*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: The Girl From Provence
Author: Helen Fripp
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★
South of
France, 1942. Twenty-one-year-old Lilou is selling lavender
honey in the village square when the Nazis arrive in her beloved Provence. And
when her best friend is dragged away simply for being Jewish, Lilou is
horrified. As the village begins to take sides, Lilou secretly swears through
angry sobs that she’ll sacrifice everything to fight for what’s right.
Drawn in to the French resistance, soon Lilou is smuggling
hidden messages in fresh-baked loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in
remote moonlit fields. She lives in fear that Kristian,
a blue-eyed German soldier, knows about her work – but does he keep her secrets
because he is undercover, too?
Everything changes when Lilou is given her most important
task: to keep a frightened little boy, Eliot, hidden safe in her farmhouse. All
alone in the world, Eliot refuses to speak as he clutches his treasured
children’s book close to his chest. Inside is a beautiful story of stars,
planets and the night sky. But why is this innocent child the one, among
thousands, who Lilou must save?
When she is told Eliot’s book will help her decipher coded
messages, Lilou knows he must have knowledge that could change the course of
the war. But the day Kristian arrives at her farm searching for hidden Jewish
families, Lilou is terrified that Eliot
is in more danger than ever…
Can Lilou trust the one person who could tear her world apart? And will she ever help Eliot find his way home?
The Girl From
Provence is the latest compelling novel from historical fiction author Helen
Fripp. It is the story of Lilou, a young girl who joins the resistance
after her village is overrun by German soldiers and her best friend is arrested.
This was my
first-time reading anything from Helen Fripp but I was instantly hooked by her captivating
writing style. The narrative is well-paced and incredibly gripping. Following Lilou’s
story takes the reader on an emotional journey which is equally as heart-warming as
it is heart-breaking
and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout. The vivid setting descriptions
made the lavender fields of the South of France come alive on the page and I
loved the small village setting.
Readers with an
interest in astronomy will particularly like The Girl From Provence as it plays
a key role in the plot. The story also heavily features the world-renowned
children’s book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and we
have a fictional portrayal of the author as one of the supporting characters.
Lilou was a fantastic
strong female protagonist who was headstrong and had admirable courage and
determination to fight for what was right. I do think she read slightly younger
than 21 at times but if anything, this made her character development from
young farm girl into mature and brave resistance heroine more impactful. There
is a forbidden romance element to the story through Lilou’s growing
feelings for German soldier Kristian. I thought their relationship was very
well written and it quickly became one of my favourite aspects of the story.
Marie-Madeleine
was truly incredible character whose courage and willingness to risk her own
life to fight against the occupying Nazi force was just astonishing. It
was amazing to read in the author’s afterword that she was inspired by the real
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade who ran the Alliance resistance branch in occupied-France,
leading thousands of agents and supporting the work of the British Special
Operations Executive. The fictional portrayal of this incredible woman we see
in The Girl
From Provence was a fantastic tribute and one of the standout aspects of the
book.
Eliot was another
absolutely fantastic character who had me captivated in every scene he was in.
His attitude towards adults had me chuckling throughout the book which was lovely
light relief from the darkness which naturally exists in a book set in Nazi-occupied
Europe.
I would say that there
were a few too many characters for all of them to have been featured in the
depth I was craving. Particularly in the case of some of the resistance, I would
have liked the stories of these characters to have been fleshed out a little
more. I do, however, appreciate that this may have been due to lack of page space.
On top of this, whilst
the epilogue did tie up all loose ends, I did feel like the endings for some of
the characters lacked the depth they deserved. (Spoiler alert) This was particularly
the case for Kristian as, despite him playing such an important role in the
book, his ending was explored very briefly which was a shame. I would have
liked the whole ending of the story to have been given more depth as it felt
rushed in comparison with the rest of the story. For me it was this lack of
depth which moved the book from a 5* to a 4*.
Overall, The Girl
From Provence is a powerful and gripping piece of historical fiction which
is both heart-breaking and heart-warming. Fans of World War Two historical
fiction, in particular female resistance heroines, will love this book.
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