The Virgin Blue

Written by Tracy Chevalier

Narrated by Laurel Lefkow

She was called Isabelle, and when she was a small girl her hair changed colour in the time it takes a bird to call to its mate…
Midwife Isabelle du Moulin is marked as different, by both her red hair and her love for the Virgin Mary in her rich blue robes. As religious fervour sweeps 16th-century France, Isabelle's striking likeness to the Madonna puts her in danger when her village is enraptured by new Protestant doctrine.

Four centuries later, Ella Turner moves to the French village of Lisle-sur-Tarn and finds her dreams are haunted by the colour blue. Ella hopes to become both a midwife and a mother, but her plans unravel as she discovers her link to Isabelle, and her ancestor's shocking fate.

“A beautifully crafted story shot with vivid colours.” THE TIMES

“Tracy Chevalier's first novel is a triumph. Excellent.” TIME OUT

“Intriguing and poignant.” SUNDAY EXPRESS

“Such an achievement for a serious writer that you feel it deserves an award.” INDEPENDENT

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781471293702

Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier is the author of the New York Times bestsellers At the Edge of the Orchard and Girl with a Pearl Earring, among others. She lives in London.  

Reviews for The Virgin Blue

[imperfectcj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Several years ago, a little artsy theater in Menlo Park, California, had on its marquee, "Vermeer was Here," in way of a promo for the movie, Girl with the Pearl Earring. I furrowed my brow as I tried to puzzle that one out. I vaguely knew about the movie and book, but I didn't know who Vermeer was. Although I cleared everything up with an internet search, Vermeer and Tracy Chevalier were ever after connected in my mind with the uncomfortable feeling of being on the "I don't get it" side of a joke. (Menlo Park and Palo Alto frequently left me feeling that way.)

When the book club selection this month was for "The Works of Tracy Chevalier", I nearly passed it along. Although Girl with the Pearl Earring wasn't one of the three options for the meeting, I was still hesitant to read anything by Chevalier. I didn't want that "outsider" feeling again. I get that enough living in New England (although here it's not quite the same as the California "outsider" feeling...more a cold shoulder than a derisive smirk). But I also pretty much live my life with the purpose of proving my preconceived notions wrong, and that inclination won out at the last minute. I took the kids on our weekly library visit this Friday and left with The Virgin Blue and the intention to power through it this weekend in preparation for book club Monday night.

I was pleased to find that it was a quick read and required little effort to power through. The story was interesting, as was the device she used to tell it. The book consists of the interwoven tales of Isabelle and Ella, members of the same family separated in time by 400 years. When she and her husband move to France, Ella begins to be haunted by a recurring nightmare. She begins to believe that finding out the secrets to her family tree will help to cure her of the nightmare, and so the story progresses.

Chevalier's handling of the interwoven story technique isn't expert, but it's not bumbling either. The interpersonal interactions seemed realistic if a little overly simplistic. Towards the end, the action sped up and the various characters going hither and thither across Europe began to feel a little cumbersome. There were a few too many symbols in the story (the wolf, the shepherd, the blue, the red hair), which just made the connection between Ella and Isabelle seem a bit too tidy. And the fact that Ella was a midwife was kind of an unnecessary detail. It was an interesting connection but didn't really play a large role in the story. I think it was meant to explain her "uncanny" ability to spot a pregnant woman before the woman herself even knew about it, but when a librarian/researcher/archivist person can do the same thing, that sort of makes the "midwife" connection less significant.

All the same, this is the kind of first novel I enjoy reading. It's not perfect, but it shows promise. The characters seemed interesting to me, they developed over time, and there's a quality to Chevalier's descriptions and sense of connection that makes me curious about her later novels. As an on-again, off-again writer of fiction, I don't like a first novel that's awesome and expertly crafted right out of the gate. But as a reader, I don't like a really crummy first novel, either. The Virgin Blue was a fun read and wasn't so bad that it threatened my faith in humanity nor was it so good that it threatened my self confidence in my own writing.

[sly_wit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as compelling as The Girl with the Pearl Earring, but still quite good. The clumsy connection between the stories in past and present France is a big weakness.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was Chevalier's first novel, but not the first published. The writing clearly shows promise, but it isn't [Girl With a Pearl Earring].

[jenniferelizabeth2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lovely writing, as always, but I feel like I missed the point of the novel -- like I'm not sure what Chevalier was trying to get across.

[soniaandree_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The novel has two timelines, a modern one and a medieval one. First, there's Ella in modern day France, then there's Isabelle in medieval France. The connection is not readily obvious but hints are placed within the book. The narrative juggles between the two characters, in a mirror effect, between the life of Ella and the life of Isabelle, her medieval counterpart. It is one of the better books by Chevalier, so I have no issues recommending it: the chapters are kept short, the plot is suitably complex and there is a sense of speed in the resolution of the mystery towards the end, which is quite good. I've read it a few times and the reading pace is fluid, there are no language issues or plot holes that I can see. In the end, it's a good fiction, it's something to read on the way to work or in the summer.

[mfdavis-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Part historical fiction, part detective story. Tells of the intertwined lives of Ella Turner, a modern young woman living in France, and Isabelle Tournier, born in France 400 years earlier. I am listening to the audio version -- the reader has a lovely French accent!

[smits_52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Tracy Chevalier and this is another of her novels that I loved and could not put down.. Such great historical fiction. This time we follow Isabelle in 16th century France as her small village is taken over by the Calvinist and herself by the horrible Etienne Tournier and his family. We also follow modern day Ella Turner who arrives in France with her husband settling in a small village following a "gut feeling". This and a recurring nightmare about a special blue leads her to exploring her family history which leads her to places that Isabella has passed through . I enjoyed both stories very much although a more definitive ending would have been appreciated. What does Ella finally do???

[maureencean · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I suppose I really mean 3.5 as there are a couple of issues that kept me from going to 4. Issues sounds bad and I don't mean it that way. The premise and the story were interesting, but I have to admit I found the present day characters more difficult to enjoy than the 16th century ones. Ella was really very whiney at the start. She seemed in some ways the stereotype of the ugly American, despite all her efforts and desires to fit in. In the historical parts, I have read other authors who would have spent more time explaining the religious conflict, both in the historical context and within the interplay of the characters themselves. In the big picture, I did really enjoy the mysterious connection of the past and the present, and I especially liked the pacing of the short passages back forth at the climax of Isabelle's story and Ella's discovery of the evidence. I am willing to admit that people who belonged together in the past being reunited in the present is a very attractive and romantic premise that I would like to think is possible. And the power of bloodlines.....I have two other Chevalier novels already, and I look forward to reading them.

[aniima-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this book as much as The Girl With The Pearl Earring, but I still very much enjoyed her method of writing. I like the way she writes. I did find that she skipped back-and-forth a bit too much in this book, which made it too hard to follow. But I still did enjoy it.I still own this book, and I still intend to read it again, even if it wasn't my favorite book of hers.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After loving ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ and ‘Remarkable Creatures’, Chevalier’s ‘The Virgin Blue’ was a great disappointment. The premise itself was good: twin story lines, one in today and one in the late 1500s, each told from a young woman’s point of view. One, Ella, is recently moved to France, arriving with her husband who has moved for a job; the other, Isabelle, is a French farm girl married into the local ‘rich’ family; both are midwives. Isabelle is an ancestress of Ella’s. Ella fills her time with looking into her genealogy, finding a few leads but also finding a handsome French librarian. What unfolds is a tale of superstition, magic and betrayal. The plot had promise-it’s partly a mystery story, but the characters lacked depth. Isabelle is the only character I felt was fleshed out and even she was pretty thinly done. I couldn’t manage to like Ella, the main protagonist. She is shallow and amoral. The book reads almost like a first draft, a sketch in words when it really needed to be painted in color. An odd event- Ella’s hair turns red overnight- is never explained; I know it’s supposed to show us that Ella is tied to Isabelle but it’s like the story steps from realism to magical realism when it’s half over, with no other magical events other than some dreams. This was Chevalier’s first novel and it shows, sadly.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ella and Rick have just moved from California to France for Rick’s work. Ella has time on her hands and ancestors in Switzerland, originally from France, so she decides to research the family. 400 years earlier, Isabelle is made fun of for her red hair, but marries Etienne and lives with his family who hates her. They start a family, but are run off their land because they are Huguenots. The chapters alternate between focusing on Ella and focusing on Isabelle.I really liked it. I was pulled right in. While I was reading, I rarely wanted to put it down and almost right away, I wanted to go pick it up again and keep going. I will most likely be reading more by Chevalier.

[susanbevans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Before penning her bestselling novel Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier wrote The Virgin Blue, the mesmerizing story of two women living in France 400 years apart. Let me just say that I loved, loved, LOVED this novel! I couldn't bear to put it down and so I read it practically straight through in a matter of hours.

Chevalier's description of the people and towns of France both in present day and in the past are amazingly full of life and incredibly beautiful. It was impossible not to fall in love with France while reading The Virgin Blue. The author's love both for history and art is easy to see and infectious - I am eager to read her other novels as soon as I can get my hands on them.

The characters are well-written and and believable and the plot is quick-moving and engrossing. The Virgin Blue is possibly the best book that I've read this year. Don't let yourself be distracted by reviews that it is not as good as Girl with a Pearl Earring - The Virgin Blue is every bit as good as some of the best historical fiction out there.

[vjpratt51 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There was so much hype about "The Girl With The Pearl Earring;" however, "The Virgin Blue" was far better, I felt that it had a spiritual feel to it that appealed to me.

[snukes-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I thought this was a terrible book. I gave it 2.5 stars because it was well written and the historical details were interesting. I found the characters unlikeable and their actions frustrating. The combination of religious mysticism with immoral lifestyles (portrayed as somehow being the better course than morality) really bothered me.

[moriquen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My immediate thought after finishing this book was that I' already read a story similar to this one and that that one had been executed a lot better. It reminded me a lot of 'Labyrinth' by Kate Moss but I thought that in Labyrinth the book just flowed a lot better. I didn't dislike the book, but I'm not crazy about it either.

[siri51 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Easy read, rather contrived

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is not my favorite Tracy Chevalier. The historical part about the French religious wars between Catholics and Huguenots, who were French protestants (I didn't now that), was very interesting, but the modern day interconnected story didn't have the same allure. For once though, a novel presents abortion as a reasonable option, which was a big plus. Ella Turner, the modern day character decides to start using the original, French, version of her family name Tournier and begins having dreams about a certain bright blue color. She sees a picture at a museum that has the same color used in connection with the Virgin Mary, and she coincidentally notices that the name of the artist is Nicolas Tournier whom she thinks might be an ancestor of hers. Reading about the writing of the book I found that Chevalier also saw this specific color blue and was surprised to find the name of the artist. The search for Ella's genealogy was somewhat interesting, the characters she met while searching did kind of draw me in. At one point after meeting her Swiss relatives who were open, helpful, polite and orderly she decides that she prefers the French whom she thought were suspicious, judgemental and pesimistic but more fun. I did appreciate the commentary on the oppressive nature of small town gossip, but all in all thought she would have written a better book if she could have stayed in the 16th century.

[kyniska_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The intense climax of this book overshadowed, for me, any faults I may have found leading up to it. Again, I am biased when it comes to this author, since her voice speaks very well to me and I have little to no trouble reading her meaning or intent in a way that is personally appealing to me and I don't know why. I love her imagery and diction, but it's not just that. At any rate, I recommend this title to any Chevalier fan, though I must state that the ending is a bit of a shock and not in keeping with the slow-moving, domestic action in the rest of the book.

[marliesd_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good but disturbing!

[herebedragons · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A solidly interesting read, kept my attention, and I mostly liked the characters. This is Chevalier's first novel, one in which she writes two stories which eventually merge at the end to become one. An American woman and her husband move to a small village in France, and she soon becomes interested in finding out more about the history of her family, who lived in the area centuries before. At the same time, we learn about a woman who lived in the area four hundred years earlier, and as the two stories progress, we find that these women are connected. As the back of the book states, this is "part detective story, part historical fiction." A good book, not breath-taking, but worth the read.

[judithrs · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Virgin Blue. Tracy Chevalier.1997. The lives of a young American woman who has moved to France and the life of her distant ancestor, a young French Huguenot are intertwined in this novel that promises more than it delivers just like her novel, Burning Bright did. I felt like the depiction of life in a French village in this century was not depicted fairly. In my limited experience, the French people are much warmer and generally a lot nicer that the ones that are described in this book. I had hoped for much more detail on the life of French Huguenots.

[tesscl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy the book. I like the way the two stories, about Isabelle and Ella, are put together. And I like how the story is linked to historical events. However, I find the revelation of Ella's identity not very convincing. The story, especially the last chapter, also seems to imply that the part about Isabelle only exists in Ella's writing. A bit of an anti-climax. The use of French is ok. Actually the meaning of those French words can be translated on the internet - and I'd rather they are put in the way it is in the book, i.e., no need to use translation - allowing more guessing and hence greater fun during the reading.

[gilmore53 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant. Just the right book for a summer evening, I so like Tracy Chevaliers historical novels and this book did not disappoint me.

[rachelpenso · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was definitely hard to put this book down. The story jumps back and forth between two women. Ella Turner is a recent transplant in a small town in France. She decides to research her family's French ancestry. Isabelle du Moulin Tournier lived 400 years earlier, and yet they have a common thread.I enjoyed Isabelle's story more than Ella's story. But the ending left me unsure as to what happened to Isabelle.

[bgherman_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story that gives a bit of history thrown in. I loved the way the author devoloped the story flipping from present time (Ella) to the 16 century (Isabelle). The family connection between the two women and how Ella comes to know her French roots are very presented. Please read this book. It is wonderful

[spreckles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like Tracy Chevalier's writing style a lot. She was able to flip from character to character well without it being annoying. I think the ending is so sad and definitely didn't see it coming at the beginning of the book.

[stacyinthecity · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Tracy Chevalier is a very frustrating author for me. I liked the first one I read (The Lady and the Unicorn), I adored the second one I read (Falling Angels) and was disappointed with the third (The Girl in the Pearl Earrings). This is the 4th, and once again, disappointed. The thing that disappoints me most is that the subject material is so rich, I can see how the book could be so good. I know nothing about the Huguenots in France and would love to read more. I love history, I love genealogy and so forth. This could have been a really great story.Instead, one of the protagonists I really didn't care for (the modern Ella). I did like the way the author showed how it was difficult to adjust to life in small town France. The book described that well, in a way I could understand. But the character herself, I didn't much care for.The way the magical elements were woven into the story also didn't make sense to me. I found the blue dream hokey, the hair that grew mysteriously red overnight unbelievable, and so forth. I've read a lot of books with magical elements to them so that as a plot device or aspect of the story doesn't bother me. But it didn't fit well here.There were also lose ends that were never tied up and things that were never explained. I'm not referring to an open ended ending, which can be excellent sometimes. I'm referring to the painter that ended up being a dead end. Why was he even in the story? It did not move the plot forward or contribute in any way. It was frustrating.Finally, the sections taking place in the 1500s were confusing and hard for me to follow. I find the French way of writing dialog difficult to read. They never sound like characters speaking in my head. I also thought there were too many names and the action was difficult to follow. I ended up confused and had to read back a few pages to get the characters straight.Once again, highly disappointing since I love the idea behind it.

[elliepotten · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Simply put, this book is like an interesting fusion of 'Labyrinth' and 'Practical Magic'. Isabelle is a young woman in rural France who finds herself increasingly despised by those around her. Her bright red hair links her to the Virgin Mary, and whispers of witchcraft float around her as the Calvinist 'Truth' spreads through the people and the Catholics turn to persecution to fight back. Marrying into the wealthy but arrogant Tourniers, she is still marginalised and life becomes ever more difficult. Several hundred years later, Ella Turner moves from America to France with her husband, to a little provincial town that doesn't take kindly to strangers. Increasingly miserable and lonely there, she takes up the search for her ancestors as a project to pass the time, enlisting Jean-Paul, a local librarian, to help her. Tormented by a smothering nightmare of billowing blue and chanted words, she moves ever closer to discovering the fate of Isabelle and her children.The book began disastrously for me. It was clunky, irritating, confusing and disjointed. In fact, if it hadn't been for a fellow LT-er mentioning having a similar experience but really liking it in the end, I might have given up before the end of the first chapter. I'm glad I took that advice and persevered! I enjoyed seeing the parallels between Isabelle and Ella building, wondering if anyone else in the 'modern' chapters might be descendants of those in the 'old' sections, and how the tangle of characters around these women fitted together. The ties between women, in friendship as well as through the generations of a family, is nicely explored, with the whispering echoes of Isabelle and her red hair reminding me of the mysterious family curse at the centre of 'Practical Magic'. The chapters alternate between Isabelle and Ella, between the third and first person voice, and between narrative styles, until the climactic chapters where both alternate ever more quickly, building suspense and a horrible sickly sense of dread and fear. That said, I worked out what was coming a little too early, which meant that I was waiting more for the WHY than the WHAT - and was therefore disappointed when the truth was revealed but never explained. All in all, I'm really glad I carried on reading it - but I was a bit distracted by it's similarity to the later 'Labyrinth', which I read (and loved) a few years ago now. It was evocative and exciting and suspenseful, but the anticlimactic ending let it down to some extent. I think the story will stay with me so I'll hang on to it a while and let the reflection run its course before I decide whether it's a keeper or not!

[jehara_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this book goes back and forth from the present to the sixteenth century. each chapter alternates between the time periods and with it the two main characters. Isabella du Moulin or La Rousse as she is called in sixteenth century huguenot france and Ella Tournier in present day france. ella and her husband have moved to france because of her husband's job. ella decides to investigate her family history as a way to feel more at home. isabella and her family are on the run from the catholics after a rebellion has broken out. isabella is secretly fascinated with the virgin and her special blue color since she was a child. ella has unknowingly moved to the part of france that isabella inhabited. the secrets slowly unfold as the two stories weave perfectly into each other towards a thrilling conclusion.

[brsquilt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

16th century and present day - story of 2 women