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The Virgin Blue
The Virgin Blue
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Meet Ella Turner and Isabelle du Moulin - two women born centuries apart, yet bound by a fateful family legacy. When Ella and her husband move to a small town in France, Ella hopes to brush up on her French, qualify to practice as a midwife, and start a family of her own. Village life turns out to be less idyllic than she expected, however, and ...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780452284449
ISBN-10: 0452284449
Publication Date: 6/24/2003
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 486

3.7 stars, based on 486 ratings
Publisher: Plume
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Rebemdee avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on
Helpful Score: 8
Isabella's story was more interesting than Ella's. It seemed the book was unfinished, and there was no real growth or resolution at the end. Horrible things happened, but how did the women really change?
reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 204 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
This book is so very similar to the Labrynth that I read just a bit ago. I swear they were even in the same towns just 500 yrs apart! It makes me wonder if the other author read this book! I was so engrosed in this book I couldnt put it down, but the ending was crappy! I would have liked more closure. warning of domestic violence
katethegreat avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 69 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
I liked it better than Girl with a Pearl Earring. It stradles modern time and the late 1500's in France. It wasn't too heavy on history, but enough to educate you. A quick read.
SanJoseCa avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 328 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
A story of Ella, a lonely American woman in southwestern France, who connects through her dreams with a distant ancestor, Isabelle. Reading this novel is like being on a "scavenger hunt," as you "hunt" for the common thread that joins these women together in a most mysterious way!
reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I liked Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Lady and the Unicorn, but not the Virgin Blue. The main character is selfish and juvenile, and I could not sympathize with her at all.
Read All 74 Book Reviews of "The Virgin Blue"

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SuziL avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 25 more book reviews
Another interesting read from Chevalier.
MOMSBOOKS avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 64 more book reviews
This book wasn't what I was expecting after reading,"Girl with a Pearl Earring," which I thought was Wonderful. The writing and characterizations were well done and the time sequences seemed accurate. I had some difficulty at the end. The result was that while I liked it and enjoyed it while reading it, I felt a little lost at times. In Girl with a Pearl the heroine and others reacted to her circumstances very much as I would expect, giving it a feeling of comfort. In "The Virgin Blue" both Ella Turner, the modern protagonist and Isabelle du Moulin, Ella's predecessor by 100 yrs. reacted in ways I thought unlikely. I will be cuious to see how they both( Girl with a Pearl and Virgin Blue) compare with "Falling Angels".
lucky7 avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on
Ella, a contemporary American, struggles to assimilate in the small medieval village where she and her husband have settled. Her genealogy research leads her on a fateful trail to Switzerland. The intertwining story (400 yrs earlier)tells Isabelle's tragic part in her family's migration during the Protestant reformation...a time of Calvinist sects trying to break away from the Papacy. Superstition, gossip and tragedy follow both woman. I love historical fiction so wish Chevalier had told more and not left me with so many questions. As with the "Girl with a Pearl Earring", I felt she just skimmed over the surface with an "outline" for what could have been a great novel.
reviewed The Virgin Blue on
A very quick read. Hard to follow but one could read every other chapter and stay in the presnt time and then read the opposing chapters(past) in order. It would be much easier to follow. The end it a little choppy with the constant switch from past to present. But all in all, I enjoyed this novel very much.
knittymama avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 424 more book reviews
Enjoyed the story very much and the readers' performances were wonderful.
I-no-books avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 93 more book reviews
Even if you do not listen to books, this one should be the exception! Wonderfully read by 2 actresses with beautiful French accents. This story will have you entralled. Chevalier is such a talented writer and weaves a story of two women connected over 400 years. The action moves from present to past flawlessly.
reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 59 more book reviews
unabridged
jareylee avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 25 more book reviews
This was an experiment in listening to an audio CD. I decided that I prefer to read.
txbeck avatar reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 64 more book reviews
Well read.
reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 10 more book reviews
I enjoy Chevalier's writing so much, especially Falling Angels and Girl with a Pearl Earring. This was her first book, and it shows her developing skills. Still, I enjoyed the complex story.
reviewed The Virgin Blue on + 13 more book reviews
Introduces French and Swiss history and customs. Two intertwining stories, both easily relatable. Not difficult to follow the plot, or keep the two stories seperate. I enjoyed it immensely.


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