The Lavender House in Meuse

The last day of August.  The month just flew by at an astonishing speed.  We received the oddest call today from my parents doctor. They have been seeing him for over twenty years and the yearly physical is in three weeks (was in three weeks). We have to schedule appointments a year in advance to get in to see him.  Now they called to cancel saying he was going to be out of the country swimming the English Channel (I wish him luck)!  I still think we heard wrong.  Then something about doctor's leaving the practice and they will put them on the waiting list.  Am I the only one who thinks this is odd? They do not wish to change doctors and I do not blame them since they have been with him for such a long time.  

The Lavender House in Meuse by Gail Noble Sanderson is an historical novel that takes place in France.  Marie Chagall has been raised by her sister, Solange in Marseilles, France.  As Marie grows older she gets more restless.  When war breaks out, Marie wants to be more useful.  She is excited when people are asked to be trained as volunteer nurses (they have to pay for their own training and they never get paid).  Marie goes off for training in Paris and eventually ends up in a field hospital outside Verdun.  One day Marie wakes up injured.  It takes her a long time to heal and recover.  She then decides to go home to her family.  Once Marie arrives home she falls in melancholy (does nothing).  When Solange and her father decide it is time to travel, Marie must make a decision. Does she want to travel with them or go to the house her mother left her in Meuse?  Marie ends up in Meuse and embarks on new experiences (when she is forced to).  Her father has her change her name to Marie Durant and provides her with new documents (I believe it was supposed to have insight on what was going to happen to Jews in the future).

The Lavender House in Meuse reads like a biography.  It tells the story of Marie’s life (mostly a boring life).  I did not enjoy reading this book.  If I had lived during that time and wrote a journal, I think it would be like this book.  Marie’s life was dull (they did not devote much time to her nursing during the war) and I quickly got tired of her depressing thoughts (she lapsed into depression or melancholy frequently when she was not busy).  The characters have no depth to them.  This book just feel short of the mark.  I give The Lavender House in Meuse 2 out of 5 stars.  The publisher states the book will be available for sale in October 2015.  I could not find the book listed on any book sites (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, BAM).  The book is listed on Goodreads.   I will let you know when I have more information.

I received a complimentary copy of The Lavender House in Meuse from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  The review and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my review.  I am currently reading A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. Have a great afternoon and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader