Written by Rachel Sweasey
Highly
|
| Published by | Boldwood Books 27th Jun. 2025 |
| Genre | WWII Historical Fiction |
| Pages | 287 |
| ASIN | B0DKM4W5MX |
| ISBN-10 | 1835331173 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1835331170 |
2025 Blog Tour #12
Having enjoyed The Island Girls last year, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to take part in this blog tour to read and review another dual timeline story, The Girl From Normandy, from the same author, Rachel Sweasey.
I am currently taking part in the 20BooksOfSummer2025 Reading Challenge and this was the first book I read towards my challenge goal of 20 books.
As always, I begin by thanking Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to join this blog tour, and Rachel Sweasey, Netgalley and her publisher, Boldwood Books, for a free digital copy of her novel to review.
I am currently taking part in the 20BooksOfSummer2025 Reading Challenge and this was the first book I read towards my challenge goal of 20 books.
As always, I begin by thanking Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to join this blog tour, and Rachel Sweasey, Netgalley and her publisher, Boldwood Books, for a free digital copy of her novel to review.
The blurb:
The Girl From NormandyParis, 1940: Marie-Claire steps into the Gare de Lyon, not knowing it will be the last time she'll see her husband and son. Fleeing occupied Paris, she travels into the countryside of Normandy, and stumbles upon a chateau near Caen and a growing resistance movement. Soon, Marie-Claire finds herself working in a cafe in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église, where she tries to come to terms with all she has lost – but little does she realise that her presence in Normandy will change the course of history…
1998: Half a century later, Esther is returning to the Normandy village she visited as a teenager, seeking a break from her monotonous life. Back then, she'd fallen in love with a rustic farmhouse and the family that lived there – not least the charming eldest son, Jules Joubert. But now, when Esther discovers an old annotated cookbook in the family kitchen, she begins to realise that the place she holds so close to her heart may hide more secrets than even the Jouberts realise...
What stories does the area carry? And could this trip change Esther’s life for ever?
WWII
Fiction
Historical Fiction
My thoughts:
The Girl From Normandy is a dual time-line story set during WWII in Normandy and the late 1990s in Dorset and France. In the 1940s we meet Marie-Claire who has become separated from her family as they try to leave Paris for the South of France. To avoid the occupying forces, Marie-Claire heads north and ends up taken in by a group of resistance fighters. She agrees to help this resistance cell and is sent to Sainte-Mère-Église where she works in a café gathering information and helping with "Petite Résistance" to hinder and undermine the occupying forces.
In the 1990s we meet Esther, an Englishwoman, who as a school-girl visited Sainte-Mère-Église on a school exchange. Esther has kept in touch with the family she stayed with and has returned for her penfriend Giselle's baby's christening. Originally, Esther was not able to converse with Giselle's grand-mère, Marie-Claire, but now that she is proficient in French, she is better able to understand the older woman's dialect. A scribbled note unlocks secrets from Marie-Claire's past.
I loved this story. The war years in particular had me gripped. Marie-Claire was exceedingly brave and selfless in her undercover activities. In common with many of her time, Marie-Claire has not divulged the part she played during these dark times to her family, but the note that Esther found in a cookbook encourages Marie-Claire to talk a little about her early life.
I thought the WWII years of The Girl From Normandy were well researched and delivered, and that the plot felt very plausible. This part of the story really tugged on my heartstrings. I felt great sadness at each loss Marie-Claire experienced and hoped against hope that she would find her own happiness.
The Girl From Normandy is a story for lovers of historical fiction, in particular the WWII years, with a strong female lead in Marie-Claire, which takes the reader on an emotional journey, and one that I would whole-heartedly recommend.
| Author Bio – Rachel Sweasey |
|---|
 Rachel was born to English 10-pound-pom parents in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia, and when the family moved back to Poole, Dorset, she was just 5 years old. She then grew up against the stunning backdrop of Poole Harbour where she sailed and played on the beaches of Brownsea Island and Studland, and walked across the Purbeck Hills, all of which inspired her imagination and provided the setting of her debut historical fiction novel set in WWII. Since then, Rachel has moved back to Brisbane, Australia. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| @highspotlit | |
| @highspotlit | |
| Facebook Author Page | @RachelSweaseyAuthor |
| Newsletter | https://bit.ly/RachelSweaseyNews |
| BookBub | @rachelsweaseyauthor |
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