Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Evenly paced, Borchert’s third installment in the Chateau de Verzat series will please fans of historical fiction. Borchert dives deeply into the landscape of 18th century France during prominent wars. Strong themes of romance, connecting and protecting others, espionage, and war will delight readers.
Prose: Borchert’s work is well written, well-researched, and evenly paced. While there are many details to consider, the reader garners a vivid image of the landscape and characters.
Originality: Borchert’s enthusiasm for French history is evident as well as for the characters she has created and carried through the series. Seeing the French landscape through the author’s eyes is a refreshing sight.
Character/Execution: Strong female characters who are willing to take risks are the focus of this novel. Borchert doesn’t shy away from complicated circumstances for her protagonist, powerfully and realistically capturing their individual passions and convictions.
Blurb: A deep dive into the French landscape during wartime.
Date Submitted: April 06, 2024
Borchert covers much fertile historical ground in this emotional story, surveying the tense French political scene (including fascinating trends like the Incroyables, “foppish dandies who dressed to mock the former aristocracy”) alongside Louis and Geneviève’s intense dedication to their way of life—and each other. The plotting illuminates a complex era that Borchert vividly conjures: when Geneviève is betrayed by a jealous worker for impersonating a man, and imprisoned in an asylum, the couple discover there’s no end to their willingness to sacrifice all in the name of love, even when that means Louis must face the dread of a forced military campaign under that “self-serving war monger,” Bonaparte. That leads to heart-rending choices as he must leave behind a pregnant Geneviève, charged with keeping the vineyard and their close friends safe.
Geneviève is every bit the resolute, strong female lead of the other books in the series, but her pregnancy—and the shock of Louis’s conscription in exchange for her freedom from the asylum—allow her a soft, vulnerable edge. That vulnerability, combined with her belief that restoring the monarchy is France’s only hope, prompts her to dare to attempt acts of espionage herself. Readers of historical fiction with a strong current of love and loss will enjoy watching both Louis and Geneviève fight their own battles in hopes of reuniting—and reunifying their ravaged country.
Takeaway: Sweeping, passionate portrait of the everyday lives in Bonaparte’s France.
Comparable Titles: Penny Haw’s The Woman at the Wheel, Stephanie Dray’s The Women Chateau Lafayette.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
