How does the journey end? Véronique Clair’s story continues as the Frenchwoman from Burgundy joins two other apprentices on a journey across France to the home of Madame Jeanne du Barry, former mistress to deceased King Louis XV. Motivated by her dream of sewing for the wealthiest women in France, ... more >
In 18th century France, the choices for a young black woman of modest means are slim. Véronique Clair loves her parents and their small home in the countryside of Burgundy but dreams of using her talent for sewing and embroidery to make her own way, without having to rely on ... more >
The remarkable story of the intrepid French archaeologist who led the international effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam, by the New York Times bestselling author of Madame Fourcade’s Secret War In the 1960s, the world’s attention was focused on a nail-biting race against ... more >
A warm and uplifting story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: a landscape, a community and a fragile way of life. A rural idyll: that’s what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in ... more >
In September and October I read (or in one case tried to read) the first three books in Elizabeth O’Roark’s Devils series (book four comes out December 1st). They’d been recommended to me by no less than three people and a couple more friends have recommended them since then. Here ... more >
The fateful days surrounding June 6th, 1944 have been extensively documented in histories of the Second World War, but less attention has been paid to the tremendous impact of these events on the populations nearby. The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy tells the inspiring yet heartbreaking story of ordinary people who ... more >