Viviane de Faitaud has grown up alone at the Chateau de Belisama-sur-le-Lac in Brittany, for her father, the Marquis de Ravoisier, lives at the court of Louis XVI in Versailles. After a hailstorm destroys the chateau's orchards, gardens and fields an ambitious young Welshman, David Stronach, accepts the commission to plan the chateau's new gardens in the hope of making his name as a landscape designer...
And, as we might expect, they fall in love, but her father has other ideas... I’ve copied some of the cover blurb here, but it is heavy on spoilers, never a good idea. However, this is about my only issue with the book.
Th novel features not only the French Revolution but a voyage to China, in which David, looking for samples for the Kew Botanical Garden on behalf of Sir Joseph Banks, also searches for a very special red rose to take back for Viviane’s gardens.
Back in France, Viviane, in Paris, has to fight to survive the Reign of Terror, abandoned by her truly dreadful father.
I hadn’t known about the British voyage to China at this time - or that David Stronach was a real person who went on that voyage on behalf of Joseph Banks, although I can only assume we don’t know much about him, making it possible for the author to connect him romantically with the fictional Viviane.
Kate Forsyth has shown she can do a fine job of both historical fantasy and straight historical fiction. I’d consider this as the latter - it doesn’t even have the fairytale theme of her previous novel The Beast’s Garden, although there are two very small fantastical elements, one near the beginning, one near the end. And Viviane insists firmly that she is descended from the Lady of the Lake. Brittany is certainly the scene of many Arthurian tales.
A very readable novel, well worth checking out, even if you prefer fantasy to historical fiction.
It is available from the usual outlets. If you want it in ebook, that is also easily available from all the usual outlets. Enjoy!
8 comments:
Hi Sue - as you say it does sound like a very good read - love the cover and the story line ... even as fiction - it'd enhance our knowledge of various areas of life ... cheers Hilary
It is interesting that a book like this is based on real historical characters. The history of botany is actually very interesting. It is neat to write a book around it.
Hi Hilary! Yes, that’s a gorgeous cover, isn’t it? And this author does her research very thoroughly and when she plays with history she tells you.
Hi Brian! There have been a number of books around the history of botany, and this one is particularly interesting. Did you know that the Chinese guarded their tea plants very carefully? And one of the things the English wanted was to sneak some plants out. It’s amazing to think that things we take for granted now, such as tea and various flowers, were once very expensive and jealously guarded. It does make for great fiction!
I prefer historical fiction in every case. But combining the French Revolution with a voyage to China (looking for samples for the Kew Botanical Garden on behalf of Sir Joseph Banks) sounds like fantasy. What an amazing era!
It was quite an era, with so much happening! And it’s interesting to think that you could be on your voyage for months while all that drama was going on elsewhere...
Kate recently went with her daughter to England, which was in part a research tour. I wonder what she's writing next?!
I’m sure she will announce it on Twitter soon enough. She doesn’t keep it secret! :-) When she does, I’ll post about it here.
Meanwhile, this weekend she is doing panels at the historical novelist conference in Sydney...
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