Book Description
"There were seconds, when I woke, when the world felt unshrouded. Then memory returned."
When Jessica regains consciousness in a French hospital on the day after the Paris attacks, all she can think of is fleeing the site of the horror she survived. But Patrick, the steadfast friend who hasn’t left her side, urges her to reconsider her decision. Worn down by his insistence, she reluctantly agrees to follow through with the trip they’d planned before the tragedy.
“The pages found you,” Patrick whispered.
“Now you need to figure out what they’re trying to say.”
During a stop at a country flea market, Jessica finds a faded document concealed in an antique. As new friends help her to translate the archaic French, they uncover the story of Adeline Baillard, a young woman who lived centuries before—her faith condemned, her life endangered, her community decimated by the Huguenot persecution.
“I write for our descendants, for those who will not understand the cost of our survival.”
Determined to learn the Baillard family’s fate, Jessica retraces their flight from France to England, spurred on by a need she doesn’t understand.
Could this stranger who lived three hundred years before hold the key to Jessica’s survival?
My Review:
Very powerful novel! Just brilliant! I will admit it though... I cried up a storm about 80 pages in and then cried a few more times before it was done. It was both tragic and beautiful or as Mona would say the good layered over the bad. I did not want to stop reading and when I did I was still thinking it all over. I love how the author expertly wove together two true tragic events in history one back in the 16th or 17th century and one just within the recent few years. This would not be something I would normally read and that just amazed me even more at how much I truly loved how well it was done. I typically don't read many novels that include events from or take place outside of this century, but man was I totally captivated not just by Jessica's current story, but also by Adeline's story from so long ago. There was some adventure and a bit of magical realism that I quite enjoyed and a small amount of romance which always makes any story better to me. My heart broke for Jessica, I loved Mona's outlook on life when she definitely had cause to be a cynic, while Grant's protective nature made me smile. I truly feel like this may have been one of the most touching books that I have read. I highly recommend it!
** I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. **
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