#BookReview – The Blue by Nancy Bilyeau #TheBlue #ThePigeonhole

Goodreads blurb: “In eighteenth century London, porcelain is the most seductive of commodities; fortunes are made and lost upon it. Kings do battle with knights and knaves for possession of the finest pieces and the secrets of their manufacture.
For Genevieve Planché, an English-born descendant of Huguenot refugees, porcelain holds far less allure; she wants to be an artist, a painter of international repute, but nobody takes the idea of a female artist seriously in London. If only she could reach Venice.
When Genevieve meets the charming Sir Gabriel Courtenay, he offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse; if she learns the secrets of porcelain, he will send her to Venice. But in particular, she must learn the secrets of the colour blue…
The ensuing events take Genevieve deep into England’s emerging industrial heartlands, where not only does she learn about porcelain, but also about the art of industrial espionage.
With the heart and spirit of her Huguenot ancestors, Genevieve faces her challenges head on, but how much is she willing to suffer in pursuit and protection of the colour blue?”

My Review

I read this book through The Pigeonhole, a free online book club and read it with other readers on the web. It was split into 10 parts, called staves, that I read through the nifty Pigeonhole app.

I must admit I was first drawn to this book because of the stunning cover, plus I read the author’s debut The Crown many years ago, so had high hopes for this book. I read this on The Pigeonhole a bit differently this time, instead of reading a stave each day I read the whole book over 24 hours, it was that good!

I loved the main character Genevieve, she was a feisty young woman, so well written I got behind her straight away. Sir Gabriel was such an intriguing character, so handsome and charming, but was he all he claimed to be? Should Genevieve trust him or not?

Well without giving anything away, this was a fast paced, twisty turny, historical fiction, full of intrigue espionage, porcelain and the colour blue. Who’d have thought that a story about porcelain and colour would prevent me from putting this book down?

This is definitely going on my list of top reads for 2018 and I thoroughly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction.