The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
Several things were covered in this historical/modern day novel. Part of the story was of Isabelle, a 15th century woman who was “cursed” with having red hair – the same color of hair as the Virgin Mary was portrayed as having. The time period was about the time when the Huguenots were being chased out of France into Sweden. The other part of the story is about Ella, a modern day woman who is researching the mystery behind her family ancestry after a move to France.
In essence, this is partly a historical tale and partly a mystery.
I loved the historical story. It was fascinating to read Isabella’s story and I loved that the author focused so intensely on the characters. The bits of historical detail were interesting but not so much that I felt as if I were reading a text book. This part of the story really came to life for me.
The modern day story (aside from the mystery/research angle) was a bit cliche. There were times I felt a connection with Ella and times when I just wanted to smack her around. Also there was this weird mysticism thing going on that was just..strange, and things feel into place for Ella way too easily. If you read the book, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
My neighbor gave me this book to read and I’ll be happy to tell her I enjoyed it, I really did. I read it in an evening – so it’s definitely an interesting read. I just wish the story’s ending hadn’t been as predictable as it was.
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