I had the honor of speaking with Helen Fripp about "The Girl from Provence" for the Storytime in Paris podcast. Here is what I said:

Ep 71 - Helen Fripp, “The Girl from Provence”

I’m very excited to welcome back this week’s guest Helen Fripp! Helen first graced us with her presence in our 32nd episode, where we spoke about her novel “The Painter’s Girl.” Her latest novel finds us returning to France - this time, in Provence during World War II - in “The Girl from Provence.” “The Girl from Provence” has everything: war, intrigue, and romance. Even Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the author of “The Little Prince,” plays an important role.

In our conversation, I ask Helen about the controversial nature of a love story between Lilou, a young French Resistance fighter, and Kristian, a Nazi soldier who is more than what he seems. She speaks openly, and shares how truth shaped fiction, how the stars guided her narrative, and how she found inspiration in the bees.

Listen to the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3UbrYv4

I had the pleasure of participating in a book tour for this book. I enjoyed the storyline for this book. Lilou was a very brave girl, who wanted to do her part in the French Resistance after her brother was forced to a work camp and her Jewish friend was taken. As part of her duties she is tasked with taking care of Eliot. I loved the relationship they shared. Even if Eliot didn’t have valuable information for the war effort, it’s clear that Lilou still would have done everything in her power to protect him. Helen does a great job of showing the intelligence and capabilities of children with Eliot’s character.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC of this book.

These characters are so lifelike and wonderful. New heroes have emerged in my life. A great WWII story that you won't want to miss.

TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi brutality, anti semitism
France 1942, Lilou's life remains largely unaffected by war until the Germans arrive in her village. Her Jewish friend Joseph and his mother are seized and deported then her brother is sent to be a labourer in Germany. Incensed, Lilou decides to join the resistance and fight for freedom for all...
The Girl From Provence is an historical novel set in France during WW2.
Lilou is a young woman holding her family together. Her mother has never recovered from the death of Lilou's father, and her younger brother is immature. Life changes forever when the Nazis arrive in the village and Freddie is sent to Germany and her mum declines further. Lilou has the make difficult choices as she has to choose between her family and her country.
The book is written from multiple thrid person perspectives to show the experiences of different characters. Lilou is brave but impulsive, often putting herself in danger. Kristian is a German conscript, horrified by the atrocities he witnesses. Marie-Madeleine is a resistance leader, pregnant by a lover but determined to continue fighting for freedom. Eliot is a young boy whose parents are being interrogated by the Gestapo but he may hold the key to victory.
I thought the geographical and historical setting were well researched and explored. The inclusion of a real life character (French writer and pilot Antoine) added an authenticity to the book. There is plenty of emotion, in particular related to Eliot's experience. Love, grief and hope are important themes in the book, and Kristian's concern about his countrymen highlights that being a German didn't mean being a Nazi.
The Girl From Provence is an enjoyable historical novel.

In this fascinating, immersive, and incredible historical fiction novel, readers travel to Provence, France, in World War II with our protagonists Lilou, Alliance patronne Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, and little Eliot living under the German occupation. When the Germans, including pilot Kristian, arrive in Lilou’s tiny Provencal town, she joins her local resistance cell which answers to Fourcade’s large Alliance network. Lilou’s assignments are dealing with Lysander drops from Britain and caring for Eliot Stavinsky, the son of a Jewish radar technician who had, before his and his wife’s capture by the Gestapo, developing a weapon which could change the course of the war. However, Lilou’s Provencal village is not as small and hidden as the Resistance had hoped, and German forces are very interested in Eliot and the secrets he knows. Fripp’s characters are fantastic, dynamic, and complex, and she brings several real historical figures involved in the Alliance network into the novel and does so in a way true to their real stories. As for the setting, which primarily consists of Lilou’s village and other cities across the South of France, Fripp’s detail to location and minor characters adds to the overall tone, emotion, and stakes of this incredible historical fiction novel.

The Girl From Provence is a stunning tale of love, resilience, bravery and courage from Helen Fripp fans of Heather Morris and Suzanne Goldring will not want to miss.

The tranquility of Provence is shattered forever when the Nazis arrive in the South of France in 1942. Twenty-one year old Lilou is selling lavender honey in the village square and immediately realises that her life will never be the same again. Her beloved village is divided by squabbles, hatred and prejudice and when Lilou sees her best friend dragged forcibly away merely for being Jewish, she realises that she must do everything in her power to fight for what’s right. Joining the French Resistance, Lilou begins smuggling messages in loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in remote fields. However, she fears that she might have attracted the wrong type of attention from blue-eyed German soldier Kristian. Does he know about her secret work? Or is she merely letting her imagination run away with her?

When Lilou is given the task of keeping a frightened little boy safe in her farmhouse, she realises that this mission will be the most important thing she will ever do in her life. Eliot refuses to speak to anyone and merely clutches his book very close to his chest. Lilou wonders why she has been tasked with looking after Eliot and what the significance of his book actually is. It soon transpires that this children’s book could help her decipher coded message that could help defeat the Nazis forever. However, when Kristian turns up at the farm searching for hidden Jewish families, it seems that the game is up…or is it?

Is Kristian a friend or foe? Can she trust him? Or will he send her and Eliot to their deaths?

Helen Fripp’s The Girl from Provence is a historical novel that draws you in from the start, gets under your skin and will keep you turning the pages until the early hours of the morning. In The Girl from Provence, the writing is rich and nuanced, the setting vividly rendered and the characters bold, brave, daring and selfless.

A heart-wrenching wartime tale from a master storyteller, Helen Fripp’s The Girl from Provence will linger in the mind and heart long after the last page is turned.

The Girl From Provence is the latest compelling novel from historical fiction author Helen Fripp. This was my first-time reading anything from Helen Fripp but I was instantly hooked by her captivating writing style. The narrative is well-paced and incredibly gripping. Following Lilou’s story takes the reader on an emotional journey which is equally as heart-warming as it is heart-breaking and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The vivid setting descriptions made the lavender fields of the South of France come alive on the page and I loved the small village setting.
Readers with an interest in astronomy will particularly like The Girl From Provence as it plays a key role in the plot. The story also heavily features the world-renowned children’s book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Lilou was a fantastic strong female protagonist who was headstrong and had admirable courage and determination. I do think she read slightly younger than 21 at times but if anything, this made her character development from young farm girl into mature and brave resistance heroine more impactful. There is a forbidden romance element to the story through Lilou’s growing feelings for German soldier Kristian. I thought their relationship was very well written and it quickly became one of my favourite aspects of the story.
Marie-Madeleine was truly incredible character whose courage and willingness to risk her own life to fight against the occupying Nazi force was just astonishing. It was amazing to read in the author’s afterword that she was inspired by the real Marie-Madeleine Fourcade who ran the Alliance resistance branch in occupied-France. The fictional portrayal of this incredible woman we see in The Girl From Provence was a fantastic tribute and one of the standout aspects of the book.
Eliot was another absolutely fantastic character who had me captivated in every scene he was in.
I would say that there were a few too many characters for all of them to have been featured in the depth I was craving. Particularly in the case of some of the resistance, I would have liked the stories of these characters to have been fleshed out a little more. I do, however, appreciate that this may have been due to lack of page space.
On top of this, whilst the epilogue did tie up all loose ends, I did feel like the endings for some of the characters lacked the depth they deserved. (Spoiler alert) This was particularly the case for Kristian as, despite him playing such an important role in the book, his ending was explored very briefly which was a shame. I would have liked the whole ending of the story to have been given more depth as it felt rushed in comparison with the rest of the story.
Overall, The Girl From Provence is a powerful and gripping piece of historical fiction which is both heart-breaking and heart-warming. Fans of World War Two historical fiction, in particular female resistance heroines, will love this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

Thank you @bookouture and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest unedited review. It was such a pleasure to read such a beautifully written and inspirational story.

The Girl from Provence is a heartbreaking and poignant tale that will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially World War II. Lilou is recruited as an agent for the French Resistance in the mountainous Provencal region in the South of France and tasked with caring for and keeping safe a young Jewish boy, Eliot.

I probably read very little Historical Fiction, and even less with a WWII background but I was hooked from the first page. Helen Fripp writes almost poetically and really sets the scene with her portrayal of wartime France, although it is the description of the locales before the threat of War which really take your breath away; the lush greens with the hustle and bustle of the local community and their everyday lives, surrounded by the marketplace, church, lavender fields and bee hives - you can visualise it all so vividly.

Although labelled a Historical Fiction, the backstories of many characters were inspired by true events and made for riveting, fast-paced reading (I was furiously fact checking and was so surprised by the results!). Depicting the strength and selflessness of the Resistance, formed of ordinary people who until that point had been living ordinary lives, and their courage and efforts to stand up against bigotry, greed and selfish, harmful ideals and those who practice them, often at the risk of their own lives, with an immediate unprecedented threat of torture if not death looming, was very well delivered. With a diverse set of main characters, all hailing from different backgrounds and walks of life, there was an emotional depth to each of them and it was easy to connect with and root for them. I was transported into another era completely!

This may be my first but certainly not my last of Helen Fripps' work. I cannot recommend this book enough!

The Girl from Provence | Helena Fripp | ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

1943
Nazi Occupation
French Resistance
Feisty Revolutionary Heroine
Quaint village in Provence, Lavender farms
Forbidden Romance

Now, add to that lyrical prose; contemplative and reflective writing; WW2, human nature, love, life and you have got yourself this brilliantly unputdownable tear-jerker.

Helena Fripp seamlessly intertwines heartfelt fictional characters with actual events and much known & loved historical figures like Saint-Exupéry and creates sheer magic.

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖
Being ordinary people like you and me, just like the other inhabitants of Vallon-Doux, 21-year old Lilou, her brother Freddie, their widowed Maman were all living under the impression that war and politics wouldn't touch them and their regular lives.
Until it did.

Until it brought a battalion of German soldiers to their quiet village, ripped apart the people and their ideologies in half.
Until the Nazis took away Lilou's childhood friend, Joseph and his Maman to somewhere unknown and brutally ransacked their home, shop and belongings, just because of their religion.
Until Freddie was requisitioned off to work as a laborer in a German farm on his 18th birthday.

With the help of society hostess turned revolutionary, Marie-Madeline, Lilou secretly joins the French Resistance. Will she be able to fulfil her secret mission? Will Freddie and Joseph and the rest come home safe?

And what about the German airforce pilot, Kristian, who seems to be on their side and whom Lilou is falling for, against all her will?
📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

A riveting read as any, this adeptly explores fascinating aspects of war, life, family, love; without feeling heavy. It has the power to make your blood boil, break your heart and make you swell with pride for the resilience and courage shown by human kind, faced with adversities and atrocities.

Above all, it shows us that wars are fought between Kings and countries, but the ones fighting on the battle fields and the ones suffering on the sidelines are human beings with beating hearts and aching souls.

Over the past few years I’ve come to really enjoy historical fiction and have read a lot of books set before, during and after WWII. I enjoyed The Girl from Provence a lot. I thought this historical details were spot on. I also thought the details about WWII were very vivid and stayed with me after I’d finished the book. I liked the characters as well. I loved Lilou, a rebel in the best way, furious at what the Nazi’s are doing to her village and what they did to her best friend when he was dragged away for being a Jew, determined to fight back and not give in. The book is intense at times as Lilou takes dangerous risks to help.

I really enjoy the fictional character of Lilou and the citizens of German occupied Vallon-Doux. When incorporated with real Résistance hero’s such as Jean Moulin, it makes the story much more engaging. The gloomy cloud of the German army “protectors” makes for a winding tension throughout the story.

Two drawbacks: I was thrown when the story began to be told from multiple characters almost 30% into the story. The other was the surface inclusion of some characters. More could have been written about some of the characters to more fully develop the story.

But in the end I absolutely love the story of The Little Prince so reading a book set in the South of France and featuring the characters of Eliot and Antoine de Saint-Exupèry was a real pleasure.

The story was magic. I loved the characters and went through the full range of emotions in this story.

Feisty, unconventional, independent and resourceful heroine? ☑️
Forbidden, irresistible love? ☑️

Idyllic setting in the Provencale countryside? ☑️

A community in peril? ☑️

A vulnerable child in need of protection? ☑️

A literary legend who is also a heroic aviator? ☑️

A socialite mother who flies for the Resistance? ☑️

World War 2: can love win the day? ☑️

All this and more, with a side of lavender honey, from Helen Fripp's new historical novel, "The Girl from Provence", published by Bookouture.

Hope the annoying anachronistic figures of speech were corrected because these really upset the flow of this fab story for me.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and author Helen Fripp for this ARC to read and review!

Oh my heart … this one got me right in the feels. The description for this book claims it to be “gripping and heartbreaking” and they weren’t kidding! It's that and so much more! Each page is so poetically written, you feel you are right there in the south of France amid the swarms of honey bees and hills of lavender! Every character in this story captured me, but my heart fell head over heels for little Eliot and of course Scout, his sweet and shaggy sheepdog protector and friend. Spoilers would be very easy to spill here, so I will just say that if you love historical WWII era fiction featuring strong heroines of the French Resistance … you will enjoy this one! But grab your Kleenex because your heart will break and your tears will fall!

"The Girl from Provence" by Helen Fripp is a captivating and emotionally charged tale set in the South of France during the tumultuous year of 1942. Through the eyes of the resilient twenty-one-year-old Lilou, the novel unfolds against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Provence, bringing to life the sacrifices and struggles of ordinary people forced to navigate the complexities of wartime.

Lilou's idyllic life selling lavender honey in the village square is shattered when the Nazis arrive, and her best friend is cruelly taken away simply for being Jewish. Horrified by the injustice, Lilou makes a silent vow to sacrifice everything to fight for what is right. As the village becomes divided, Lilou becomes entwined with the French resistance, taking on dangerous tasks like smuggling hidden messages in fresh-baked loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in moonlit fields.

Fripp skillfully weaves a narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats, wondering if Kristian, a blue-eyed German soldier, is friend or foe. Lilou lives in constant fear that he might discover her involvement with the resistance. The tension escalates when she is assigned her most crucial task: hiding a frightened little boy named Eliot in her farmhouse.

Eliot, clutching a treasured children's book, becomes the center of the story. His silence conceals a story of stars, planets, and the night sky. Lilou soon realizes that Eliot's innocent facade may hold knowledge capable of altering the course of the war. The stakes rise when Kristian arrives at her farm in search of hidden Jewish families, putting Eliot in grave danger.

Fripp's storytelling is both stunning and heartbreaking, portraying the incredible sacrifices ordinary people make during wartime. Lilou's internal conflict, as she grapples with trust, loyalty, and the desire to protect those she loves, adds depth to the narrative. The novel explores the human capacity for resilience and compassion in the face of adversity.

For fans of Fiona Valpy and Rhys Bowen, "The Girl from Provence" is a must-read. Helen Fripp delivers a poignant and beautifully crafted novel that delves into the complexities of wartime existence, showcasing the strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of hope even in the darkest times.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Publishers for an advance copy for my honest review

Lilou is a happy country girl, and at only twenty-one years old she loves her life. Her family owns the lavender farm in the South of France, that they live on. She loves the farm and its surroundings of beautiful streams and mountains. She can’t imagine life anywhere else. Her entire life is turned upside down when the Nazis arrive in her town with plans to take it over. When the Nazi’s take her brother and force him into a labor camp in Germany, life as she knows it will never be the same. Lilou joins the French resistance and in no time she is hiding messages inside loaves of fresh-baked bread and meeting Allied pilots in the most remote fields. She is then assigned to the most important and risky task of hiding Eliot, a frightened Jewish boy, in their farmhouse. She soon discovers that the book Eliot refuses to let go of contains coded messages that could change the whole course of the war.

The Girl from Provence by author Helen Fripp is a wonderfully written and heart-breaking novel. The author immediately transports you to the South of France and leaves the you with the scent of lavender wafting through the air. The storyline takes place in Provence France through World War II. This historical fiction is one that will remain in my heart for a very long time. I loved everything about this story, from cover to cover and every page in between. I enjoyed Lilou’s story so much, she was courages and completely relatable. Even in the darkest hours of war, there is always a glimmer of hope and she never gave up. Do not let another day go by without reading this phenomenal story. Definitely worth ten stars. This unputdownable book is one that I highly recommend.

A book that starts with a scene on a bicycle, whooshing down into a Provence village, on market day, under a perfect blue sky – is a book I knew I was going to love, and I wasn’t wrong.

Lilou Mistral is a gentle soul, more in tune with nature and the seasons than the war and Occupation of German forces in northern France. It’s 1942 and the German’s sudden arrival in her village turned her world on its head. As those around her began to disappear, she pledged her allegiance to the local Resistance, and as strong as the wind that shares her name, she wasn’t afraid of the dangers she must face.

With so many historical novels set during the Occupation period, it was refreshingly different to have one set in the south of France rather than in Paris, but that wasn’t the only feature about this book that set it apart from others I have read. I am a huge fan of stories where characters from the real world appear, and snippets of their lives are woven into the storyline. Imagine my delight to encounter a legendary French aviator/author whose path crossed with Lilou and Eliot in this book, and the important role that was given to his best-known work. This gave a real magic to the storyline, where despite the atrocities Eliot witnessed, the secrets of the stars and the night sky relit his childhood innocence and wonder. The blurring of fact and fiction just added another dimension of intrigue to this book. I was gripped, but it was also brutally emotional too. Who can Lilou trust at a time when friends become enemies and the enemy isn’t always who they seem to be. As the net closed in on the Resistance cell, the heart stopping moments came in thick and fast and kept me turning the pages late into the night, hoping against hope.

I enjoyed the previous novels by Helen Fripp, The French House, set on wine domaine in the Champagne region of France, and The Painter’s Girl, set in 18th century Paris, but I think the magic woven into The Girl from Provence tops them both. She really drew me into the period, the setting, and the lives and feelings of her characters. If you enjoy historical fiction, please add this to your 2024 ‘must read’ lists – it’s one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.

Fascinating ww2 historical

I really enjoyed reading The Girl From Provence. Well, enjoyment coupled with horror about the situations that ordinary people encountered during WW2 in France. As a Francophile, I have spoken with people who were sitting in their classroom when the Nazis marched through the village, so I know this book has so much historical credibility. This novel is definitely a must read in the genre.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me an e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

THE GIRL FROM PROVENCE by Helen Fripp is a beautiful as well as heart-breaking historical fiction story set in rural Provence France during the entirety of World War II. This standalone book features a young woman who wants only to live her life on the family farm, but the war sweeps her up and changes her life forever.

Lilou is a country girl who loves her family’s lavender farm and the bees who produce their honey. She roams free with her brother in every stream, ravine, and mountain in the area. When the Nazis roll in to occupy her town in 1942, she believes nothing will change if they ignore them, until they take her brother for forced labor in Germany and send her best friend and his mother to the whispered about camps for Jews.

Lilou joins the resistance and takes on many tasks around her country home. When she is assigned the care of a special little Jewish boy, named Eliot, her world changes once again. With his love of the stars, numbers, and special copy of The Little Prince his father gave him, Lilou learns Eliot is wanted by the Nazis for information his father left with him.

Will Lilou be able to protect Eliot and help him uncover the secrets his father left for him?

This story has so many emotional ups and downs with characters that could walk right off the page. Lilou is the main protagonist, but Eliot, Kristian and Marie-Madeleine are all important characters, also. Even the secondary characters in this story play memorable roles at pivotal points. I fell in love with the entire cast of characters and cried with their losses. (Especially in the last quarter of the book, I kept the tissues close.) I loved the inclusion of Antoine “Tonio” de Saint-Exupery and his book and the way it is important to this story, not only for this plot, but also the parallels to the lessons the Little Prince learned.

I highly recommend this enthralling historical fiction and I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.

During WWII, Lilou’s life is upset by the Nazi. She begins to smuggle messages in loaves of bread. Who can she trust? So many people involved, changing sides. I loved every page of this story!

A heartbreaking WW2 #historicalfiction that’ll grip you throughout. The audiobook is well done with narration by Naomi Frederick.

Thank you, Helen Fripp, Bookouture, Bookouture audio & netgalley for my ecopy & #audiobook! All opinions are my own.