Book Review: The French House

Author: Jacquie Bloese Genre: Historical Fiction | Romance Price: £8.99

Published: April 2022 by Hodder & Stoughton Review by: Keith Le Page

I don’t read many romantic novels, but having been given The French House by my daughter, I felt obliged to read it. And I’m glad I did.

The French House is set in Guernsey during the Occupation, and the French house of the novel’s title is Hauteville House which figures prominently in the action. The main character, Émile, is profoundly deaf after an accident, and does not know how his life, and that of his family, will change following the arrival of the German forces. Before his accident he was a skilled accordion player, and his daughter Maud inherited his talent.

A German officer, Leutnant Shreiber, is billeted with a Guernsey family. He is the quietest and most considerate of ‘guests’ and spends much of his time reading English novels. He studied in Oxford and worked in London. How do his hosts, Isabelle and Ron, deal with this man?

The lives of the different families and that of Leutnant Shreiber collide, and loyalties are blurred with potentially deadly consequences.

This is a book that, once started, you won’t want to put down. It’s an absorbing read, made even more interesting because of its Guernsey setting. The author, Jacquie Bloese, grew up in Guernsey and followed a career in educational publishing that took her all over the world. This is her first novel, first published in 2022, and it was chosen by Richard and Judy of TV fame as their Book Club Pick for Winter 2022. I can understand why they made this their choice.