Another great read from Sweasey, again set in Poole and also Normandy. A dual-timeline, I felt invested in both characters as we experience the Second World War Resistance in Normandy, as well as a lost love that is rekindled.

In fact, although I am starting to think the Dorset setting is becoming part of Sweasey’s signature, the majority of the action takes place across the Channel. In present day, Esther is returning to a Normandy village to visit a friend and their family. Within this family, it soon becomes clear that there was a potential relationship between Esther and Jules, except nothing really came from it. Years later, they unexpectedly cross paths again and the couple find themselves drawn to one another, as if time had not passed.

In contrast, Marie-Claire is forced to flee Paris after the Nazi occupation means her family’s life is at risk. However, rather than making it to the Southern coast, she ends up in a small village in Normandy – minus her husband and young son. Very quickly, Marie-Claire becomes a part of the Resistance, except in a way that I had not anticipated. She runs a café and, from listening in to Nazi conversation, passes on any intelligence. Yet, her most significant role was through her recipes and writing, where Marie-Claire would use these to pass on codes that other members of the Resistance would interpret. It was fascinating to read about and made this Second World War book different to others that have focussed on the Resistance.

I enjoyed this book because it felt like it was an exploration of relationships during the war and how everything felt so temporary. This was reflected in present day, where Esther’s new-found relationship with Jules seems just as fragile – obviously for very different reasons. I thought Sweasey’s opening chapters were incredibly heart-wrenching and I admired Marie-Claire’s strength and resilience – something you needed bucket loads of during the war.

Not only this, I don’t think it was very heavy on the historical element. It made for a very enjoyable read and I appreciated the romances woven in the timeframes. Indeed, as the writer provided further clues about Marie-Claire, I was desperate to see how this would be discovered in the present day, especially as she is so tight-lipped about her role during the war.

I was absorbed into this story of love and courage. Despite the time difference, both Esther and Marie-Claire demonstrate these qualities and I loved how the past became embedded in the present. An engaging read that shows strength in the darkest times of humanity.

With thanks to Boldwood books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Sweasey has a lovely style and I enjoyed this story, however her research was a bit lacking. As one reviewer pointed out, the resistance fighters drank coffee all through the war in the book. The war part of the book did feel too easy. The suffering and deprivation of the French people is not really clear, although it was probably not nearly as great in some parts of the country as it was in Paris

The dual timelines involve Marie-Claire, who becomes involved in the resistance after her Jewish husband is shot for carrying Jewish books when they are trying to escape to the South at the beginning of the war, and Esther, who has fallen in love with Marie-Claire’s grandson Jules in the present day. Marie-Claire works for the resistance by hiding messages in recipes and helping to hide injured airmen and Jewish families. Torn between Louis and George, an injured airman, Marie-Claire has to decide whether she can face having another family after losing her husband and son.

Esther’s mother was abandoned by her father so she wonders whether she can trust the handsome Jules, who she has loved all of her life. This part of the story is very sweet and they are both lovely characters. I liked the descriptions of the farm in Normandy and Poole, an unusual setting for a story.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This story is told with dual timelines. I thought the story set in the past was more interesting. It had some heart breaking moments too. It was a good historical fiction book.

The Girl from Normandy is a powerful story of love, friendship, bravery and survival.
The two timelines and the family connections are beautifully woven together.
The historical aspects of the story are informative, well-researched and bring so much relevant depth to the story. And the book cover is truly stunning!

Marie-Claire is my favourite character - despite such heartbreaking loss, she displayed enormous strength; care towards others and achieved so much, through both her French Resistance efforts and her family legacy. I like the way this story really demonstrates the power of teamwork between the French Resistance and the Allies - together they were able to do amazing things. Marie-Claire’s story is proof of why they fought for freedom; for peace, and for the future happiness of later generations.
“Be grateful for the blessings you have today.”

Thank you to Boldwood Books for an advance digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in France during ww2 and also in the present day with a dual PoV this could have been a good historical fiction read. I did find the historical part interesting, set in a town in Normandy. However, the story felt flat and focused too much on the romance side rather than the resistance. I just felt too light and fluffy for a war book, it didn’t go into detail on the horrors people endured during the war. I also found the dual PoV very annoying, switching between the two every other chapter. I did find the ending good and satisfactory.
Probably wouldn’t recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this bok, all opinions expressed are my own.

The Girl From Normandy is a dual time-line story set during WWII in Normandy and the late 1990s in Dorset and France.

In the 1940s we meet Marie-Claire who has become separated from her family as they try to leave Paris for the South of France. To avoid the occupying forces, Marie-Claire heads north and ends up taken in by a group of resistance fighters. She agrees to help this resistance cell and is sent to Sainte-Mère-Église where she works in a café gathering information and helping with "Petite Résistance" to hinder and undermine the occupying forces.

In the 1990s we meet Esther, an Englishwoman, who as a school-girl visited Sainte-Mère-Église on a school exchange. Esther has kept in touch with the family she stayed with and has returned for her penfriend Giselle's baby's christening. Originally, Esther was not able to converse with Giselle's grand-mère, Marie-Claire, but now that she is proficient in French, she is better able to understand the older woman's dialect. A scribbled note unlocks secrets from Marie-Claire's past.

I loved this story. The war years in particular had me gripped. Marie-Claire was exceedingly brave and selfless in her undercover activities. In common with many of her time, Marie-Claire has not divulged the part she played during these dark times to her family, but the note that Esther found in a cookbook encourages Marie-Claire to talk a little about her early life.

I thought the WWII years of The Girl From Normandy were well researched and delivered, and that the plot felt very plausible. This part of the story really tugged on my heartstrings. I felt great sadness at each loss Marie-Claire experienced and hoped against hope that she would find her own happiness.

The Girl From Normandy is a story for lovers of historical fiction, in particular the WWII years, with a strong female lead in Marie-Claire, which takes the reader on an emotional journey, and one that I would whole-heartedly recommend.

A dual time line read set between World War Two and the late 1990’s. The years are seamlessly wound together to create a story of courage, loss, love and resilience. I got totally engrossed in the story, the characters and their lives that I read it in a sitting. A lovely read that pulled on all my emotions. A definite recommendation.

Whilst this is a predictable read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set mainly in Normandy during WW2 and in 1998, it was beautifully written. I’m prone to a good resistance story and this book was definitely one for me.

This is the very moving story of Marie -Claire who is having to leave her home in Paris in 1940 with her husband and 2 year old son as the Germans start to occupy it.Soon she finds herself in the countryside of Normandy and helping the resistance. In 1998 Esther is returning to a Normandy village for a christening that she last visited as a teenager. Secrets start to come to light that intertwine Marie-Claire with the place where Esther is stopping.Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books.

Decent dual-timeline WW2 fiction. Fairly predictable, but still enjoyable.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

A wonderful book by Rachel Sweasey. Set between WW2 and 1999-2000 the storyline follows the life of resistance fighters Marie Claire and Louis-and their families and Esther and Jules in 1999. Whilst there is a lot of jumping time zones it is very easy to follow and some amazing people. Whilst at some points you think you know the direction the author will take you in you are surprised. Thanks to Rachel and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

The girl from Normandy is a heartwrenching and powerful novel that I read in one sitting!

Parts of it did feel rushed and I would have loved more detail - particularly about the work Marie-Claire did for the resistance. However, I loved the dual timelines - the ending had me in tears!!

Overall a great read, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

Paris, 1940: Marie-Claire is married and has a young son and life has become unbearable in the capital since the Germans invaded and they make plans to leave. This unravels at the train station and Marie-Claire is forced to travel to Normandy alone, and stumbles upon a chateau near Caen and joins growing resistance movement.

Marie-Claire is a wonderful cook and later she begins working in a cafe in the small village of Sainte-Mère-Église, here she’s to pay attention to what the Germans movements and what they are talking about and pass it on and as the war drags on Marie-Claire becomes more involved and is prepared to fight.

The story has a dual timeline, it’s told from both Marie-Claire and Esther’s points of view and almost six decades apart and is easy to follow and ties together perfectly.

1998: Esther had a wonderful time staying with the Joubert family as a teen at their farm near Sainte-Mère-Église, drinking hot chocolate and she had a massive crush on Giselle’s older brother Jules. Esther is returning to have a much needed break from work and be her long-time friend Giselle’s second child’s godmother and while visiting she discovers an old cookbook and inside an odd note in the family kitchen. Someone at the farm and possibly members of the family must have been involved in the French resistance during the war, intrigued she looks for more clues and wants to solve the mystery.

I received a copy of The Girl from Normandy from NetGalley and Boldwood Books in exchange for an honest review. The inter-generational narrative covers topics such as the Second World War in France, treatment of Jewish people and how families were torn apart, and many kept what happened to them a secret or was too painful to share?

I liked reading about Esther’s and grand-mères growing relationship, and the unexpected links to Dorset Coast and Poole and the D-Day landing.

Rachel Sweasey's writing quality has improved, and the structure and the flow of her plots, since she wrote her first book The Last Boat Home and five stars from me and I highly recommend The Girl from Normandy.

This is a dual time novel and a sweet story. As far as WWII is concerned, don’t get your hopes up. There is an ugly event at the very beginning of the book. The main character has to flee and runs into all the right people at the right time, who soon feel like family. The subversive activities go very well, all the time. They’re sharing classified information as if they’ve read it in the newspaper. There is little talk about lack of food. They keep drinking coffee throughout the war. Except for the beginning, there seems to be no hardship, which contributes to a lack of authenticity. Character development is minimal. Marie Claire loves to cook. That’s about the only one who feels strongly about anything. The others exist, fall in love, get married, have kids, but there’s not much excitement. The story strolls along. WWII is used to illustrate the story, but it has nothing of the fear and suspense that you'd normally find in a book of this genre. If you’re looking for an easy and sweet beach read, you’ve found it.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions are my own. I was not required to leave a positive review.

My thanks to Net Galley, Boldwood Books, and the personal invitation I received to review this book!

Wow! What a read! I loved this! Two timelines.
1940s. Marie Claire is about to travel with her family and suffers a devastating loss. 1998. Esther returns to visit old friends in Normandy and discovers a connection to Marie Claire thru a cook book. Great read, well constructed story with characters that have depth. Highly recommend.

The Girl From Normandy, by Rachel Sweasey, is a dual timeline story of courage, family, and love during WWII and the generations that follow. Secrets kept from the younger ones are revealed and serve to draw the family closer. From Sainte-Mere-Egilse to London to Paris this story of French resistance works and their families will touch your heart. I was able to read an ARC in #NetGalley.

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.
#TheGirlfromNormandy #NetGalley

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.