The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a gorgeously written book. The beauty, love, courage, and humanity spill over every page. Stephanie Dray brings Marthe, Adrienne, and Beatrice to life in such a vivid way-- their stories grabbing hold of you from the very first page. Dray's writing is exquisitely detailed, yet fast-paced and captivating. This is not a run of the mill historical fiction book about Europe in wartime. It goes so much deeper than that. Dray's storytelling draws seamless comparisons to our modern world and urges you to remain courageous in the fight for goodness and humanity.

This novel is heartwrenching, infuriating, but overall it is a beautiful story of some of the brave women who have come before us.

"We are all equally human. All deserving of compassion and justice. All capable of love and courage..." -Stephanie Dray, The Women of Chateau Lafayette

Stephanie Dray is known for her deep dives into historical fiction, specifically tied to women of history that only get about 2 lines' worth in a Wikipedia entry. Lovers of her excellent previous book on Hamilton's wife "My Dear Hamilton" that she co-wrote with Laura Kamoie will also enjoy this title about the estate of Lafayette, American (and French...sorta!) war hero. However, Lafayette is clearly a secondary character in this novel--the center stage are the 3 women who guard the Chateau de Chavaniac over the centuries. I was most captivated by Adrienne Lafayette's story, who sacrificed her life for the sake of freedom and her husband's cause. Although this is a long book, clocking in at almost 500 pages, Dray's characters are human, flawed, and fascinating to read about. This could have been an extremely bleak novel, spanning the Revolutionary War, the French Revolution, World War I AND World War II, but the women's courage in the face of death and adversity is the running theme that ties them to both the Chateau and themselves. Highly recommended.

Thanking NetGalley for this exceptional advance reader copy!
Stephanie Dray is a rising star in historical fiction, from America’s First Daughter to My Dear Hamilton, and she is back weaving together the stories of three women at different moments in world history. The fabric comes together as the Chateau where LaFayette grew up, so each of the tales comes back to the Chateau Chavaniac in France. Dray’s works are always rich, albeit slow reading, with so much information to dispel, it can be hard for the normal reader to get through the build up. But for the lover of history, this is a feast. The reader can spend hours of extra reading as they google more information about the Chateau, the wars, or the characters. Be that as it may, Dray’s works never disappoint once through the first 3rd. The three stories each pick up in pace and excitement, and the reader goes on a fascinating journey and the stories intertwine. Historical fiction must come with much research and not published as quickly or often as general fiction authors, but when one is done right, it’s worth the time to savor,
5*

This a long and spell-binding story about three extraordinary, courageous women living in three different eras, doing remarkable things while protecting this castle in France. Kudos to the author for her research and descriptive writing. Best historical fiction I have read in a long time.

Three women, three eras, three wars, all connected through their tenacity and courage, along with their connections to the Marquis de Lafayette and his ancestral home; Stephanie Dray's The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping story of strength that will surely become a classic work of historical fiction.

Dray's exhaustive research is evident; all three women feel fleshed out and vibrant. My personal favorite was Marthe Simonson, an orphan raised in Lafayette's former-home-turned-orphanage/school/children's hospital turning to resistance during WWII (she was actually Dray's 'invented character, an amalgamation of various members of the rural French resistance). The alternating chapters also feature the real-life characters of Lafayette's wife Adrienne Noailles in the latter half of the eighteenth century and Beatrice Chanler, an American philanthropist spearheading charity efforts during WWI through her organization the Lafayette Fund.

I personally avoid most historical fiction set during WWII, as it often saturates the genre (and makes me sad), but I am glad that I decided to try this book despite 1/3 of it taking place during WWII, as it quickly turned out to be my favorite part. Marthe's sections paired especially well with Beatrice's, as many characters carry over from WWI into WWII, with Dray demonstrating the cycle of violence that propelled the first war into the next. The ancien regime/French Revolution content sometimes felt less solidly connected, but Adrienne's chapters read almost like foreshadowing to the struggles Beatrice and Marthe face over a century later. My really nit-picky criticism is there were too many ellipses -- characters thinking 'But what will happen next...' and so forth, sentiments which would've read stronger if they hadn't faded off at the end.

I found this novel even more impressive after reading Dray's afterword. The meticulous time she spent reconstructing these women's lives, particularly Beatrice (I won't go into any details because spoilers, but Dray discovered some incredible secrets through archival research and interviews with Chanler's grandson) is evident throughout the book. I also found the romantic relationships of each woman interesting, ranging from flawed spouses forbidden love interests.

[4/5: This is a wide-reaching work of historical fiction that centers women and their often-overlooked work during times of conflict. It is pretty lengthy, but I anticipate it will be a popular book club pick with many things to discuss. :) Fans of historical fiction will savor The Women of Chateau Lafayette, and the characters are so distinct that I suspect even readers that rarely select historical novels will enjoy themselves as well.]

Many thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!

This is an extraordinary story of three women, through the centuries who have kept their home, Chateau Lafayette, and its inhabitants in some of history’s most challenging times. From Adrienne during the French Revolution, to Beatrice during World War I to Marthe during World War II, this book seems incredibly relevant during these dark days when we must all find ways to be brave and strong ourselves. This book made my heart sing