The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau

 

 

 

I always like to point out to readers those books that hit all the right notes for me. Especially when it is an indie-author or from a small/independent publisher which is the case with The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau. The alluring thing for me about this lovely historical fiction is all the factual tidbits of 18^th century life and the production of porcelain in that era. This is the perfect example of why Historical Fiction is among my favorite genres.

Genevieve Planche is a young British women who lives with her grandfather, a well-known artist, in London. Her family are Huguenots and refugees, having fled France for England in the wake of religious persecution. Since she was born in England she has no particular loyalty to the French crown and Louis XV. A good thing, since England is now at war with France.

Despite being at war, the English still crave some French goods, such as the famous porcelain pieces produced by Sevres the French manufacturer preferred by Madame de Pompadour chief mistress to Louis XV. Genevieve finds herself drawn into the world of porcelain when her family arranges for her to become a painter at the English porcelain factory of Derby. What she really craves is to study painting under one of the great masters of her time. This is not an option for her because painting is not considered proper for a young lady.

Genevieve chafes at the constraints that society has placed upon her. She even goes so far as to attend a party giving by an English artist, who her grandfather knows, in hopes of persuading him to become her teacher. Of course, she utterly fails. Though she does meet Sir Gabriel Courtenay who later calls on her as her grandfather’s home. He manages to enlist her help as a spy. He desperately needs the formula for the new blue color that Derby is reported to have developed. In exchange, he has promised her what she wants the most, to study under a painter. She agrees to spy and only has a few short weeks to find the formula. Yet, spying is a dangerous business and spies are hanged.

As I already stated, I love Historical Fiction because I always learn some little tidbits. In this instance, I learned a lot of tidbits. The author has out done herself with researching the period and the subject of porcelain. She actually peaked my interest and I had to do some further reading about porcelain, particularly Derby and Sevres.

I also loved the complexity of the main character Genevieve. She is intelligent, a gifted artist and somewhat self-centered person who struggles with her sense of duty to family and friends. Most importantly she is a strong young woman. Imagine going off to live and work were you do not know anyone and you are 4 days away, by carriage, from any family. She also has her flaws, she can be reckless and fails to see the consequences of her actions until it is far too late.

I thought the pace of the plot was good and there were some interesting things that happened that encouraged me to keep reading. The author did an excellent job of marrying fact and fiction.  It gave the story a boost and complemented the prose.

In short, this was an excellently crafted story that any Historical Fiction fan will be sure to enjoy. Be sure to mark it as “Read Soon” on your TBR list.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.