and learning to listen – to the truths of our own hearts. Perfect for lovers of The Nightingale , The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and All the Light We Cannot See . In Nazi=occupied Guernsey, the consequences of making the wrong decision can be deadly. Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Emile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever. Helen Fripp’s next novel will be set in 19th century Paris and revolves around a determined young woman from the slums becoming part of the beguiling world of the new Impressionist painters. Fripp writes historical fiction that focusses on women in the past who have achieved greatness against the odds.Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more. In this book, as on Belle Île, I have followed the light of a glowworm on a country lane.” That prett much sums up this book - rambling and a bit vague. I had trouble following the timeline and the details, and the book was missing what I love about books like this - a real sense of place and characters. Beyond her skill as a wine maker, Madame Clicquot was an astute and ultimately successful business person in a time when women had few rights to property or business. It was also a time of great upheaval and uncertainty across France and Europe due to the Napoleonic Wars. I liked that not all the German characters were villainously portrayed, with Peter a very likable character, and harbouring secrets of his own. In sleepy little Reims, France, grieving Nicole Clicquot watches her daughter play amongst the vines under the golden sun and makes a promise to herself. Her gossiping neighbours insist that the rolling fields of chalk soil are no place for a woman, but she is determined to make a success of the winery. It’s the only chance she has to keep a roof over her head and provide a future for her little girl.
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