Chevalier always amazed me with her details in cities, buildings, and every history related matters when building her stories. The Virgin Blue (VB) was the second Chevalier’s writing that I’ve read after The Girl with a Pearl Earring (GPE). Before VB, I’ve seen Falling Angels’ Indonesian edition, already borrowed it but don’t know when will it get its chance (glancing hopelessly to Paulo Coelho’s, Banana Yoshi-moto’s, and Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis 2 on my bed.)
Anyway… must comment on VB’s cover. On the back cover, it was said “Cover shows a detail from Portrait of Mademoiselle Alice Guerin by Paul Cesar Helleu (1859-1927). Musee Bonnat, Bayonne, France.” I must say Chevalier and her team’s choice on paintings for her books’ cover was outstanding, the blue eyes and red hair on VB was beautiful. This actually pops up a question in my head, did Chevalier saw all of the portraits before writing her novels or was it the other way around? The portraits endorsed her imaginations to write?
The Virgin Blue took 16th century Europe Protestant Reformation as the background. Unlike GPE, the story was presented from two women’s point of view. Isabelle du Moulin, later became Isabelle Tournier, who lived in the 16th century; and Ella Turner an American who tried to know more about her Tournier ancestry four hundred years later. The virgin blue connected them: Isabelle was fascinated by it, while the color disturbed Ella in her dreams. The amazing part was, even though Chevalier didn’t put extra pages to write what year was the story on each chapter took place like in GPE, ever since the first page, I knew that she’s telling two stories with two point of views, in two different time periods. We can felt the difference of culture, language and the society’s characters that enveloped these two women in the sentences of every chapter.
Isabelle was known as La Rousse because of her red hair. She was shunned and tormented in her village because of this physical trait; people associated her with witchcraft and condemned her because the red hair reminded them to the Virgin Mary, while the village believed that the Virgin was barring their way to the Truth--following John Calvin who was one of the Martin Luther’s associates. Isabelle’s heart was with the Virgin but she had to conceal this, because she felt that she couldn’t bear any other “guilt” that was already threatening her. Later she married Etienne Tournier, not because of love, but because she carried his child, and began her life as a member of family that hold prejudices upon her until the end.
Ella Turner came to Lisle-sur-Tarn, a small French town, with her husband Rick. She tried hard to fit-in in her new house: changing her name back to Tournier and polishing her French. But she was still left disappointed, isolated and lonely. When she decided to investigate her ancestry, she met Jean-Paul, a French librarian, and unexpectedly drawn to him. I love the way Chevalier compared the two men in Ella’s life. Rick was described to be so Californian, with blond ponytail, skins tan, and always a positive attitude. Jean-Paul was the opposite pole, with sardonic smiles and sharp brown eyes; he always ready to bring up the pessimistic side of Ella’s opinions.
I have to admit, the first chapters was a bit slow. If you expected fast-pace-full-of-actions kind of book, you will be very disappointed. I would recommend you to take it easy and enjoy the journey in every French town Chevalier took us, grinning and smiling on Ella Turner’s comments on the French “hospitality”. Only then, will she took you by surprise with the revealing of secrets that will fast drove you all the way until the last page.
The downside was, after all the long journey of implicit signs and subtle feelings; I was kind of expecting a more Hollywood’s ending (you know, the hug, the kiss, the “I love you so I’ll stay” and all that crappy yet satisfying to look at—or in this case, to read—stuffs). This, of course, was my very own mistake. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to read a different point of view on the Europe Protestant Reformation after seeing the movie: Luther (played by Joseph Fiennes). Chevalier stays to be one of my favorite historical novel’s writers.
Anyway… must comment on VB’s cover. On the back cover, it was said “Cover shows a detail from Portrait of Mademoiselle Alice Guerin by Paul Cesar Helleu (1859-1927). Musee Bonnat, Bayonne, France.” I must say Chevalier and her team’s choice on paintings for her books’ cover was outstanding, the blue eyes and red hair on VB was beautiful. This actually pops up a question in my head, did Chevalier saw all of the portraits before writing her novels or was it the other way around? The portraits endorsed her imaginations to write?
The Virgin Blue took 16th century Europe Protestant Reformation as the background. Unlike GPE, the story was presented from two women’s point of view. Isabelle du Moulin, later became Isabelle Tournier, who lived in the 16th century; and Ella Turner an American who tried to know more about her Tournier ancestry four hundred years later. The virgin blue connected them: Isabelle was fascinated by it, while the color disturbed Ella in her dreams. The amazing part was, even though Chevalier didn’t put extra pages to write what year was the story on each chapter took place like in GPE, ever since the first page, I knew that she’s telling two stories with two point of views, in two different time periods. We can felt the difference of culture, language and the society’s characters that enveloped these two women in the sentences of every chapter.
Isabelle was known as La Rousse because of her red hair. She was shunned and tormented in her village because of this physical trait; people associated her with witchcraft and condemned her because the red hair reminded them to the Virgin Mary, while the village believed that the Virgin was barring their way to the Truth--following John Calvin who was one of the Martin Luther’s associates. Isabelle’s heart was with the Virgin but she had to conceal this, because she felt that she couldn’t bear any other “guilt” that was already threatening her. Later she married Etienne Tournier, not because of love, but because she carried his child, and began her life as a member of family that hold prejudices upon her until the end.
Ella Turner came to Lisle-sur-Tarn, a small French town, with her husband Rick. She tried hard to fit-in in her new house: changing her name back to Tournier and polishing her French. But she was still left disappointed, isolated and lonely. When she decided to investigate her ancestry, she met Jean-Paul, a French librarian, and unexpectedly drawn to him. I love the way Chevalier compared the two men in Ella’s life. Rick was described to be so Californian, with blond ponytail, skins tan, and always a positive attitude. Jean-Paul was the opposite pole, with sardonic smiles and sharp brown eyes; he always ready to bring up the pessimistic side of Ella’s opinions.
I have to admit, the first chapters was a bit slow. If you expected fast-pace-full-of-actions kind of book, you will be very disappointed. I would recommend you to take it easy and enjoy the journey in every French town Chevalier took us, grinning and smiling on Ella Turner’s comments on the French “hospitality”. Only then, will she took you by surprise with the revealing of secrets that will fast drove you all the way until the last page.
The downside was, after all the long journey of implicit signs and subtle feelings; I was kind of expecting a more Hollywood’s ending (you know, the hug, the kiss, the “I love you so I’ll stay” and all that crappy yet satisfying to look at—or in this case, to read—stuffs). This, of course, was my very own mistake. Nevertheless, it was refreshing to read a different point of view on the Europe Protestant Reformation after seeing the movie: Luther (played by Joseph Fiennes). Chevalier stays to be one of my favorite historical novel’s writers.
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