Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation – or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever. We see an array of characters, and a good number of them have been well developed. Theresa, Xavier, Natasha, Madame Oliver, Emile, Alexei, Moet (along with Nicole and Louis) have depth and appear quite real. They have flaws, they have positives, and their actions align with their personalities. The book is simply fizzing with romance, intrigue, war, grief and the history of one of the most well know brands known across the globe. It was interesting also to read about a disabled character. I found it difficult to recall many other books that have characters with physical disabilities and Émile’s deafness is a source of frustration in his marriage. He is able to lip read to some extent but often conversations pass him by.

For someone who had a passing acquaintance with Belle Ile from the paintings of Claude Monet and John Peter Russell, this memoir gave me a whole different perspective into France; Belle Ile is not sophisticated Paris, but it has a wonderful enticing charm of its own. The people aren’t elegant, but have a character all their own. The French House is far from grand, more a poor man’s folly than a rich man’s plaything, but it holds magic, a magic evident even to the reader. As a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, the headstrong Nicole Clicquot agrees to marry the man of her dreams. With the world at their feet and beautiful and bountiful vineyards as their future, there is nothing the Clicquot’s cannot accomplish. Unfortunately, Fate always has her hand in the lives of mere mortals and this time, she takes Nicole’s husband far too soon. With a small child and employees to care for, Nicole decides, against all the odds and conventions of her time and place, she will run the vineyards and make them the success she and her beloved once dreamed they could be.

Emile struggles due to being deaf, he’s troubled and frustrated and spends the odd night sleeping in the potting shed. Soon the locals are gossiping about Isabelle and Emile and it’s only a matter of time before their spouses find out. Fans of Chocolat, Carnegie’s Maid, Dinah Jeffries and anyone longing to sip champagne under the stars will adore this stunning historical read, inspired by the true story of how Nicole Clicquot blazed her own path to build the world’s greatest champagne house: Veuve Clicquot. Fripp’s writing totally transported me to 1800s France, and I loved how much I learned about the winemaking process throughout. Fripp perfectly captures Nicole’s spunk, spirit, and determination.

Her first novel is set in the Champagne region in France, and she is currently working on her next one, set in late eighteenth-century Paris. She spent a lot of time in France as a child, has lived in Paris and spent a year with her family in a fishing village in South West France, so that’s where her books have ended up being set so far. Who knows where next! Isabelle herself is unhappily married to controlling and abusive Ron and as part of the occupation, they are made to take in Lieutenant Schrieber which adds tension to the household. Isabelle herself can’t help but feel maternal to Schrieber, who is kind to her and when Émile discovers a secret about Schrieber, Isabelle and Émile find themselves thrown together again, in their attempts to help the German. It was very interesting to read about the German invasion of Guernsey as this is not a setting that I often read about in ww2. The people of Guernsey are a small community and there is a lot of suspicion and fear when the Germans bring so much danger and uncertainty, bringing the war right on their island doorstep.Then he helps Isabelle's boarder a German soldier hide from the authorities and escape from the island when he is in trouble for being a gay man which in intolerable by the Germans. Then tragedy happens and he is arrested by the Germans. My favourite aspects are the gorgeous writing and the historical inclusions such as Victor Hugo as well as the effects of war. Watching the characters navigate their pain and circumstances was incredible!

Nazi occupied Guernsey was no fun. Emile returned from the war stone deaf - his hearing impaired by an accident. Isabelle is now the housekeeper of The French House and married to a bully who watches her every move, with the intention of hurting her either mentally or physically. Emile is married to Letty who is bitter and angry because she knows her husband has never loved her and despite him taking over and being a father to another man's daughter - she is not charitable enough to overlook that for his other failing of not caring for her. This imagined story of a real-life remarkable woman is a fascinating read, as fate, mother nature, family feuds and war all have their part to play as the fortunes of Nicole Clicquot and her vineyard, ride high on success one minute and are plunged into disaster the next. I was with her every step of the way, from her most unladylike daring adventures in horse drawn carriages from Reims, to Paris, to Amsterdam, willing her to find the happiness and success that she deserved. Desperately wanting her to gain the respect from the men who were her rivals, and to prove to herself as much as the town’s gossips, that she was right to fight. Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires. The French House is a beautifully wrought exploration of love of all kinds. It’s utterly gorgeous, convincingly written and completely captivating. Make sure you read it’Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires. As a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, the headstrong Nicole Clicquot agrees to marry the man of her dreams Lieutenant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces. A lot happens in the book, and it can be overwhelming if you read it all at once. I mean, it felt like so much had happened, and I saw that I reached only 50% of the book. That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage.

I received a copy of The French House by Jacquie Bloese from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review. My favorite character is Emile, his demeanor changes over the course of the story and he becomes a hero. It was interesting to read the author’s notes at the end, the house was originally called Hauteville and belonged to French novelist Victor Hugo from 1856 to 1870 and five stars from me. The French House is set in Nazi-Occupied Guernsey and follows the lives of several inhabitants during these years, focusing in particular on Emile and his family, as well as Isabelle Larch and her husband, and the German solider, Peter Schreiber, who is billeted with them. Emile and Isabelle were engaged to be married many years before, however, that was before Emile had the accident that left him deaf. Now though as both work at the French House, their paths cross once more, and indeed the lives of all these characters will intertwine in sometimes unexpected ways. is living in Guernsey at the start of WW2 after his dreams of a happier life in Canada was destroyed by a tragic accident that left him deaf. He has a family but not with Isabelle the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Instead he is married to Letty and they have two daughters Maud and Stella. It’s not a happy life but it is a lot better than what Isabelle has. A dream ruined by her parents and she is now married to Ron who is controlling and manipulative. When they have to take in a German lodger life changes for everybody.Nicole Clicquot might be known to you as Veuve Clicquot, one of the first ever successful businesswomen and owner of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, a French champagne house founded in 1772 and existing even today as a specialised premium champagne producer. Madame Clicquot was also renowned for inventing the riddling table process to clarify champagne in 1816 and creating the first known blended rosé champagne in 1818. She was an independent thinker in spite of the era she was born in and is a woman to be admired and emulated.