Book Review: "The Virgin Blue" by Tracy Chevalier

The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amazon Book Description

"Meet Ella Turner and Isabelle du Moulin—two women born centuries apart, yet bound by a fateful family legacy. When Ella and her husband move to a small town in France, Ella hopes to brush up on her French, qualify to practice as a midwife, and start a family of her own. Village life turns out to be less idyllic than she expected, however, and a peculiar dream of the color blue propels her on a quest to uncover her family’s French ancestry. As the novel unfolds—alternating between Ella’s story and that of Isabelle du Moulin four hundred years earlier—a common thread emerges that unexpectedly links the two women. Part detective story, part historical fiction, The Virgin Blue is a novel of passion and intrigue that compels readers to the very last page."

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed, "The Girl With The Pearl Earring", it had been so many years ago that I really didn't have any expectations going into this book. I knew it was the author's debut novel and reviews were mixed.

I have become quite a fan of novels with parallel story lines, with one thread taking place during one time period and another thread taking place in a more recent, or current era. The beauty of such a tale is when the novel nears the end, it's as if both threads that had been woven together, chapter by chapter, magically come together. Centuries seamlessly unite the two central characters and you see how one event or decision ripples through time and lays the foundation for impacts to be felt for generations to come.
I was enthralled with the novel to the very last page, but once the final sentence was read, I was left feeling like the ending had been thrust up on me . Not enough of the fine details, so meticulously laid out for the reader throughout the book, were explained. The story line that took place in the current era was extremely interesting, but I found myself really wanting to read more about the history of the characters from four centuries prior, rich with superstitions and old religious beliefs.

A word of warning, there were a lot of divulgation thrown into sentences here and there, and if not careful, some shocking revelations can be missed. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I would have preferred to have the author extend the length of the book a little longer in order to tie up all the loose ends.