Who would have thought that there were variations to deviled eggs? Well, considering we had a dozen leftover from Easter, I thought I would google and see if there happened to be a French version of the “stuffed egg.” Thankfully found this recipe that also included leftover Easter ham! Perfect considering I have a ton of that leftover as well.
This recipe was amazing! I was sort of worried about the taste considering I am a “add some pickled relish to my devil eggs” type of gal. BUT… they were great!
So forget the recipe, I am ready to talk about the book…
A-MA-ZING!!!!! Like, one of my favorite historical/biographical fiction novels I have ever read. The genre, the history, the writing style…all of it! Stephanie Dray does impeccable research and writes in a way that is not only entertaining but informative. I literally had to withhold from googling stuff so the ending wouldn’t be ruined.
I love reading and researching the French Revolution and it’s aftermath (uh…I created an entire curriculum on Les Miserables so yea…). I think, however, anyone would love this novel. The way it is written is easy to understand and totally engages the reader. When I got the book in the mail (I had pre-ordered it when I came across it), I thought it would take me a month to read the book; however, the chapters are not long and flows in a way that keeps you reading. One week…that is all it took to read this book.
To give you a brief overview…there are three women in three different time periods: French Revolution (pre and post), WW1, and WW2. All events revolve around Marquis de Lafayette’s chateau and the concept of liberty (fighting for what is right). I love how the theme is interconnected across these three time periods. In the book, there was a great Teddy Roosevelt quote that I had never heard of and just absolutely love, one that I think summarizes what this entire novel entails: “With a great moral issue involved, neutrality does not serve righteousness; for to be neutral between right and wrong is to serve wrong.” Bam! Love it…
If you are not familiar with who Lafayette is, shame on you! Just kidding…I usually tell people he was George Washington’s BFF but in reality, their relationship was more like father/son. Lafayette named his son after GW – George Washington Lafayette (if that tells you anything about their relationship). If you love Hamilton the Musical, this is the same Lafayette in the musical. Through this book, you get such a great glimpse into Lafayette’s connections to the American Revolution (and what it meant for his family back in France). Although he is a main character, his wife is truly the center of the novel. And honestly, I am not sure if I could ever be as strong as she (not to give away spoilers but consider this…would you voluntarily put yourself in prison to be with your husband? Would you refuse to change your last name even if it meant losing your life?). This novel doesn’t only bring attention to her incredible life but the work of Beatrice Chanler (WWI), a lady many of us have probably never heard of but who did remarkable things during WW1 and afterwards.
I wish our book club still existed because there are so many discussion points I want to discuss; for now, though, I will have to wait until some of my friends read it so we can discuss individually. There are so many things I would love to post about the book but really do not want to spoil anything.
So should your read this book? ABSOLUTELY! Again, maybe I am a little bias because I love historical fiction and the French Revolution. However, I think regardless if you are a history nerd like myself, you would enjoy reading about these three big events’ implications on individuals and the world, feeling the emotions and the terror through those who lived through it.
So, I will end with Lafayette’s family motto: Cur Non (“Why not”)
