The French House cover art

The French House

The captivating and heartbreaking wartime love story and Richard & Judy Book Club pick

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The French House

By: Jacquie Bloese
Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
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About this listen

 Freedom worth fighting for. Love worth waiting for.

In Nazi-occupied Guernsey, the consequences of making the wrong decision can be deadly...

Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.

Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more.

Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires.

As their paths entwine, loyalties are blurred and dangerous secrets forged. But on an island under occupation, courage can have deadly consequences...

Lyrical, moving and compelling, this is a novel about wanting to hear and learning to listen - to the truths of our own hearts.

(P) 2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2022 Jacquie Bloese 20th Century Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Heartfelt

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Critic reviews

A brilliantly moving historical novel
A raw and honest love story, filled with a wealth of historical detail. The French House is a powerful depiction of the brutal intricacies of island relationships and loyalties in a time of war (FIONA VALPY, bestselling author of THE DRESSMAKER'S SECRET)
Deeply involving . . . A fantastic debut by a gifted storyteller (JILL MANSELL, Sunday Times bestselling author)
A story of fraught secrets and tested loyalties . . . I found this beautifully told tale hard to put down (ANITA FRANK, author of The Return)
Heart-wrenching . . . A truly special novel (LOUISE FEIN, author of People Like Us)
A vividly written, refreshingly different World War Two love story, with a central character I adored. Just brilliant! (GILL PAUL, author of The Collector's Daughter)
A wonderful story, powerfully written with beautiful characters (JAMES KENT, director of Testament of Youth)
In the way that the astonishing All the Light we Cannot See takes you into the world of a young blind girl during the occupation of France, so we are transported into the experiences of profoundly deaf Emile, during the occupation of Guernsey. The writing is lyrical, melancholy and breathtaking. Life under the Nazi jackboot is subtly explored, but the blistering love story between Emile and Isabelle leaves a longer lasting impression. Beautiful, utterly absorbing and memorable. (Kate Thompson, author of THE LITTLE WARTIME LIBRARY)
I was gripped from the start by the characters and the setting. A wonderful read (Ruth Druart, author of WHILE PARIS SLEPT)
All stars
Most relevant
This book will stay with me for a long time. Beautifully written and so very poignant. Candida Gubbins was fabulous as the narrator and I found myself getting lost in this gripping story and all the characters involved.

Absolutely wonderful escapism

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I got to chapter 13 and gave up. The narrator seems to have a blocked nose which I found so distracting. Maybe she had a cold but it really bothered me. The story was dull. Didn’t go anywhere. I’m sad to say I gave up.

Gave up

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I struggled with this story I couldn’t engage with the characters and found it slightly dark and miserable with no light Narration was average

Mediocre romance

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