Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0-452-28444-9 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 24 June, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.54 (76 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Confusing and depressing....
Comment: I was very disappointed with "The Virgin Blue" since I expected a book like "Girl With A Pearl Earring"- which I read before this one. Chevalier is tying in two stories from different time eras:
Isabelle du Moulin in the 1500s and Ella Turner (Tournier) in the present time. However,the split-narrative seemed to be split stories as well. I really did not see any kind of real pattern as the stories of Isabelle du Moulin and Ella Tournier are messily intertwined.
First is Isabelle, and at the beginning of the novel she is a midwife. Her red hair makes her an outcast due to its' similarity to that of the Virgin. It seems that for no reason she decides to marry Etienne Tournier, a man who tortures her about her red hair and believes she is a witch. She lives with him and they have a family in an anti-Catholic Calvinist society. She ended up getting pregnant when she slept with a shepherd (which was not quite clear), and also faced the death of her daughter, Marie, who also had red hair, and was last seen in a blue dress.
Ella Turner was a midwife in California. She moves to Toulouse in France with her husband, Rick. She too ends her career being a midwife when she moves to France. Seemingly out of nowhere she wants to search for her family ancestors. She - unlike Isabelle - pretty much deliberately makes herself out to be an outcast, and she barely gives France a chance. Then, she cheats on a husband who she is merely bored with, gets weirded out when her hair turns reddish from the sun, and she is disturbed by dreams of a blue dress on the nights that she and Rick have sex. (Is this a connection to the Virgin? Is sex bad? Is Rick so bad?)
I feel as though this story was a great idea gone wrong. I mean, there is hardly a connection felt with the characters. People are described in detail, and events are discussed (I feel) just to bring up historical topics.
The stories of Isabelle and Ella were hardly parallel. I do not feel as though they are really alike, and I found little meaning in the symbols of the blue dress, the red hair (La Rousse) and the connection in the time periods.
I kept waiting for something good to happen in the book, but it is kind of like the title. Blue. The only connection I saw in the stories is that they - Isabelle and Ella - were poor decision makers.
Rating: 4
Summary: A stirring, satisfying read
Comment: Tracy Chevalier's _The Virgin Blue_ tells the tale of Ella Turner, who moves to France with her husband and embarks on research of the Tournier clan, her French relatives. Woven into the story is a narrative from a 16th century relative, Isabelle du Moulin. As Ella digs further into her past, she confronts challenges in her marriage, the unease of fitting into French village life, and a recurrent nightmare tinged with a distinct blue hue. Isabella has her own marriage difficulties, as well as questions of faith and superstition surrounding her.
Chevalier moves seamlessly through the two women's lives, writing so evocatively that it's easy to think that you really know these women--that they might actually exist. Bringing in accurate historical information from the Protestant Reformation and how it made its way through France, pitting the Hugenots against the Catholics, adds interest to the story.
The real focus of the story is how these two women, relatives stretching across time, are bound up in each other's lives, how actions in the past come back to haunt the present, and how superstition and premonition blend in ways that both intrigue and damage the believers.
This is definitely a quick read, but one that will keep you involved until the end.
Rating: 2
Summary: Good but Not What I Would Recommend
Comment: I'm somewhat conflicted about this book - on the one hand, it was a nice quick read and I was interested enough in the development of the stories to read the whole thing, but on the other hand it is part of that genre of trashy novels so prevalent today.
When did it become abnormal for women to say no to temptation? What is this sick fascination with adulterous characters? It disgusted me and I felt like I had to completely put it out of my mind in order to get through the book. This is not to mention the graphic nature of some of the scenes. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't want to hear about what way the people have sex.
I have recently spent some time in France, and I believe that any Frenchman would be appalled if they read this book. The stereotype presented is of rude French people who will not allow Ella to merge into their community no matter how hard she tries, when in reality the French are extremely flattered when you attempt to speak their language and will treat you very cordially. It is only with rude Americans that they act this way. In Ella's case, she's more than competent, while her very American husband fits in swimmingly. This is not realistic and was obviously just put in as another one of those ill-contrived "coincidences" to link her with the unfortunately shunned Isabelle (who, by the way, I felt very deeply for, but this has already been said by most of the reviewers).
In sum: Buy it used, then sell it back. This is a satisfying enough read, but you won't want to read it again. Ever.
 |
Title: Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452283205 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 24 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0525947671 Publisher: E P Dutton Pub. Date: 29 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier ISBN: 0452282152 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 08 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 014029628X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 03 October, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland ISBN: 0142001821 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 31 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
