The Women of Chateau Lafayette
The USA Today Bestseller! Recommended by Oprah Magazine ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Parade ∙ and more! An epic saga from New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray based on the true story of an extraordinary castle in the heart of France and the remarkable women bound by its legacy. Most castles are protected by men. This one by women.
A founding mother...
1774. Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette's political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear, Adrienne must renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
A daring visionary...
1914. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing--not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France firsthand, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime: convincing America to fight for what's right.
A reluctant resistor...
1940. French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan's self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become. Intricately woven and powerfully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we take from those who came before us.
A founding mother...
1774. Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband, the Marquis de Lafayette's political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear, Adrienne must renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come.
A daring visionary...
1914. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing--not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France firsthand, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime: convincing America to fight for what's right.
A reluctant resistor...
1940. French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan's self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become. Intricately woven and powerfully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we take from those who came before us.
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Community Reviews
In her author's note and throughout the book, Dray talks about the "Spirit of Lafayette," which, even as an American history major, I'm ashamed to know I knew very little about until reading this book. Now, I know a lot more, and am inspired to continue my learning with non-fiction (to me, this is a mark of good historical fiction). Dray's research is exacting, but she avoids the well-researched novelist's abyss of needing to share everything she's learned. Instead, this is a deep and rich portrait of three women, each of whom embody the "Spirit of Lafayette" throughout three different wars.
Dray bit off a lot with this book, which weaves together three separate stories, that of Adrienne de Lafeyette during the American and French Revolutions, Beatrice Chanler during WWI, and the fictional Marthe Simone during WWII. Each could have sustained a story on their own. And it might have been less confusing if Dray had made this into a trilogy, rather than a single, interweaving story. In fact, my only teeny complaint about this book is that I sometimes forgot which war we were in. (My actual thoughts several times during the book: "You can't go to Paris now, the Nazis will get you! Oh wait, this is WWI...") I can only imagine that people who lived through both wars might have felt the same way. But I understand that each story gained power from being told alongside the others.
To say that this book moves slowly doesn't do it justice. Think of it like a lazy, meandering river. It'll take you a long time to get from one end to the other, but the journey is more than worth it.
Dray bit off a lot with this book, which weaves together three separate stories, that of Adrienne de Lafeyette during the American and French Revolutions, Beatrice Chanler during WWI, and the fictional Marthe Simone during WWII. Each could have sustained a story on their own. And it might have been less confusing if Dray had made this into a trilogy, rather than a single, interweaving story. In fact, my only teeny complaint about this book is that I sometimes forgot which war we were in. (My actual thoughts several times during the book: "You can't go to Paris now, the Nazis will get you! Oh wait, this is WWI...") I can only imagine that people who lived through both wars might have felt the same way. But I understand that each story gained power from being told alongside the others.
To say that this book moves slowly doesn't do it justice. Think of it like a lazy, meandering river. It'll take you a long time to get from one end to the other, but the journey is more than worth it.
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