Blog Tour: The Secret Dressmaker by Jenny O'Brien

 

When Flora Toussaint was a young woman she found herself in the unhappy predicament of being pregnant to an older man.  After giving birth to twin girls, she reluctantly hands them over to their father and flees to Ireland with no intention of ever returning to France.

Fast forward 18 years, Flora is now working in a parachute factory in WWII when she is approached by British intelligence. They suspect the girl's father, famous couturier Lucien Lumineau, is a collaborator. More alarmingly, one of her daughters has disappeared.

Taking the opportunity to leave her unhappy marriage, Flora finds herself living in a room above a brothel, her nearest neighbour is a singer named Edith (as in Piaf) and she is tasked with finding out whether Lucien is indeed a collaborator. It also gives her the chance to find out what happened to her daughters. She had believed that Lucien was raising both of their daughters with his glamourous wife Sabine, but it turns out the truth was very different.

Whilst working in the wardrobe department at the famous Moulin Rouge, Flora is able to use her skills as a seamstress to not only help maintain the gorgeous costumes but she also helps develop an ingenious way of delivering messages across enemy lines using a simple code. With the help of her Paris contact, a Paris wine merchant, she is able to work out her own complicated history and maybe find a future. It won't be without danger and challenges though! 

There is a lot that happens in this book, and at least two things that I was surprised by.  I was also a bit surprised when I realised that there was a character from the previous book, The Resistance Knitting Club which I reviewed here, that played a key role in this book. Don't let that worry you though. I didn't make the connection until I was looking to see if Tomas had appeared in the earlier book or not. 

I mentioned Edith Piaf but she isn't the only big name cameo to make an appearance. Lucien's work as a designer brings him into contact with the great, the good and the not so good in Paris!

I am already looking forward to the next book in this series. If I was to hazard a guess, I think the next book might feature Marguerette and it might feature crocheting! Of course, I could be wrong!

I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.  This is also one of the books I nominated for 20 Books of Winter. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

The Secret Dressmaker

Shelves of sequins in a kaleidoscope of colours. Bolts of silk and tulle against the back wall. The sewing room was the last place anyone had seen her daughter alive.

Northern Ireland, 1942. Flora Toussaint packs parachutes for the RAF, haunted by the twin daughters she was forced to give up eighteen years ago. When British intelligence shows her photographs of her girls – now young women in occupied Paris – her world shifts. One is safe. One has vanished. And their father, the celebrated couturier Lucien Lumineau, is suspected of collaborating with the Nazis.

Flora agrees to a dangerous mission: parachute into France, pose as a seamstress at the Moulin Rouge, and uncover the truth. Lodging above a brothel where Edith Piaf sings after hours and where Pablo Picasso still holds court, she mends costumes between shows, searches for any trace of her missing daughter between curfews, and circles closer to Lucien.

But Lucien isn’t the man she remembers. Neither is their history. And what Flora discovers will unravel everything she thought she knew – about Lucien, about her daughters, and about the night she gave them away.

A sweeping tale of wartime Paris, family secrets and impossible choices. Fans of Kate Quinn, Pam Jenoff and Kristin Hannah will be mesmerised by The Secret Dressmaker.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Dressmaker-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0GSVGSK36

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Dressmaker-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0GSVGSK36

About the author

Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit.

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born. Now, 20 years later, she's retired from the day job to focus on writing. She's currently working on the third book in the Threads Series.

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.

Social Media Links – https://www.facebook.com/JennyOBrienWriter/

https://www.instagram.com/scribblerjb/

https://x.com/ScribblerJB

: Summer at the French Bakery by Jo Thomas

 

July is coming to an end, and so to is Paris in July! I just had time to squeeze in one more read set in France, and only just enough time to actually write the review!

I have read a number of Jo Thomas books over the last few years and I have enjoyed them all. I love the way that she incorporates food into all of her story. Over the years I have visited Italian towns with lasagne wars, a chocolate school in the alps, an oyster farm in Ireland and a German Christmas market amongst other places. This time we are in a small town in France!

Juliet has just gone through treatment for cancer and as a result she wants to make some changes in her life. She convinces her husband Pete that a holiday in France is just what the doctor ordered. There they find an unused water mill and in her mind she can see that it will make the perfect salon de thé. The only problem is that she can't see herself doing this with Pete. He is quite content with his life that is filled with routine. Juliet does not want that anymore. Her children are all grown up with lives of their own so they don't need her as much as they used to. Can she follow her dream of reinvigorating the water mill on her own?

Juliet's plan after refreshing the décor is to open a salon de thé where she can serve cakes and tea in an elegant lake side setting. However, it isn't too long before she hits her first hurdles. First, there is the mayor who wants Juliet to reopen the town boulangerie which has been closed for years and he won't support her plans unless she agrees to it. Now, there is only a tabac in town, and that only has a few customers. The town is served by a bread vending machine which is maintained by a slimy baker from a nearby town. He is not happy at the prospect of a rival taking his customers, especially given that Juliet rejected his advances.

As an aside, recently I was at the supermarket when I witnessed the check out operator doing something that I thought would be sacrilegious, but apparently the customer was asking her to do it. He had bought at least a dozen bread rolls including several baguettes which she folded in half to fit in a shopping bag!  I made a joke about man not being able to live on bread alone. Turns out he didn't speak English and so he didn't get my joke. I was shocked at the folding of the baguette, so the idea that you could buy a baguette from a vending machine in France is similarly shocking to me

Back to the book, the biggest issue is that Juliet doesn't know how to bake bread, particularly not the delicious, crusty, fluffy French bread that the town deserves. And in order to be called a boulangerie, the bread must be baked on premises. Juliet can make a lovely Victoria Sponge and a very nice Lemon Drizzle cake, but not bread. Juliet is going to need all the help that she can get, especially in getting the right ingredients to give it the right taste and texture. After all, there are only four ingredients in bread - flour, water, salt and water.  But in order to get the help she needs she is going to win over the gorgeous tabac owner Laurent and her grumpy upstairs neighbour who is initially opposed to Juliet's plan for her own reasons.

I liked that the author showed that it isn't easy to just decide to move to France anymore. Juliet had to meet certain criteria in order to get the right visas to be able to keep her French dream alive and the mayor's conditions might put that all at risk. Whilst this story is all about taking a chance on a new life, but I was really moved by Juliet's friendship with Annie who is undergoing her own treatment back in the UK.

Once again, food and community are right at the centre of Jo Thomas's books. It would have been nice to have a bit more of a feel about where in France the book was set but this was another fun read from an author who really knows how to draw the reader in, and to make you wish that you could eat a delicious baguette right now!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with Weekend Cooking which I host here, with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and with Paris in July hosted at Words and Peace. 

Rating 4/5

Top Ten Tuesday - Historical Fiction Set in France - the WWII Edition.

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022). However, given that this is the last Tuesday for me to do a Paris in July related Top Ten Tuesday I am going down that route instead. 

During last year's Paris in July, I shared a TTT post which was Historical Fiction set in France. When I put that list together I specifically excluded WWII fiction, so this week my theme is Historical Fiction Set in France - the WWII Edition. I have started with two books that come to mind instantly and then the rest are more recent books I have read set in France during WWII.

A Farewell to France by Noel Barber - in the 1990s I read a lot of Noel Barber books and I have such fond memories of them. I am not sure they would stand up all that well to read now though. 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - I am looking forward to seeing the movie of this one whenever it ends up actually getting made

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - I am just about to read the follow up to this book and can't wait! (review)

The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey - I really enjoyed this read (my review)

The Madamoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester - What a fascinating this read was. It is based on a true story which makes it even more amazing! (my review)

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin - This one is set in both France and Portugal (my review)

The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - I was nearly going to say WWII Paris, but then I remembered that the whole theme for this post is WWII which makes that kind of redundant! (my review)

The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham - I love a book set in a French bakery so this was always going to be a winner for me! (my review)

The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - I thought this was a really great read with an interesting story! (my review)

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue by Ella Carey - The title might make you think this one is not set in Paris, but the majority of the story is! (my review)

Paris in July: Island of Mists and Miracles by Victoria Mas

I often try to read at least one book by a French author for Paris in July, not in French though. Over the last few years I have read Antoine Laurain, Valerie Perrin and last year Victoria Mas's book The Mad Women's Ball. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed that book given that it was quite dark.

That darkness is something that permeates The Island of Mists and Miracles, although it is a very different book. The story brings together a number of characters to a small together on l'île de Batz, a tiny island off the coast of Brittany. 

Sister Anne is a nun who believes that she has been promised that she would see a visitation of Mother Mary, and therefore she accepts a mission that takes her to Brittany. She had turned to religion after some childhood trauma. Before accepting the mission, she had rarely left her community so it she is very much out of his comfort zone. 

One of the residents of the island is Isaac, an outsider from a devout family and then there is Hugo, his only friend whose family life is shaped by the fact that his younger sister, Julia, is always sick.

With Anne waiting for the visitation, she is disappointed when she is not the one who sees but rather it is to Isaac that the vision is revealed, setting in wheels a series of events that quickly get out of control. At first the islanders are intrigued at the idea that Isaac is seeing the vision. Some believe wholeheartedly, like his grandmother Madden, but others do not, like Hugo's father who forbids Hugo from seeing Isaac. It doesn't take long for intrigue to turn to jealousy and other, more primitive emotions.

For a very short book, this story is very powerful and it has so many layers. It is a story of grief, of friendship, of small island rivalries, of faith and tragedy. It is mystical, mystical, shattering and human. The sea and the natural environment of the Breton countryside are very much part of the story and help build the atmosphere in the story! There are also quite a few mentions of traditions and foods from the area

In French, the title for this book is Un Miracle so it is interesting that the title in English is so much longer. I think the simpler title actually works better in this case. 

Framing the story, we also hear the story of Catherine Labouré who was a young novice in 1830 who had a vision of the Virgin Mary

Both of the books from Victoria Mas have kind of mixed reviews, but for whatever reason her writing style really works for me. I like the depth that she achieves within a short time, the way that she looks at relationships with a good dash of mysticism and religion. I already know that I am to read whatever Victoria Mas comes out with next! As an aside, I just found out this week that Mad Women's Ball was adapted into a movie. I am planning to watch the movie over the weekend!

In addition to reading this book for Paris in July, it also counts for the Books in Translation challenge hosted at Introverted Reader and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host.

Rating 4.5/5

 

Weekend Cooking: Bastille Day Dinner

 On July 14, I saw a post on Facebook which talked about the fact that if you are in France on July 14 you would not be sharing greetings like Happy Bastille Day. Rather the French refer to the day as Quartorze Juilliet, July 14! 

Even with this in mind, I was really excited to attend a Bastille Day Dinner with around 100 other people, and what an amazing dinner we had. I went in expecting good food and wine and maybe something a little cultural and I was not disappointed. We had already been to a Japanese event at the club a few weeks ago where the executive chef had told us about his background in classical French cooking, before he ventured into the world of Japanese food, so it was not a surprise to see him in the room! Throughout the night he had conversations with all of the tables which was a fun touch!

The evening was billed as a five course dinner, but in actual fact it was 5 courses plus a couple of other bits and pieces. This started even before we entered the room where we were treated to a savoury puff alongside an amazing champagne/sparkling wine that I completely forgot to get the name of! It was such a nice wine. Once we entered the room the mood was set with a three piece band playing all sorts of French style café music, plus with lots of French flags around the room and red white and blue lighting. 

Before we even started the five courses there was an Amuse Bouche which was a Vol au Vent filled with chicken, mushroom, bacon and liberally dusted with truffles! It is, after all, truffle season!

No self respecting French dinner will start without bread, and this was no exception. The bread was okay but the Normandy butter! Oh my goodness, so good! The chef did warn us not to fill up too much on the bread because the rest of the dinner was still to come, but it was hard to resist that butter!

For the first course, we had a Salade Lyonnaise. The most interesting part of this was the oeuf poche. When the dish came to the table it looked a little like it had a little meat patty on the top but actually that was a egg that had been poached in red wine which is why it had the colouring. I have never had a poached egg like it

The second and third courses were the fish and mains, with the Daube de Boeuf being so tender, the Paris mash beautiful and the carrots lovely and sweet.

Then onto the cheese course, with house made lavash that was beautiful and crispy, quince paste (so good) which was the perfect accompaniment to the blue cheese and camembert which is hidden in the photo!

By this point we were getting pretty full, so when the dessert came out looking pretty as a picture, we were determined to give it every effort to finish it because it was so good! What we didn't know, was that there was one final flourish to the meal - a beautiful lemon tart! We probably didn't need it, but it was there and it looked so good that I had to eat it, and it was lovely!

When the chef came around to visit later in the evening we joked that there was going to be a bit of disappointment the next night when I had to prepare dinner because there was no way it was going to live up to the standard that he had set. 

In addition to the music provided by the trio, there were some performances from some can can dancers, who of course did the traditional dance, but also did some modern twists on can can. Here's a video to give you a taste. 

I can definitely see us attending this night again, although we might wait until July 14 is on a Saturday as going out on a school night is a challenge.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Tuscan Chicken Pasta Bake
Sunday -Leftovers 
Monday - Air Fryer Roast Pork (new)
Tuesday -  Out for dinner
Wednesday -Mushroom, Zucchini and Bacon pasta
Thursday - Japanese Pork Curry 
Friday - Leftovers

Paris in July: In the Paris Fashion by Sophie Beaumont

 

When vintage fashion afficionado and dealer, Isabelle finds a letter in a random tin, she is convinced that it maybe an authentic letter from legendary Elisabeth Fontaine. Now she just has to follow her hunch and prove it.

Fontaine was a shooting star in French fashion in the late 1920s, both for her work and for the fact that she died tragically young. After a hugely successful first season, Fontaine was supposedly working on a dress design for her second season that was going to take the world by storm. However, she and her tennis star husband died in a car crash. Rumours have swirled for decades about the dress but no one has ever been able to find the designs. 

The letter seems to suggest that the designs can be found in an orphan box, whatever that might be. Determined to find out more, she visits the address on the envelope where she meets Romy Valence. Romy is a fashion design student who left behind the career that her family approved of to study the one she dreamed of. Thank goodness her Uncle Alex has supported her dreams because her family certainly has not. She is struggling to know if she made the right choice or not, or if she should give up her dream once and for all. 

The final person who makes up our core trio of characters is Australian fashion writer Audrey Oliver. Audrey's grandmother worked in Paris during Fontaine's time. Now, Audrey is writing a book and is researching based on her grandmother's journal. This isn't Audrey's first time in Paris. She has been many times, but the most formative time was when she first visited the city and fell in love with a young man who broke her heart, which has had a lasting impact on her subsequent relationships.

As the three women are drawn together on their quest to find out more about the life and work of Elisabeth Fontaine, their friendship grows. Each of them brings a different set of skills to the table, harmonising well together but also showing each of them off to individual advantage. 

There is quite a bit of drama in this story, and it moved along at a cracking pace. There are new relationships, old loves, a bit of intrigue and many lovely descriptions of Paris and it's fashion areas which are somewhat off the regular tourist track.

I have many childhood memories of being dragged, under protest, to cheap material shops. Beaumont almost convinced me that I should allow myself the luxury of visiting a material shop in the Montmartre area of Paris and feel the various silks and other luxury materials. I should also add visiting button stores like Dam Buttons to my itinerary the next time I make it to Paris, whenever that might be.

I already knew that I liked Beaumont's books. I enjoyed both of her previous books which I have posted about in previous Paris in July events.  With this read, it felt like the right book at the right time for me as I read it in a day, and I closed it with a very contented sigh. Does the book have some flaws? Absolutely. Will everyone love it like I did? Probably not. Did it leave me smiling long after I finished the book? Yes. And that's what makes it a 5 star read for me.

Beaumont has now explored Paris through it's food, gardens and fashion. I wonder what is next. Whatever it is, I am there for it!

I am sharing this review with Paris in July, hosted by Emma and with Bookish Books hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books.

Rating 5/5

Weekend Cooking/Paris in July: Piglettes by Clementine Beauvais

At some point in the last couple of years I thought I saw this book on a Paris in July post but I couldn't find it anywhere when I was looking for it again recently. Wherever I heard about it, I have borrowed the book from the library a couple of times before finally picking it up to read recently. I couldn't return it without actually reading it again!

Mireille is somewhat disappointed to learn that she has only come third in the annual Piglettes competition which is the online competition for the ugliest girl at school. After all, she has won it for the last two years. Whilst Mirielle is, of course, hurt by this title she now does her best to own it in defiance of the bullies, especially Milo, the boy who started the contest who also was one of her close friends when they were much younger. She puts on a great show of defiance, but still. 

The other two finalists, Astrid and Hakima, have more understandable reactions to the "honour". Astrid has only moved to the school in the previous year and Hakima is a couple of years younger than the other two and both are very hurt. When Astrid visits Mirielle, they decide to approach the other girl and so a new friendship is born.

The three girls live in the small town of  Bourg-en-Brasse. Mirreille lives with her mother and her step-father but her greatest wish is to meet her real father who happens to be married to a very important politician. When she finds out that her father is going to be at the Presidential picnic in Paris on July 14 she decides that she wants to go Paris and crash the picnic. Astrid and Hakima both have their own reasons for wanting to be at that same party. For Astrid, it is the opportunity to meet her all time favourite rock band, Indochine, and for Hakima it is to confront the general who sent her soldier brother into danger while on active military service. Whilst 10 of his men were killed, her brother survived but is now wheelchair bound and no longer leaves the house.

Decision made, the challenge is to decide how to get to Paris and how they are going to fund their trip. In answer to those questions, the girls decide to ride bikes pulling a trailer from which they are going to sell three different types of home made sausages, including a vegetarian version in honour of Hakima's religious beliefs.  And so begins a grand adventures which will challenge them, build their friendships, provide new adventures and life lessons. Of course, three young girls can't undertake this kind of journey by themselves. They are accompanied by Hakima's brother, who Mireille calls The Sun, who completes the journey in his wheelchair.

Whilst the sausage selling is a key foodie aspect of the story, it's not the only one. Mireille's grandparents own a successful restaurant and so good food has always been important to her. There are plenty of other food restaurants and there was even a destination that the girls visited en route purely because of the love of one particular type of cheese.

One reason why this is an unusual read for me is that this is a YA book. Once upon a time I would read the occasional YA novel but according to my statistics this is only my second YA novel in more than 10 years. 

I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. I really enjoyed the road trip aspects with visits to several different towns, riding through the Loire valley and different adventures along the way. I did love the way that the girls were able to build their friendship and support each other. 

I did struggle a little bit with the whole premise because it was so cruel. And it wasn't only just the initial contest. As the trip continues, the media attention increases and there were plenty of comments from other people about the girls being fat and ugly.  It is something that you can see on social media everywhere these days, especially when you read the comments on posts and articles.  I also didn't love the way that Mireille spoke to and about her mother and stepfather, but I guess I am viewing that through my lens as a mother rather than through the eyes of a 15 year old girl who is hurting and who just wants to be acknowledged by her father. 

This book was a real mixed bag. There was so much to like about it with adventure, humour, food and friendship!

One interesting thing about this book is that it was originally published in French under the title Les Petites Reines, and the author did her own translation into English!

I am sharing this review with Paris in July hosted by Emma at Word and Peace, with the Books in Translation challenge hosted at The Introverted Reader and with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. 

Weekly meals

Saturday - Chilli (new)
Sunday - Steak Eggs and Chips
Monday - "Fired" Chicken, mash, broccoli and gravy
Tuesday - Bacon, Vegetable and Risoni Soup
Wednesday - Salad Dressing Chicken and Rice
Thursday - Spaghetti Bolognaise
Friday - Takeaway

Blog Tour : New Chapters on the French Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet

Since his wife died 9 months ago, chef Guy Lyon has shut himself away from the world. He has closed down their food and boutique hotel business in the villa they owned, Villa Celestia and refuses to see anyone. It’s not just grief though. Guy doesn’t really know why his wife was in the taxi that day.

Sandy and her husband Romain run retreats. They hire lovely villa’s, provide themed events and good food and let groups of people with shared interests come together and thrive. When the owners of the villa that they had rented for an upcoming writers retreat pulls out at the last minute, they only have two options. First is to cancel the retreat. The second is to see if Guy will let them use Villa Celestia. Originally he is set against the idea but he finally agrees on one condition. He will cook simple food (not the fancy food he is known for) and he will stay in the background.

The attendees are a varied bunch. There is successful novels Liz James who is trying to find her voice again after going through a difficult divorce, there is Lorraine a successful self published author who wrote romantasy before it was a thing, Isobel is polishing her book, Helena and Mandy are friends who want to write a book and don’t know where to start. Finally there is Becky, instagrammer, influencer and wannabe fiction author

Helena has been in love with her childhood friend, Teddy, for years, but they have only just gotten together and she hasn’t told anyone yet, especially not her mother and brother. She does feel a bit guilty going on the retreat as it will be the first time in years their mother won’t be able to celebrate their birthdays today with either one of her children.

When her brother surprises her with a visit from their mother, it sets in chain a series of events which is life-changing for several people in the story. This was a lovely part of the story for me.

There were some interesting dynamics at play. For example, Becky was busy living her best Insta life and often left the group to go and do other things. She also thought she would be able to write a best seller but just working with AI

Several of our characters start to see life differently thanks to spending their time at the writing retreat including Guy, Sandy, Liz and Helena and her family.

This was once again an enjoyable visit to France through the eyes and pen of Jennifer Bohnet.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and Bookish Books challenge hosted at Blogging ‘Bout Books. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour below too!

Can a grieving chef and a group of writers find their own happy endings?

Eight months after his wife Jacqueline died in a tragic car accident, Michelin stared chef and proprietor of Villa Celestia, Guy Lyon’s life has been in freefall. Consumed by grief and plagued by questions as to why she was in a taxi that fateful day, the doors to Villa Celestia have remained closed.

When a good friend, Sandy Thoreau, asks to rent the villa on the French Riviera for a fortnight to hold a women’s writers retreat after being let down, Guy reluctantly agrees.

All the women at the retreat are looking forward to being inspired. Helena and her friend Mandy are writing debut novels, Isobel is editing a cosy crime story, Liz is desperate to kickstart a new book, self-published author Lorraine is looking for advice and Becky, well Becky is a law unto herself.

Over the course of the next fortnight, two of these women will change the course of Guy’s life forever and new chapters - hopefully with happy endings - will begin for all of them.

The perfect tonic and escapist read to the South of France full of warmth and second chances.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/NewChaptersontheFrench

About the Author

Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 14 women's fiction titles, including Villa of Sun and Secrets and A Riviera Retreat. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.

Social Media Links –

Facebook: @jenniewriter1

Twitter: @jenniewriter

Instagram: @jenniewriter

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JenniferBohnetnewsletter


Bookbub profile: @jenniebohnet

Blog tour: The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien

 

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It never ceases to amaze me how many little known stories there are about the events in WWII that are still being told in new stories. This is another one which features characters who share messages in their knitting and is based on a true story.

When an elderly woman has a stroke, her family is shocked when she suddenly starts speaking fluent French, her family are completely shocked.  They had no idea that their mother/grandmother who refused to leave their Channel island home could speak French. It turns out, she had a whole other life that she never told them about. 

Young Lennie Gallienne is an orphan who lives a very restricted life on the isle of Guernsey. When she received the dreaded telegram to tell her that her beloved brother is missing presumed dead, she refuses to accept it, and heads to London to try to find the truth. An unexpected meeting in the War Office, sees Lennie in training to be a spy .Of course, the men aren't necessarily happy to have a woman recruit with them. And they are even less enamoured when she uses her knitting to teach herself morse code. Her superior officers find out and think it is a great idea and so they all have to learn to knit.

Lennie finds herself working in a bookshop in Paris, helping distribute tracts and pass information back to London. Being a spy is a dangerous business though. It's hard to know who you can trust and if you catch the attention of the wrong people, it can be a matter of life or death. Even if you make it out alive, you can be left with enduring memories and guilt. 

In some ways this book felt a little like a thriller, with each chapter headed by a date and time, with the tension building and building as the time and dates got closer and closer together. 

Whilst this book is probably technically a dual time line, the modern parts of the story really only bookends the main story and form a very small part of the book. I do think that it added something even though it was only a very small part.

Unfortunately, the other thing that ended up playing only a very small part of the story is the knitting. Yes, there was a group of knitters that Lennie spent time with in Guernsey before she went to London, and then when she was teaching the other recruits. However, there wasn't much obvious knitting when she was in Paris which is the majority of the book. It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, particularly given the title of the book.

I did find myself quite engrossed in the story very quickly. This is the first book in a series, and I am definitely intending to read the next book in the series. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog, British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.  Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

The Resistance Knitting Club

Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.

Guernsey, 2010. After a stroke, an elderly woman shocks her family by speaking perfect French – a language they never knew she possessed. As her granddaughter unravels seventy years of silence, a hidden wartime story emerges...

Paris, 1941. After her brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk, eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne vanishes into Churchill’s secret army. In a bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she poses as a simple shop girl while encoding intelligence from Nazi headquarters into knitting patterns. Each sweater smuggled to prisoners contains flight paths. Each scarf holds radio frequencies. Each mistake means execution.

Fellow agent, Harry Dennison is the only person who knows her real name. But when the SS close in, Lenny faces an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris – one that will haunt her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the most dangerous secrets are the ones you keep from those you love most.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Resistance-Knitting-Club-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0FZ6F8397/

https://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Knitting-Club-Jenny-OBrien-ebook/dp/B0FZ6F8397/

About the Author

Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit.

Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born.

Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children.

BOOK NEWS

The Resistance Knitting Club comes out in February, 2026. A blend of Jenny’s two hobbies - knitting and reading. For more check out The Resistance Knitting Club Facebook Page. Join the conversation as well as share your crafting projects.



Social Media Links 

Twitter and Instagram @scribblerjb

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennyOBrienWriter/

Three mini reviews for The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Every month when I share the statistics for The Historical Fiction Reading challenge I go around and look at the books that everyone has been reading. In my post I inevitably say I have added several books to my TBR, and today I bring you evidence of that! Two of these books are ones that I learned about through the challenge. 

The Mad Women's Ball by Victoria Mas

Set in 1885 in Paris, The Mad Women's Ball is a short but engrossing read that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

The Mad Women's Ball tells the story of the women of the Salpêtrière Asylum. It wasn't a place that you wanted to find yourself as for most of the year it is a very grim place where the women that no one wants in society are hidden behind the locked doors and high walls. Whilst there were some genuinely mentally disturbed people in the asylum, there are also some women who are there because they dared to defy their families, fell in love with someone inappropriate or behaved in some other non-typical way. 

Eugenie comes from a well to do family, and she should be living a protected, sheltered life but she mistakenly trusts her grandmother with her secret - she can see ghosts. It is the last straw for her father and she is taken to the asylum to be locked up with a diagnosis of hysteria. 

Keeping firm control of the asylum is the Matron, Genevieve. Whilst she is stern, she also does her best to care for the women, especially those who are used as living subjects of Jean-Martin Charcot, a French doctor who is credited with doing ground breaking work about hypnosis and hysteria, although I am not sure he would get away with doing the same living experiments these days

The only time that Eugenie will be seen again is on the occasion of The Mad Women's Ball, an annual event where the patients get the chance to get all dressed up and the brightest lights of Paris come to the ball to watch them dance. 

I heard about this book over at Carpe Librum when Tracey reviewed it here. It's a fascinating read. 

Victoria Mas is a French author and the translator was Frank Wynne. This books counts for the Books in Translation challenge hosted at Introverted Reader.

Rating 4.5/5

The Florence Sisters by Tessa Harris

The idea of packing up and living in Italy for a while has long been attractive. In Florence in 1940 there are a group of British women who live in the city. They are known as the Scorpioni although they prefer to think of themselves of the English Ladies Art Appreciation Society. However, this is a time when the British are at war with Italy and so they find themselves targeted by the authorities.

Angelina is one of the ladies' half English-half Italian nieces, who also happens to be an expert in art, with a particular fascination for the work of Lucas Cranach. When she first meets art dealer, Edoardo Bernini she doesn't like him. She knows that he can't be trusted. After all, his father was convicted of an art related con and Edoardo is working for the fascists.

When he asks her to verify the authenticity of a recently found Cranach painting she knows that if she says that it is genuine it will disappear over the border to Germany, but if she falsely declares it to be a fake she will put the herself and all of the ladies in danger. 

This was my first Tessa Harris and it was an interesting read. I did go down a bit of a rabbit hole regarding the damage done to Venice during WWII and also in looking at the work of Cranach who was an artist that I was unfamiliar with!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews.

Rating 4/5

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

This is almost a wildcard entry in my reading because it is well and truly outside my normal choices. This book is set in Syracuse in Sicily in the year 412 BC in the days following an unsuccessful Athenian invasion. The Athenians who survived the battle are being held in a disused quarry outside town. The conditions are harsh, the food is scarce and there is no compassion from the locals. After all, these are the men who killed their husbands, brothers and sons. 

Our two main characters, Gelon and Lampo, are unemployed potters, who come across as being a bit dodgy, particularly Lampo who sees himself as a wheeler dealer but money just flows through his fingers like sand. They come up with a scheme to use the prisoners to put on a for one night only production of the latest play by Euripides. The scale of the production gets larger and larger involving more and more of the locals. But the big question is, will the crowd come?

This was such a fun read. Ferdia Lennon is an Irish author who has achieved quite a lot of success with this book, including being shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2025. One of the fun aspects is the language. Lennon chooses to give his main characters Irish voices, using words that are so overtly anachronistic that it doesn't matter. It probably shouldn't work, but it does!

There are, however, serious subjects covered in the book including the impact of war, of love, of redemption and so much more.

I first heard about this book when Cathy from What Cathy Reader Next reviewed it. I was very surprised to find it at my local library, but I am so glad that I got to read it!

Rating 4/5

I am sharing all of these reviews with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host. 

Blog Tour: A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet

 

Briony has been going through a rough time. She was made redundant shortly after her beloved grandmother has died and her divorce was also finalised on her last day at work. She knows that she is going to have to find a new home and new job in the auction industry soon. 

What she didn't know is that Giselle, her French grandmother, has left her a cottage on the French Riviera and one of Giselle's final wishes was that Briony would give living in the cottage a go. Briony's initial reaction is shock. She was expecting that her mother would inherit the cottage but this isn't possible under French law. And then she thinks that she will sell the cottage, but if there is ever going to be a time when she could try living in France this is it. But first, they need to sort through her grandmother's belongings. When they find an old diary there is also a bit of a mystery to solve.

The cottage is near to a property that is owned by an expat couple, Adam and Lucy. The bought a parcel of land a few years ago and they are slowly building up the business by renovating various outbuildings, and trying their hands at growing grapes for wine making as well as a few other ventures. Also living on the property is Adam's brother Elliot who has just gone through a very public and very bruising divorce. He has just passed the French language test so that he can get back to his career as a vet.

I have enjoyed this author's previous books where a group of people come together at different points in their respective new lives in France (for example in A French Country Escape) and this had a similar focus. Whilst Adam and Lucy love their life it is hard work, and when Lucy decide that she needs a Girl Friday, Briony is happy to take the job for the summer, and she slowly begins to realise that this life in France doesn't need to be just for the summer, and maybe, a chance for a new start in life from all aspects.

I don't really love visiting second hard markets myself, but I did enjoy the fact that Briony's previous role was working in auction houses and the way that she was able to translate that into a new career in France. 

I also appreciated that the story is multi stranded as we get to know Lucy and Adam, Elliot and Briony but also a nice side story featuring Briony's mother, Jeannie. Oh, and there are some animals thrown into the mix as well!

Jennifer Bohnet's books always make me want to visit France again. I do know that I don't have a French grandmother. I recently did a DNA test and I don't have a drop of French blood but if anyone wants to unexpectedly gift me a French cottage on the Riviera, I wouldn't say no! 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher, Rachel's Random Resources and Netgalley for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!

Rating 4/5

About the Book

A French Inheritance

Every moment is a new beginning on the French Riviera

Five years ago, Adam and Lucy Belgrave took the plunge and bought a sprawling rundown farm in the South of France to bring back to life, much against the advice of Adam’s brother, Elliot.

Today, that dream is becoming a reality and the farm is beginning to thrive and Elliot finds himself grateful for the refuge it provides after his career falters and his marriage fails.

After the death of her beloved granny, a bitter divorce and surprise redundancy - the saying ’sad things come in threes’ resonates with Briony Dymond's life. With her mother by her side, Briony travels to France to learn some news that will change her life completely. Will she have the courage to embrace granny Giselle’s special wishes?

As spring returns to the French Riviera both Elliot and Briony seek to put their pasts behind them and look to find happiness in the future. But can the past give up its hold on the present?

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/AFrenchInheritanceBook

About the Author

Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 14 women's fiction titles, including Villa of Sun and Secrets and A Riviera Retreat. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.



Social Media Links

Facebook: @jenniewriter1

Twitter: @jenniewriter

Instagram: @jenniewriter

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JenniferBohnetnewsletter

Bookbub profile: @jenniebohnet

Paris in July: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin

Every year, as part of Paris in July, I try to read a book by a French author. I should say, I try to read a book by a French author other than Antoine Laurain because I also read his books as a matter of course. I am not sure when this book crossed my path, but I have been saving it since I bought it to read for Paris in July. This book was a big hit in France and Italy, especially during the lockdown years. 

This central character of this story is Violette Toussaint. When we meet Violette she is working as the cemetery keeper, which comes with a small house where she welcomes visitors, keeps records of all the burials, cares for the numerous cemetery cats and where she has her beautiful garden.

Through a series of flashbacks we learn more about Violette's past. She was abandoned by her mother at birth and raised in the foster system where she learned that "girls in care are happy with very little", a mantra she has carried into her adult life. She left school but had received very little in the way of education, teaching herself to read by reading The Cider House Rules by John Irving over and over and over. 

She met handsome Philippe Toussaint when she was very young and working in a bar, and quickly moved in with him. Their relationship was very much built on physical attraction.  Philippe was very lucky to have Violette. She worked incredibly hard while he spent his time going on rides on his motorcycle for hours at a time, picking up other women and playing computer games.

Before she become the cemetery keeper, Violette and Philippe were employed as crossing keepers in a small town. Their job was to ensure that the level crossing gates were closed before each and every train came through. Violette in effect lived her life between each train. Once she moved to the cemetery she was still opening and closing gates, but only in the mornings and evenings, and in the mean time she builds her world through her friendships with the gravediggers, one of who is named Elvis, with the local priest who has a conflicted mind about one particular issue and how it pertains to his calling.

One day her equilibrium is disturbed when a man called Julien Seul turns up at the cemetery. His mother Irene has given instructions for her ashes to be kept at the grave of a man called Gabriel Prudent, and he has no idea why. Violette helps Julien to put his mother's story together. In turn, he uses his role as a policeman to try and push Violette to making some changes in her life. 

This was a very interesting book to read. Structurally, it is a bit all over the place. We get to hear Violette's story, but it is also interspersed with flashbacks. We then get Julien's story and his mothers story of her volatile love for the man whose grave she wishes to share. We also learn something of many of the people who are buried in the cemetery and occasionally we get Philippe's story as well. 

When I watch French film I often think that one of the strengths is that there is a variety of elements in the film. For example, even if a film is a comedy it will still have a section of sadness or despair or mystery. This book is like that. It would be easy to look at Violette and think that she had a terrible life  but in a way she is an apparently simple character with a very complex story to be told. She is also a woman who has learned how to find joy, even if it is by wearing a bright pink dress hidden under her grey coat. She is very content in her role and has built a close community around her and knows who she is.

There is also something of a mystery in the book. There is a major event which completely changes Violette's life. As I was reading I could feel the foreboding building, but I didn't know exactly why. And when it did happen, it was heartbreaking.  Afterwards, both Violette and Philippe try to figure out what exactly happened, but separately, emphasising how much their relationship is flawed.  

I loved that each chapter starts with a epitaph that might be left on someone's grave. Many of them are really lovely. There are so many examples throughout the book so here are just two. 

If a flower grew every time I thought of you, the earth would be one massive garden

What do you expect will become of me if I no longer hear your step, it is your life or mine that's going. I don't know. 

There are also some really beautiful passages throughout the book. For example, this passage which shows the pride Violette takes in her stewardship of the cemetery.

In April, I put ladybird larvae on my rosebushes, and on those of the deceased, to combat greenfly. I'm the one who places the ladybirds, one by one, with a little paintbrush, on the plants. It's as though I repainted my garden in the spring. As if I planted stairways between earth and sky. I don't believe in phantoms or ghosts, but I do believe in ladybirds. 

If I think about how I would sum this book up I would say that it is probably overly long and a bit too complicated with many characters and storylines. Ultimately though, it is an unusual and beautiful book about hope and despair, life and death and love that is built around a really fascinating main character. I would read another book by this author in the future.

I am sharing this review with Paris In July hosted by Words and Peace and the Books in Translation challenge hosted at The Introverted Reader.  At 483 pages, this book also counts as a Big Book of Summer

Rating 4/5

Sunday Salon/Paris in July: Bestsellers around the world - France

Once upon a time I had an infrequent feature called Bestsellers Around the World. The idea was that I would take a look at the bestsellers list for that week and compare it to the Australian bestsellers list. It turned out it could be quite challenging and so despite my best intentions I haven't kept it going, although I do roll it out every now and again, particularly for Paris in July.It's not always easy to find current lists that are accessible but I try!

Here are the books the readers of France are reading at the moment based on the bestseller list at Sens Critique! Please note that according to the website the last time this list was updated was in May but it was still the easiest site to navigate when trying to collate a list

La Psy (Never Lie) by Frieda McFadden

La Femme de Menage (The Housemaid) by Frieda McFadden

Les Secrets de la femme de menage (The Housemaid's Secret) by Freida McFadden

Lakestone, tome 2 by Sarah Rivens

A retardement by Franck Thilliez - The title translates to Delayed

La Prof (The Teacher) by Freida McFadden

L'Heure des predateurs by Giuliano da Empoli - Title translates to Hour of the Predators

Norferville by Franck Thilliez

Interieur nuit by Nicolas Demorand - Translates to Interior Night

La femme de meage voit tout by Frieda McFadden - I am not entirely sure which book this is. The title translates as The Cleaning Lady Sees Everything so maybe it is another edition of The Housemaid.


Some observations.

On the lists that I found that were up to date, Frieda McFadden is absolutely dominating the best seller lists in France. When I looked at the lists for Australia for this week, we had two books by her in the top 10 as well.

Franck Thilliez is an author who you consistently see on these lists. It did surprise me that there wasn't a Joel Dicker on the list for this year though.

Just outside the top ten is Maud Ankaoua. This author has had books on the bestseller lists for a number of years now, with the exception of 2024. Her tagline on her website is The novelist who brings us back to the essentials, which sounds like good reading to me.

Interesting, Anna Stuart has two books in the top 20 first with her book La Sage-Femme d'Auschwitz and then with La Sage-Femme de Berlin which have the English titles of The Midwife of Auschwitz and The Midwife of Berlin. Last year her Auschwitz book was number 1 on the list. Whilst there is obviously a strong interest in WWII history around the world, it is surprising to me that it is this author that has such consistently strong results in France. I am going to see if I can get some of her books to read.

When I look back on my previous lists, it is interesting to note that this is the first year since I started doing this 5 years ago that there has been no book by Virginie Grimaldi featured. I did enjoy the one book I read in English by her, so I will try and read more from her. There were also no books by Melissa da Costa whose books I haven't been able to find in English. She also regularly appears on this list.

On a couple of the other extended lists I found, Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters series was doing very well.

Does anything on this list surprise you?

Weekend Cooking: Grande Maison Paris

Last week I went to watch a Japanese movie that is set in Paris called Grande Maison Paris at a local cinema. I was actually very surprised to see this movie showing, but it turns out that this particular cinema complex shows quite a lot of foreign films, which is unusual for one of the big chains! Most of the films were Indian but I will keep an eye out to see what else they show as it was pretty easy to get to!

The movie opens when we see Japanese chef Natsuki Obana getting a phone call to tell him that he has maintained his two Michelin star rating. Whilst you would think that is something to be celebrated, he is devastated as he has been striving for years to get a very rare 3rd Michelin star for his Paris restaurant. If he had of been successful, he would have been the first Asian chef to achieve this in Paris. The chef is not the only person who is disappointed either. His team have worked very hard for him, and take the news badly.

Chef Obana and his team are cooking for a very fancy dinner and for various reasons a number of things go wrong. One of the guests is his main backer who subsequently calls him in and tells him that he is ending his lease, and that he has another chef lined up to take over the space. Obana makes a deal. If he can get a three star review from Michelin, he can stay. If he cannot, then the restaurant will close and he will return to Japan.

Obana leads a talented, multinational team in his kitchen, but he isn't always a great leader. He doesn't listen to the people around them, or their ideas and this soon leads to a clash with his sous chef, Rinko, which leads to her leaving the team. It turns out that Rinko is the one with the interpersonal soft skills and her leaving causes the team dynamics to change.

Part of the issue for the restaurant is that, being outsiders, it is often difficult for them to get the best ingredients from the suppliers. Often, they are are told that the best quality ingredients are only available to the top restaurants in the city which is very frustrating when you are trying to get to be one of those restaurants. Sometimes, the market traders pretend they cannot understand the orders. 

In reaction to the deal he has made, Obana determines that the only way that he is going to achieve what he is striving for is to be almost more French than the French, despite his team telling him that he should be using their uniqueness as a way to shine.

There are ups and downs as Obana is threatened with closure several times, with interpersonal relationships being strained and one of the team members bringing their personal issues close to causing a tragedy.

It is only as Obana begins to work with his team, instead of dictating to them, and brings more of himself and his team to the food that he is creating, that he begins to see what the possibilities might be for the future.

If you need no other reason to watch this movie, then watch it for the food porn! Oh my goodness, there is so much delicious looking and sounding food in this movie! Obviously, given that the storyline is about striving for that third star, we are talking very, very high end food, but the way that the dishes are put together on the screen, the cooking and plating sequences! So beautiful. It is probably best not to go and see this when you are hungry.

One of the key messages is about French cuisine itself, about how it continues to evolve into something new. Yes, there are the classics but there is also room for new ideas, concepts and tastes, as long as your get it right!

Interestingly, I have only just learned that this movie is actually a spin off from a very successful Japanese TV series called Grande Maison Tokyo. Learning this has given me an a-ha moment as there is a point in the movie where we see the Tokyo restaurant and I was a bit perplexed as to why that would be! It also explained a couple of the tangents in the movie which added some drama but I found myself wondering why it needed to be there. I am definitely going to see if I can find the TV show to watch!

I really enjoyed watching this movie, especially for the food elements, and I was cheering on the team from Grande Maison Paris right to the end!

I have watched several things over the last few months that have a French/Japanese crossover. I watched a movie called Umami which starred Gerard Depardieu as a French chef who nearly dies and decides to just disappear to Japan to look for an old rival. Another movie I watched was Sidonie in Japan about a French author who goes to Japan on a book tour and keeps on seeing the ghost of her husband. I also started watching a series on AppleTV called Fools Gold. I must get back to that and finish watching it. 

Here's the trailer for Grande Maison Paris

I am sharing this with Paris in July hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Chicken enchiladas
Sunday - Roast beef and vegetables
Monday - Pork chops, mash, broccoli and gravy
Tuesday - Out for dinner
Wednesday - Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday - Beef Casserole pie
Friday - Chicken and broccoli pasta bake

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page