The Women of Chateau Lafayette

January 18, 2021
Three women survive various wars in this ambitious, centuries-spanning outing from Dray (My Dear Hamilton). In 1774, Gilbert du Motier, a marquis, marries Adrienne. A few years later, he travels to America to join the American Revolution and returns to France a hero. But the shifting winds of the French Revolution require sacrifice and bravery from Adrienne, who attempts to find safety in their newly built Château de Chavaniac. In 1914, Beatrice Astor Chanler, a former actor with a mysterious past, hurries to France to visit her estranged, millionaire husband. When WWI breaks out, she narrowly escapes back to the U.S. and starts an aggressive fund-raising effort to support the war. On several subsequent trips to France during the war, she starts a love affair with a French soldier, demands a divorce, and converts Chavaniac into a clinic for children at risk from tuberculosis. Marthe Simone grew up in the chateau as an orphan and teaches there. Following the death of her fiancé in 1942 and attracted to a baron’s daughter, Marthe places herself in grave danger by deciding to forge identity papers to rescue Jews from Nazis. While Dray often rushes into summary of the first two women’s narratives, the high emotions and careful plotting of Marthe’s story compensates. Historical fiction fans will want to take a look. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary.

February 26, 2021

Most castles are defended by heroic men. The remote Ch�teau de Chavaniac, birthplace of the Marquis de Lafayette, is protected by women. Dray (My Dear Hamilton) writes a multigenerational saga of three such defenders. During the widespread discontent and bloodbath of the French Revolution, unbearable decisions face Lafayette's spirited, nobly born wife Adrienne. Amid the devastating carnage of World War I, visionary philanthropist Beatrice Astor Chanler, who determinedly rose from rags to riches, uses her wealth and influence to ease the plight of French soldiers and creates an orphanage. During World War II, Marthe, a teacher and sculptor who grew up in the chateau, bravely applies her art to saving Jewish children in Nazi-occupied France. Chavaniac, symbol of steadfastness, with its hidden tunnels, is a dramatic stage for resistance. Defiant, each of these inspiring women shelters children and changes the political landscape using resources unique to her. Love, strength, and wrenching loss spur each woman to examine what she can do in the face of horrible events. This book establishes a subdued, steady tension that never releases its grip. VERDICT Dray uses lavish historical detail in this extensively researched, sweeping novel. Recommended for fans of Edward Carey's Little and the works of Michelle Moran.--Gloria Drake, Oswego P.L. Dist., IL

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Starred review from February 1, 2021
For Adrienne Lafayette, her marriage to the handsome and daring Marquis de Lafayette is a happy one. His ancestral home, Chateau Lafayette, becomes a haven for her and their growing family as Lafayette's star rises and falls and eighteenth-century French politics becomes more chaotic. For Beatrice Chanler, Chateau Lafayette is a place for her to continue the good work she started with her charity to help soldiers during WWI, and a chance to show that she is more than a former actress and society wife. For Marthe Simone, Chateau Lafayette has always been her home. An orphan who was raised at the castle, Marthe has dreamed for years of leaving. But when Nazis arrive, all Marthe wants to do is stay and resist. Although divided by centuries, the women of Chateau Lafayette are united in their determination to make a better life for themselves and for others. Each of these three strong women's stories is unique, blending historical facts with expert storytelling. Dray (My Dear Hamilton, with Laura Kamoie, 2018) has written a book that is highly recommended, sure to appeal to fans of women's fiction, WWII-era historical fiction, and the musical Hamilton.

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