Genevieve Planché wants to be an artist. But in 18th century London, a woman artist can do nothing but paint on silk or "the most seductive of commodities," porcelain. When Genevieve makes a serious social blunder, her grandfather makes arrangements to send her away to a porcelain factory in Devon.
Her encounter with Sir Gabriel Courtenay changes everything. He promises her that if she will help him steal the formula for a new blue color from the porcelain factory, he will help her get to Venice where she can be tutored by real artists and pursue her dream.
Genevieve doesn't want to be a spy but agrees to the arrangement because she is so desperate to get out of this life she is being forced to lead. She has no idea what she is getting herself into.
You wouldn't think the pursuit of a new shade of blue would serve as such compelling reading. But Bilyeau manages to keep the tension mounting and the hopelessness sustained. Genevieve becomes a sympathetic character, mired deeper and deeper in what turns out to be much more than a theft of a formula for blue. And there is a believable romance which complicated the situation even more.
I was enlightened about the politics of the war between France and England (not sure which one--The French & Indian War?), the porcelain industry and its competitive nature, the difficulty in producing the color blue, and the plight of the Huguenot refugees, as Genevieve is one of them. All the while being connected to the characters and drawn into their plight.
I wish there had been a historical note included. I did some research on porcelain and the color blue after I finished The Blue. I wanted to know how much of the history was accurate. UPDATE: The author has informed me that historical notes will be included in the final copy. Yay!
Bilyeau is a given for me. And historical fiction is my fav...so...I was destined to enjoy The Blue. If you are a fan of 18th-century history, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.
Published by Endeavour Quill, December 3, 2018
eARC obtained from the publisher
430 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
I love historical fiction, but I've never heard of this author. This novel sounds very interesting, indeed. I'm adding it to my TBR list on Goodreads. Thanks for the heads-up!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful review
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting! I love it when the historical notes are included at the end, it's such a satisfying way to end a historical novel. I also love when I learn random stuff such as all about the blue dye for porcelain.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I would enjoy this one. The whole time I was reading your review though, I was curious about the spying aspect. Glad you were able to get into this so much 😄
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