The USA Today bestseller
‘A compelling and powerful read’ Gill Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Child on Platform One
‘A powerful and thoughtful novel’ Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich
‘A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost … in the cause of freedom’ Jina Bacarr, author of Her Lost Love
1942, France.
As the war in Europe rages on, Adèle … of Her Lost Love
1942, France.
As the war in Europe rages on, Adèle Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the new regime. The date of her marriage to a ruthless man is drawing closer, and she only has one choice – she must run.
With the help of her mother, Adèle flees to Lyon, seeking refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame del la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons.
While it is not quite the escape Adèle imagined, she is drawn to the nuns and quickly finds herself part of the resistance. But her new role means she must return to Vichy, and those she left behind, no matter the cost.
Each day is filled with a different danger and as she begins to fall for another man, Adèle’s entire world could come crashing down around her.
Adèle must fight for her family, her own destiny, as well as her country.
Praise for The Girl from Vichy:
‘A beautiful story’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘A great historical read’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘This book is a wonderful book’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘Andie Newton’s realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye’ NetGalley Reviewer
Praise for Andie Newton:
‘A powerful debut!’ Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife
‘A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout’ Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan
‘A heart-clenching emotionally evocative debut!’ Terry Lynn Thomas, author of The Silent Woman
‘A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world’ Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker’s Secret
‘The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading’ Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us
‘Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘Excellent story. Strong characters’ NetGalley Reviewer
more
This novel begins in 1942 in occupied France. Vichy had been in the free zone but is now governed by the Vichy police and the Nazis. Adele was due to marry Gerard, a member of the Vichy police who was cruel and ruthless in carrying out the orders of Germany. She knew that she couldn’t marry him so she ran off to Lyon and entered the convent there. She very quickly finds out that the sisters at the convent are part of the French resistance. Once she decides that she wants to work with them, she is told to go back to her home and continue to see Gerard because he will have important information that can be passed back to the resistance fighters. Once she goes back, life becomes very complicated. Gerard can’t decide whether to marry her or punish her for leaving. The more she works with the resistance, the more dangerous and risky her life becomes. She knows that if she’s caught, her parents and sister will also be in danger but she feels like she must help free her country.
This was an interesting, well researched book about the war in France and the brave women who put their lives on the line to save their country. It was based on the lives of two real women. Be sure to read the author’s notes at the end to learn more about these women.
The Girl from Vichy by Andie Newton is an excellent historical fiction novel about some of the Resistance members that lived in the “free zone” or the southern part of France during WWII that was under the Petain administration (aka a front for German occupation).
It was interesting to read about some of the brave members of these groups that were French, and foreign, citizens that tried to help liberate and save each other against difficult odds. It is always hard to see people being treated this way, especially by their fellow neighbors. It must have taken unbelievable courage and strength to risk their lives for this cause. Their stories are vital to the turning of tides during this time.
I enjoyed reading about Adele’s specific story. To go against part of her family’s beliefs into what she and her mother felt was right, is unthinkable to us today. She is a strong, realistic, intelligent, independent, flawed, and like able character and I felt invested into her story throughout the novel. I enjoyed the mystery, plot twists and turns, and also the ending.
This book is a must if you enjoy strong female characters, light romance, WWII historical fiction, and an addictive plot.
5/5 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Aria for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
As the story of The Girl from Vichy unwinds, it begins as the story of a slightly spoiled young woman whose family is divided between the different factions within unoccupied France in World War II. Fleeing an arranged marriage with a member of the Vichy police, Adèle journeys to a convent where she becomes involved with the resistance – only to be sent back to face her spurned fiancé. As her life becomes increasingly dangerous, Adèle voices her story with growing maturity, depth, and an unflinching narration.
There are works of historical fiction that get me in the heart, but this is one that got me in the gut. Andie Newton has crafted a story that is emotional, thrilling, surprising, and ultimately gut wrenching. There was a moment that caught me unaware, though it had been skillfully built up to, and having to pause for a breath before reading on, and that same reaction is how this book left me in the end.
Highly recommended.
This review refers to a NetGalley e-galley I voluntarily read. A positive review was not required and these are simply my own honest opinions.
The Girl from Vichy is another winner from Andie Newton. I’m always impressed by those brave souls who fought in the French Resistance. The Girl from Vichy is indeed an emotional page turner, full of intense family relations and betrayal. Throughout the twisty plot, we are shored up by the fortitude and impressed by the relentless bravery of the characters Andie has created for us. This is a story with strong women, well researched history, and a tightly woven plot. Highly recommend!
Great character building and learning about yet another aspect of WWll I didn’t know led me to give this book 5 stars.
Loved every page
Quite a story about the strength of women on WWII
I have been reading several book about the French resistance.
Learned more about Vichy during the war.
I enjoy reading books about the sadness of the times when Germany did horrific things to the countries they invaded. It was a page turner but happy how it eventually turned out.
I enjoyed reading the women’s side of the WW1 and what they went through. Standing up and fighting for what they believed in
I’m a sucker for historical fiction, especially with WWII and espionage as a background. This book does not disappoint.
The Girl From Vichy had been on my most anticipated reads. I fell in love with Andie Newton’s beautiful book, The Girl I Left Behind. I still think about that book to this very day and remember how much I enjoyed it. I am probably going to re-read right away because I am definitely going to have some withdrawals after reading this, and will be anxiously awaiting for Andie Newton’s next release.
In The Girl From Vichy we are introduced to our heroine, Adele Ambeh escaping Vichy, escaping Gerard whom she is to marry and leaving her family behind to seek refuge in Lyon to a convent ran by the Sisters of Notre Dam del la Compassion. While there, Adele helps in the fight by rallying with the Resistance.
There is just something so special about Newton’s writing that really tugs at my heart, for the incredibly strong female characters, the hardships and sacrifice they face, and the triumph of overcoming evil and difficulties, written in a beautiful and hopeful story that stays with you long after you have finished reading.
The writing was poignant, immersive, and rich in detail. This incredible well researched historical fiction took my breath away. From the first page, the suspenseful atmosphere kept me turning those pages and my heart pumping. What a fantastic story that everyone should read.
I highly recommend this book!
A page-turning historical drama, The Girl from Vichy is a deeply moving and inspiring story about the unsung heroes of the French Resistance during WWII, the women who made heart-wrenching sacrifices in their fight for freedom.
Adele, the main character, is strong, brave, and throughout everything she endures she manages to keep her humanity and continue fighting for what she believes in. Her friendship with Marguerite, who is seemingly very different from her, is surprising and touching. This is the kind of story that has you gripped from the very first pages until the satisfying ending. If you enjoy historical fiction novels with a touch of romance, I highly recommend this book.
A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost… in the cause of freedom
The Girl from Vichy is a realistic portrayal of résistants who risked everything to free France from German rule and the coming of age story of a young girl caught up in the middle of it. A marvelous blend of mystery and the inner workings of the Resistance… the story doesn’t begin in Paris, but in the Unoccupied Zone of France in 1942.
A spa and resort town called Vichy.
The best way to describe life in Vichy comes from Mama, mother of the heroine, Adèle Ambeh, ‘The Vichy government is a puppet regime ruled by German policy, not French.’
When the story opens, Adèle is determined not to be sold like a bolt of silk and forced into marriage to an abusive man known for his allegiance with the Nazis. With her mother’s help, she runs away and escapes to a convent… she has no idea her mother harbors secrets of her own linked to the sisters.
There Adèle meets the elusive Marguerite, a postulant, who’s not what she seems. Before she knows it, Adèle is getting Resistance training. I found this part of the story to be a fascinating asset to the telling of these brave fighters – so many women’s stories remain untold (only six female Resistance fighters were recognized by Charles de Gaulle in the Order of Liberation after the war). This was a time when women’s roles were in transition – Frenchwomen didn’t get the vote until October 1944 and married women were forced out of the job market and back into the kitchen. ‘Flying under the radar’ of the Germans and French police provided women the perfect opportunity to be valuable assets in the fight.
Especially a young woman like Adèle. She discovers the flame of resistance burns within her and grows brighter as the war goes on… she faces unbelievable challenges in her fight to free France that become a matter of life and death.
Also impressive is how the author handles the delicate line Adèle and her family walk trying to cope with the new ‘normal’, where any wrong move can pit them against the French police and reported to the Gestapo.
The author knows her subject well with carefully researched details that will enlighten the reader about this terrifying time in history. But it’s the grit and humanity of Adèle that will steal your heart and make you cheer for her… and pray she survives the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent and heart-wrenching story of The Girl from Vichy that reminds us how dear freedom is… the sacrifices made to keep us free… and why we should never forget.
Adèle Ambeh had an idyllic childhood, growing up in an estate nestled among the family vineyards. But when Nazi-controlled Philippe Pétain came to power, residents of Vichy had to choose whether to become collaborators or resisters. Members of Adèle’s family turn against one another. To avoid an arranged marriage to a collaborator, Adèle goes into hiding in a convent, where she is recruited to join the resistance. And that’s just the beginning!
I loved watching Adèle grow from a pampered young girl to a strong woman who learns to see people for who they really are: a sister who becomes a stranger, her mother who passes on a powerful legacy, an antagonist who becomes an ally Adèle is willing to die beside.
There’s also a romance, with someone I couldn’t help picturing as a young Brad Pitt. And there’s even a plot thread involving a woman’s art, a subject dear to my heart. Author Andie Newton has a gift for making the deprivations and life-or-death decisions of WWII real and present for us. The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully-formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye.
I am breathless, having just finished this stunning book. Newton has a wonderful command of language, evoking time, place and character with a distinctive and creative turn of phrase. I was immediately immersed in the characters, vicariously championing the cause of the Resistance and even knowing the outcome of the war, Newton creates tension and intrigue throughout.
This is a true page turner for fans of Natasha Lester and Deborah Carr. Highly recommended.
I enjoy reading both true and fictional accounts of the bravery of the members of various resistance groups who functioned during WWII.
Disappointing.
Two mysteries going on in the story