The Girl from Normandy is a historical fiction featuring a dual timeline, set in France during WW2 and in the late 1990s. It tells an emotional story of resilience and strong women. Rachel Sweasey has written a page turning novel. The inclusion of the cookbook joining the family together was a thoughtful addition, and the ending a surprise. 4 stars
I would like to thank the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my free copy of this novel, in exchange for my honest review.
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In a well-researched historic fiction, The Girl from Normandy from Rachel Sweasey takes a step back to a time when the world was a dark place, evil roamed throughout Europe in the form of Nazism and to be of the Jewish faith was a death sentence.
Marie-Claire and Benjamin Debois have just become parents welcoming their son Antoine into the world on the eve of Kristallnacht. They were concerned as Benjamin was of Jewish decent but hoped they would be all right.
1940 saw the German army invade and win Paris beginning their steady but systematic search for anyone of the Jewish faith, no matter how small. Deciding now was the time to leave Paris; they arrive at the station only to find the Germans there checking and rechecking everyone’s documents.
In a fleeting moment Benjamin is shot and killed by a German soldier, baby Antoine passed through a window to friends on the departing train and Marie-Claire left a widow. As she flees Paris to try and follow her son, she is caught up in an incident which will change her life forever as she learns to fight back and make a difference.
1998 sees Esther deciding to return to France, a place she loves and learned to love as a young teenager on a school trip. While there she met Joules Joubert, handsome, charming, the brother of Giselle her penfriend and fell instantly in love.
Returning to Normandy for the christening of Giselle’s second child they meet up once again and hope that what they had young teens has stood the test of time.
As both stories slowly come together Marie Claire, the grandmother of Giselle and Joules begins to slowly tell her family about the War years in Normandy and a little about the role she once played. A chance conversation with an old friend of Esther’s in Poole also helps the pages of time to a heartwarming conclusion.
Well written and constructed Rachel Sweasey brings to life the dangerous days of the French Resistance, the bravery of the people who fought and died and the life-changing circumstances face by many throughout Europe and Britain during World War 2.

This was a new author to me and sadly the book fell a little flat.

It was so slow and so predictable. There was little drama and tension - it almost felt like a dry recollection of a series of events that happened in WW2.than a book about the Resistance.

At first I thought the idea of each chapter - one from the 1940’s and one from the 1990s seemed like a good idea. But, for me, it didn’t work. One chapter would finish on a slight cliff hanger then you would be back with the other main character. But feeling slightly cheated that you had to wait to find out what happened.

For me the storyline was very contrived - the ‘George’ bit didn’t work for me - it was merely a coincidence of name after all and George was a popular name in the 1940’s. The contemporary romance didn’t seem real to me either.

Normally I would commend an author for their research but in this case there were a few factual things that weren’t right for me.
I wanted to like this book - I normally do like WW2 historical fiction but this didn’t work for me.

The Girl From Normandy is a dual timeline story told in two voices - Marie-Claire in Paris during the WWII time period and Esther in 1998 in the UK and France. Marie-Claire and her husband and son are in the process of fleeing occupied Paris to stay with family along the coast when the unthinkable happens - Nazis kill her husband and Marie-Claire becomes separated from her son, who was with friends on the train they were supposed to take together. After learning that the train was bombed and her son is also dead, she finds purpose in her life without her family by working with the French Resistance. In the other timeline, Esther visits her dear friend Giselle who lives in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France, and reconnects with Giselle's brother Jules, who had broken her heart years before. It took me a while to figure out how the two timelines connected but once they did, the story really took off. No spoilers - but I will say that it gave me the happy ending I love so much. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this book had me in all the feels. the rawness i felt in parts. the love. the grief and oh so much more was so deep for me that i did feel a little emotional at times. this book is packed with heart and packed with moments that your heart will break for the characters. you can truly feel what these people went through back then. i am never not in awe or almost fear over what lots of people went through, never mind those that were actively doing more than we could ever imagine for the saviour of our countries. i cant fathom it. i dont know what strength and bravery you must have had to just sit at home and wait in those times, never mind go out and do work that there is far more at risk than their lives!
the seamless dual timeline in this was brilliantly done. and i wanted to know more from both. nothing overshadowed the other and you were just as compelled to know both our timeline characters stories as the other.
this book takes us into Marie-Claire's story and the huge raw loss after she sees her husband and son for the last time. this leads her to run away from the enemy in her home of Paris. she travels far into the Normandy countryside. but she wasnt expecting to find refuge in what comes next. refuge which is right in the middle of the resistance going on behind the walls of the Chateaux she lands at. from there she starts work at a little cafe. she has to hold her head up high and be extra brave now as she learns and listens to the enemy's secrets.
i was in awe of her i truly was. her courage to carry on almost fuelled by her grief was something that touched me deeply.

our next timelines take us to much later in the 90s. Esther returns to a place she visited long ago. she returns to the house from her teenage years and the family that she spent that time with.
but whilst there Esther finds and old cookbook. inside the pages are so much more than recipes. and it leads to her unveiling so many secrets from the past. so much more happened at this old farmhouse than anyone could imagine or have known.i almost gasped alongside her as she revealed the secrets of the past.
i really enjoyed how the cookbook linked the two timelines and thought it was so cleverly done. even i could see the coding that could be written inside and was again in awe of the clever clever people we had on our side.

i dont think my review could do this book justice. not the brilliance of the plot, not the brilliance of the characters or the brilliance of just how it made me feel. made me feel so much. these stories are so vital. we must never stop telling them. even in fiction there is so much important truths to them.

A big thank you to NetGallery for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this intriguing historical fiction novel.

I absolutely loved this book! Set over several time lines and in some of my favorite locations - Paris, Sainte - Mere -Eglise, Normandy, Paris and London. I now want to travel to the south of France.

A young woman from Paris loses both her husband and son in a series of terrible events on the same day. Marie-Claire, in her grief, finds a group of Nazi resistors and goes on to join them. The dual timeline is also of Marie-Claire now an old great grandmother and her extended family and their connections to her past.

Thank you, thank you again!! Ironically I read this during the preparations of the Normandy invasion 80 years ago.

3 Stars
One Liner: Interesting premise!

1940
Marie-Claire steps into the Gare de Lyon to flee Paris, knowing it will be the last time she will see her husband and son. She moves to Normandy and starts working in a café in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église. She may think she lost it all, but her presence in the region could change the future.
1998
Esther returns to Normandy, a place she loved in her teens. It was where she fell in love with a rustic farmhouse and the family that lived there, especially the elder son, Jules Joubert. Now, back there, Esther discovers a cookbook that reveals many secrets about the place.
The story comes in the third-person POVs of Esther, Marie-Claire, and a couple of other characters.

My Thoughts:
It has been a long time since I read WWII fiction, that too with the popular dual timeline setting. This one sounded good as I could explore another region of France, Normandy.
The premise is solid. There’s no denying that. The alternating chapters for each track also work well to bring some suspense and keep the reader hooked.
However, both timelines have so much going on that neither gets a chance to be fully explored. Everything happens in 4x speed; one event after another.
Though you’ll want to slow down and feel the emotions, the narration (which is mostly ‘telling’) doesn’t give you that chance. We see how the Nazis were, what they did, et al. However, we cannot fully experience what the characters are going through.
The setting is, of course, lovely. I did enjoy the glimpses into the places mentioned. Some of the events in the book are based on real ones. That’s a bonus.
A couple of developments were weird, like an awkward kind of weird. I couldn’t really understand the reasons, TBH. That said, the book ends on a happy/ hopeful note, which I appreciate.

To summarize, The Girl from Normandy is a decent read if you want a lighter version of WWII fiction. I finished it sooner than expected, so no complaints.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is a dual timeline book that fails to deliver for both. The present day story is dull and quiet frankly, clunky in execution. The conflict within the romance felt pointless. Within the WWII story, the action seemed glossed over and there was never any tension built that emphasized the danger they faced. And the George portion and the subsequent "reveal" felt contrived.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an absorbing well constructed novel. There was a dual timeline flitting between wartime in Normandy and a modern romance set in Dorset and France. While the romance was easy to predict, the plot was cleverly constructed an£ had a couple of surprises at the end without recourse to startling coincidences. The lead character connecting the two eras, Marie Claire was great, enduring personal tragedy and making the mos5 of her talent and bravery. It was interesting that one character found it hard to commit herself to a relationship because her father had left the family while sh3 2as a young girl. Overall a really enjoyable read.

This was absorbing historical fiction. From the start, Marie- Claire's life is turned upside down when her husband is shot by Nazis and her infant son is on a train south without her. Subsequently, hearing that that train was bombed, she starts life afresh and joins the Resistance. Present day Esther has a French friend, whose farm she stayed at as a 16 year old, still has a firm place in her heart. The dual times work together for a very heartwarming ending. I find stories of the Resistance moving, for their courage to fight for the things that we all hold dear; family, freedom and love, especially in such hard times. I enjoyed the range of characters and the qualities they brought to the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

a dual timeline set in Normandy France during WW2, tells the story of Marie-Claire during WW2 and Ester in present day and how their lives intertwined.

What a page turner! I didn’t want this one to end.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey is a powerful dual timeline that enthralled me from the start.
The novel is set during World War II in France, and also in 1998 in Poole and France. We see the intertwining lives that have come down the ages.
Fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris, the lead character suffers an unthinkable tragedy. She is made of strong stuff and uses the pain to propel her into working for the Resistance. We see the bravery and daring that was needed as well as the ability to hide her true thoughts as smiles whilst listening to Nazi secrets.
The Resistance was vital to the war machine. Everyone had a unique role to play. Without the Resistance, there would have been no D-Day.
In present day a grandmother’s family do not realise all that she went through. She is the matriarch of the family. Her strength is built on her sadness.
There are parallels between 1998 and the war years in the lives of the two lead characters. Both are fiercely independent and both fall deeply in love.
The ugliness of war contrasts with the beautiful French countryside. It seems incredible that beauty and ugliness exist side by side.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl From Normandy. It entertained me from the start. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

What a fabulous book! The story captured me and kept me interested right up to the last page. Great characters and a moving plot equals a wonderful story. Highly recommend.

An engaging historical fiction dual time line that is set between WWII and the late 1990s.
We are introduced to Marie Claire as her, part Jewish, husband and young child are fleeing Paris to the safety of South France where Marie-Claire has relatives. Tragedy strikes and Marie-Claire is left in grief. She is saved by a resistance cell and takes on a new role in her life as the cafe owner in a small French village Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. She undertakes resistance work with the cell and falls in love with Louis Joubert.
It is 1988 and Esther who lives in Poole in England has a strong connection to the village of Sainte-Mère-Église. She stayed with the Joubert family on a French school exchange. She has remained in contact with the family and returns for a holiday and reconnects with Jules Joubert the son of the farming family.
There is a cookbook of Marie-Claire’s that connects the two time periods. This is an emotional read as Marie-Claire suffers such tragedy and grief at a young age but she shows such strength as did many of those working in the resistance.

Another great book by the author set in a dual aspect time, part present day and part WW2 France. Featuring the story of Esther and Marie- Claire. Some shocking WW2 scenes, but full of bravery and love. A good holiday read.

Another dual time line story set During WWII and the present. A young couple with a child trying to escape Paris during the roundup of the Jewish population and a woman returning to France to reunite with friends in the present are connected by a cookbook with recipes that the latter has found. I found the story in the past was much more interesting, the underground resistance, the strenght of the people, etc. The present day storyline was alright, but not as intriguing as the other. I would recommend it to historical fiction readers. A quick read for me.

A really good historical read. Marie-Claire gets left behind in Paris after her Jewish husband gets attacked at the station where they are trying to leave with their young son,trying to escape she meets Jean Babtiste and she finds herself working in a kitchen while helping an underground movement. Told in two timelines that work perfectly together it's a story of love,loss and courage and when it all comes together its beautiful and Marie-Claire who had an amazing life finally gets to tell her family all that happened and what she had to overcome to survive.. I really enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this dual timeline book. The main charcters were very interesting. And the story was heartwrenching , but maybe a little but too predictable at times. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

This story has a dual time line, WWII and the present. It is the story of a family enduring hardships and the future that they hope for. The characters are compelling. I
did foresee a couple of surprises at the end of the story but it was still a compelling read. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.