This month, I’m pleased to offer you a review of a novel I recently enjoyed.

With its title, The Women of Chateau Lafayette, you might expect a biography of Lafayette’s wife, but this novel offers much more.

This amazing time slip novel draws readers into three distinct eras, separated by generations but united in several ways:

• Each takes place in one of history’s darkest hours
• Each is set at least partially at Castle Chavaniac, the residence of Gilbert Lafayette, the Frenchman who helped the American colonies win their independence so long ago
• Each female protagonist’s efforts culminated in heroism at Chavaniac

(includes protagonists; kept general to avoid spoilers)

• Revolutionary era: After helping American colonists win their independence from the British, Gilbert Lafayette returns to France a hero and helps spark the French Revolution, which goes terribly wrong. His family and the French nation suffer grievously. Gilbert’s wife, Adrienne, must navigate between the values of her wealthy noble family and Gilbert’s ideals of democracy, political liberty, and religious freedom. Her heroism will surprise or even shock readers.
• In World War I, Beatrice, whose marriage to William “Willie” Astor Chanler, elevated her from humble beginnings, finds her passion in creating the Lafayette Memorial Fund, first supplying care packages for French soldiers in the trenches, and then helping refugee children orphaned by the war. Her husband buys Castle Chavaniac for her, and she manages its transformation into a sanctuary for displaced children and orphans. She is torn between her failed marriage and a new life with a kind Frenchman who loves and supports her.
• During World War II, Marthe, an orphan who grew up at Castle Chavaniac, now teaches there. She must come to terms with her identity, as well as deciding how she can live out her ideals with integrity during and after the Nazi occupation of France.

Maxime Furlaud—a banker and military officer; Beatrice’s French romantic interest

Victor Chapman—Willie’s nephew, close to Beatrice and Willie; an American architecture student who joined the French Foreign Legion

Emily Sloane—Beatrice’s American friend who works with her to gather aid and work at Chavaniac

Baron Amaury de LaGrange—husband of Emily Sloane; interim president of Preventorium at Chavaniac after Fall of France Riom Trial

Anne—daughter of Emily and Amaury, contemporary of Marthe

Yves Travert—small-town policeman who keeps an eye on Chavaniac and Marthe; he must cooperate somewhat with the Gestapo

Madame Pinton—mother of Marthe’s fiancé, she plays an unexpected role

Strengths:

This is a fascinating novel, with its three linked plots, all strong, well-portrayed, and providing windows into life in France in each era.

Weakness:

Three time frames and sets of characters can lead to confusion for readers, who may benefit from taking a few notes as they read.

Content review:

This novel doesn’t shy away from the violence of war, or expressions of the major characters’ sexuality.

My recommendation: 

Readers who enjoy historical fiction steeped with romance and values (both personal and societal) will find The Women of Chateau Lafayette a rewarding and thought-provoking read.

Reader, do you have a favorite time slip historical novel?

My writing update:

I continue to sift through the comments of my beta-readers and polish my upcoming novel, Lucia’s Journey.