Friday, June 25, 2021

The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray, an inspiring saga of French history across 150 years

This ambitious saga follows three distinctive women across 150 years and four different wars: the American and French Revolutions and World Wars I and II. Each would have been impressive on its own, but braided together, they create a multifaceted anthem of Franco-American relations and feminine courage. The tales are united across time by a common theme – the tireless pursuit of liberty – and a special place which comes to symbolize it: the Chateau de Chavaniac, a large manor house in the Auvergne region of central France where the Marquis de Lafayette was born.

Marthe Simone had grown up at the orphanage at Chavaniac, and now, in 1940, she teaches the children recuperating from illness at the preventorium there. A talented artist, she accepts a commission to paint portraits of the chateau’s best-known mistress, Adrienne Lafayette, since the Vichy regime may find the 18th-century marquise less objectionable than her famous husband. As times grow darker, and Marthe’s interpersonal relationships shift in surprising ways, she must decide what risks to take, and who to trust.

In July 1914, colorful American socialite Beatrice Chanler debates separating from her estranged millionaire husband as war erupts in Europe. A caring mother who’s aghast at seeing wounded children while traveling through Amiens, Beatrice determines to back the war effort despite President Wilson’s declaration of neutrality. Over a century earlier, Adrienne de Noailles, only a teenager when she marries Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, makes innumerable sacrifices to support her husband while he fights for the American colonists, but her husband’s principles imperil the couple as tides turn during their country’s own revolution.

Based on original research, as explained in the wonderful author’s note, this novel provides satisfying, deep immersion into all three timelines. All three heroines (two are real, one fictional) feel dimensionally real, and their actions are truly inspiring.

The Women of Chateau Lafayette was published by Berkley in March; I'd reviewed it via NetGalley for May's Historical Novels Review.

If you're curious about some of the amazing discoveries the author made about one of her heroines, read this article in the New York Post, which began with her contacting one of her subject's living descendants for more information (I'm not listing the title in case of possible spoilers).  If you've already read the novel, please click away to learn more.

10 comments:

  1. I just bought this and can't wait to dive in!

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  2. Hope you'll find it as engrossing as I did. I also learned a lot!

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  3. It was a fascinating book. I never knew Lafayette and his family were treated so poorly after the Revolution in France. The writing and use of details was not dry but very engaging and interesting. Thanks for the link to NY Post article. I guess the past is never past.

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  4. I'd never known much about Lafayette's life in France or his wife and family, so that information was indeed fascinating. He's a familiar name in American history, but his full name (not just "Marquis de Lafayette") is rarely mentioned.

    Re: the NY Post article, that's so true. What a remarkable life and story to uncover.

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  5. Thank you for a review on a book with such detail. Also thank you for the links

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  6. You're welcome - I should've mentioned that this is a long book (nearly 600pp), so deciding what aspects to include in the review was a challenge.

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  7. It was a wonderful book! I started reading it to learn more about Lafayette and his family, but I became fascinated by the stories of the other two heroines as well.

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  8. I remember reading the publishing deal for it some time ago and thinking I'd have to read it, since connecting the three lives through the chateau and its history was such a unique approach.

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  9. Great review! I adored this book.

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  10. Thank you! Happy you enjoyed it also.

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