Yes! More more books! I must have more books. Here's another....since I think I'm on a bookray for "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" I decided to pick up this one, by the same author. It promises to be the tale of two women, haunted by a family legacy. Woohoo. I love that sort of stuff. Will be turning this one into a bookring later in the year.

I took Dan to the hospital this morning---his elbow is swollen and painful. A possible spiderbite. Before him, they helped a man with chest pains, and a woman with really bad cramps (Nurse to lady--have you ever had this pain before. Lady--yes, last month July 27. I'm wondering what that was all about...)

Anyhow I had time to finish this book. And two women (sisters, they were with their mom) asked me if it was good. One had already bought it, the other had thought about buying it. The prospective buyer asked me on a scale from 1 to 5, 5 high, I said "4".

This story is about two women--seperated by 400 years, but tied together with a family secret. Is that secret ever really answered? I don't think so, but the trip is worth it. There's little bit of magic, and lot of color, and good time tragedy. It took a while to get into but once I deciphered the way the two stories are told, the pace picked up.

As promised, this book is now a BOOKRING! Guidelines are posted in my profile. This will be US only. Please PM me with you location and play order prefence. Players so far include:

1. ProfPotts
2. JDT
3. senorag
4. Ishsmom
5. Tamster33
6. nechameh
7. 16stepper
8. brookhavn
9. utdaisy
10. piper1
11. clawdette
12. (player declines from ring..please send to 13)
13. tania-in-nc
14. kbgoffe

back to me...

Designed to spur your creativity, and spawn some truly interesting journal entries…here they are…Questions for the readers of The Virgin Blue

We are first introduced to Isabelle and her not-so-favorable nickname, La Rousse. Were you given another name as a child? What was it; why were you given it; and what effect did it have on you?

Tragedies come early for Isabelle, how did you feel about them? Do they set-up the rest of the story? How did you feel about her early (and later) relationship with Etienne?

I saw much of Isabelle’s problems stemming from the larger problem of new vs. old religion. Did you see it that way? How did you feel about the way the Huguenots saw the ‘cult of mary’? What do you think about it? What does Ella think about it?

Ella is a new to France. She quickly develops ideas on the village and its people. Do you feel her views are or are not justified? Have you ever been in a new place, how did you adjust? Are there gossiping women in your town?

Ella decides to research her family history. Have you ever taken on this endeavor, or would like to? If you have, did you find anything interesting? Was your family supportive?

Did you love, hate, or sympathize with any of the characters? How did you feel about Ella’s relationship with Rick and Jean-Paul, and her final decision? (Without giving too much away in your entry.)

Ella’s journey starts with a dream. Have you ever been prompted to action by your subconscious? If so, how and to what end?

What is up with that wolf?! Was its purpose/symbology clear to you, if so, what was it? Do you have any animals that you think of as protective spirits, or that you identify with?

Release planned for Thursday, August 28, 2003 at bookcrosser in Portland, Oregon USA.

Will be given to the first player, ProfPotts, tomorrow. She was there when bought this book. And I'm sure it's part of the reason she has joined bookcrossing....the promise of reading it coupled with my incessant nagging...never under estimate the power of the nag!
Happy bookring everyone!

I caught it!!! Now I'm gonna read it!

I finished reading The Virgin Blue within 24 hours of picking it up. Granted I had plenty of time to read it over the Labor Day weekend spent at the beach. It was a great way to 'tune out' the rest of my loud, but wonderful family. I am still mulling this book over. As a literature geek I usually have something to say within minutes of finishing a book, but this one is a little different. I feels as if I have been told a secret, one I don't wish to share as it might destroy the wonderful sense of beauty this book conveys in every line...

I released The Virgin Blue to the next person on the reading list today, so hopefully our fine US Postal System is in top form as this book travels to JDT.
Having had a week to mull this one over I have come to a conclusion. I really loved this book and I really hate ambigious endings.
I took note of the importance of names in this novel as a link to geneology, how names travel through the generations and how interesting a link Isabella and Ella. The name was forgotten for four hundred years until Ella's birth. As her narrative is in the first person and Isabella's the third, i gave no thought to it, but now its the one thing that lingers. How important is a name and does it really emcompass a whole identity? And what are the implications?

Just received this book today. Thanks!
Looking forward to reading it - intriguing cover description and journal entries so far.
(and I'm impressed with CrazyPooka's organization for this bookring! Should be fun/interesting!)

Iloved reading this powerful, compelling, disturbing book!
(I did find toward the end that a tendency to analyze esp. Ella's story, some unlikely elements, detracted from the enjoyment, so I let the analysis go.)

The juxtaposition of Isabelle's and Ella's stories was a nice technique. I found Isabelle's story more substantial, tragic, and disturbing - and Ella's more shallow and self-involved.
I thought she treated Rick shabbily - and didn't have a clue about loyalty amid the challenges of life and relationships - (judgment, excuse me)

Elements I really liked:
-religious contrasts - Heugenots and Catholics
- the role of color!
-Marie's hair
- secrets
-family similarites through generations


so on to senorag, with great appreciation for a great read!

received today and will start on it stat since it has a 3w holding period..lol. I will journal again when I start. Thanks for sharing.

I finished this last night and in an odd way enjoyed it. I found it a bit confusing at times.
QUESTION ANSWERS:
1. Since my name is Kendall and my mother got if from a diaper box, no nickname was needed. I had to live with that..lol.
2. Isabelle had her share and more of tradgedy. It set up the story and made her who she became also.
3. Religion always seems to cause problems and I will NEVER understand why we all cant just repect ppls believes whether we agree or not.
4. When I moved to Mississippi I learned that not only are there gossiping women, but the men are worse. What they dont know, they make up to slant their own way. Not ALL people, but a great number. How did I adjust? Ive been here two years and I have NOT adjusted. Just counting the days until my daughter graduates and we move to Florida..lol
5. My family history is very interesting and juicy.
6. Ella made me sick. I found her to be very whiney.
7.Dreams usually tell us many things if we listen to them. I have found following the leads given in my dreams very useful in life.
8. The wolf? Who knows.

Thanks for sharing this and I will pass it along as soon as I get the address of the next person.

Released on Thursday, October 09, 2003 at to another BookCrosser in bookray, postal release USA.

going to ishsmom in OR. Happy reading

Received today from Mississippi. I really enjoyed "Falling Angels", so am looking forward to this one. Have a short book from the library in front of this, so should be able to start reading it very soon.

I enjoyed Isabelle's story more than Ella's. Isabelle had so much to overcome and Ella just seemed too whiny and unappreciative of her life....while her dream was haunting, I felt like she went looking for trouble and was more interested in searching for distractions to her life and used her "search" for her ancestors' stories as an excuse to pursue the distraction and a reason to avoid what she didn't like about her life. (Note I did watch "Unfaithful" in the same timeframe that I was reading this book.....'nuf said)

Will be mailing out to Tamster33 this week.

Released on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 at Postal Release in Portland, Oregon USA.

Sent off to Tamster33 in today's mail. Enjoy!

Received today. I have 2 other books I have to read for my bookgroups before I can get to this one. I'll try to finish it within the 3 week period though. Thanks!

Sorry it's taken me so long to journal this book. I actually finished it a couple weeks ago, but I got caught up in holiday mayhem and hadn't had a chance to journal or send it on.

I enjoyed this book for the most part, but it wasn't nearly as good as The Girl With The Pearl Earring. I agree with the earlier journalers re: Ella. I just didn't like her character at all. I loved the historical story but after finishing it, I wonder how much was just conjecture on Ella's part, and I'd love to know what happened to Isabella. I'd also like to know the significance of the painter because they just seemed to drop that.

Question answers:

1) I wanted a nickname badly when I was a kid (in the 70's). My mom suggested Karma, so I went around trying to get people to call me that. It didn't stick, though. When I grew up, I was working in an office near the copy machine, and this was during SNL's "copy guy" series of skits, so everytime people would walk by, they'd say "Tamster, Tamerino, Tamalamadingdong, etc." Well, Tamster stuck, so that's what I'm called today :)

2) I felt sorry for Isabella. I didn't like Etienne from the beginning and I felt like she never loved him but that he was the only one that paid attention to her, so she got together with him by default. I feel that he was with her to spite his parents.

3) Religion always seems to cause problems. I don't understand why people can't respect other's beliefs. Live and let live is my motto.

4) I feel that Ella didn't really try to fit in. She wanted the French people to like her just because and took an antagonistic view towards the locals because they didn't automatically warm up to her. I live in a big city, so I don't really worry about gossip.

5) The only time I've ever done any research on my family was for school. I tried to get my grandma to talk about her past, but she never wanted to, so I didn't pursue it.

6) I think Ella and Rick had serious communication issues which impacted their marriage. I disagree with how Ella handled her problems.

7) I don't know that I've ever been prompted by dreams to the extent that Ella was. I do try to listen to my subconscious, though, if I can.

8) Since Isabella's mom was killed by a wolf, Isabella felt that her mom's spirit was in the wolf and that the wolf became her guardian angel of sorts. That was my take on it anyway. I know I have a guardian angel. I suspect it's my dad's mom, who was killed by a drunk driver when I was 9. But I don't have any animal protective spirits.

So, now I'm sending this book off to 16stepper because Nechameh asked to be skipped.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

Received today. Adding to my stack of rays to be read.

I am about halfway through this book. I am not feeling particularly drawn to any of the characters, but I am intrigued by the historical connection between the women and want to learn more.

The writing in this book is lovely. I wish the story was something I appreciated as much as I appreciated the writing style.

THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD:

The ending was quite a shock to me - what the magic of the old house had been and how that had carried forward to the new one. Whether the sacrifice of the child had been planned before the slab for the hearth was ordered or if the timing of the discovery of the blue dress was coincidental. This will bother me for some time.

I also wish that the modern story had been able to tie the painter named Tournier to either Isabella or Jacob. I feel that Ella let go of that part of the mystery as soon as she discovered Marie's remains.

I was not as disturbed as others by her leaving of Rick. He was emotionally unavailable and they were basically living in separate worlds. The shrinks call this an emotional divorce. What happened between them seemed quite inevitable to me. Dr. Phil says that withholding of emotion is one of the cruelest form of abuse one can inflict on another. Domestic violence advocates agree. It is, in fact, one of the first forms of abuse in a cycle that grows to include other forms in most cases. So I saw the parallel between Etienne's physical abuse of Isabella and Rick's emotional abuse of Ella as another parallel between the two women, as was their both chosing to leave what society would perceive as "good" husbands.

I will get the mailing address for the next person and get this in the mail asap. Thanks for sharing this, crazypooka.

Just received this in the mail yesterday...looking forward to reading it!

First of all, I would like to say it was an interesting book and I certainly enjoyed reading it. I too found the story of Isabelle much more compelling than Ella's. Isabelle seemed to have hidden resources that Ella lacked. My first and strongest reaction to Ella's story was....oh man..the chance to live in France with a loving husband and lots of time to explore..what a fantasy come true. That is, for most women. I didn't understand why Ella didn't take advantage of the situation and enjoy it more. I feel the author didn't make a strong enough case for the chasm between Ella and Rick. Certainly, a dashing french musician would be intriguing
but the only problem seemed to be a minor one where she felt he was turned off by her skin problems. And why was Jean-Paul so attracted to her? Beats me. She was whiny and emotionally needy and lacking confidence. Anyhoo, it didn't cut it for me. I enjoyed the speculations about Isabelle and without saying too much....poor poor Marie. Her part of the story was the most powerful.

On to the next person!

Released on Monday, April 12, 2004 at Mailed to a fellow Bookcrosser in n/a, n/a Controlled Releases.

put in the mail to Utdaisy today.

I joined CrazyPooka's book ring and received this book today. It's pretty neat that CP put a label in the front where folks have been signing in - this book has been about halfway across the country so far. More to come after I've read the book...

CAUGHT IN CARROLLTON TX USA

Oops...I wasn't logged in when I made the previous entry. Anyway, the book is safe with me and I'll journal more as I read the book.

Received this book in the mail yesterday from UTdaisy. I'm in the middle of a book for my bookclub, then I'll start V.B. I'll try to hurry and pass it on.

Thanks UTdaisy & everyone else for the bookring. Looking forward to reading it.

Virgin Blue was an enjoyable book, and a very fast read. I've enjoyed looking at all the posts about it.

I agree, that Ella was very needy and whiny. She didn't seem too interested in passing the exams she needed to become a midwife in France. Never seemed interested in her family history before, then all of a sudden it became a burning obession with her and she expected her husband to be just as interested as she was.

I didn't get the whole Jean-Paul thing. What did they see in each other? He seemed to have a weakness for American women. He didn't seem to be the type to stay with her forever.

Did Ella end up staying in France with Jean-Paul while pregnant with Rick's baby? Will someone please tell me? I re-read the ending several times and I think that's what happened, but I can't be sure. I need the dots real close together, as Dr. Phil would say.

Isabelle's story was very interesting. The viciousness, brutality and humilation women went through in early times makes me sick. Yes, these times too, but at least now there are more resources for a woman to turn to and society realizes abuse is a problem. Centuries ago, it was taken for granted that a husband would beat his wife.

I wanted to scream to Isabelle to grab her daughter and run when Etienne discovered the blue dress and took Marie away. I just knew disaster and tragedy were coming.

I agree with Tamster's comments that Isabelle's mother's spirit was in the wolf and the wolf became Isabelle's guide.

I wanted more of connection between Isabelle & Ella. Their stories seemed to run parrell rather than being interwined.

I enjoyed the book very much. Thanks to crazypooka for organizing the ring.

It's off to Clawdette in Louisiana next.

Virgin Blue is on its way to Clawdette in Louisiana. Enjoy..

recieved yesterday, will journal when read

I am currently reading this and am about 3/4 of the way through it..but I had an accident with it tonight..I dropped it in the tub...so sorry..I have ordered a used one from half.com and will send it to next reader when I get it..

ok, I recieved the replacement book yesterday and am releasing it to tania-in-nc today....was a good read, kinda weak on the ending and how it related to the rest of the story

This arrived here in North Carolina this afternoon. Unfortunately it must have got wet in it's travels as some pages are stained yellow - I suspect by the ink in the envelope. It's still in readable condition. I have one book ahead of this one, not including my current read, but should have it started early next week. Take care :)

update 1/23/05 -- this is next after my now current read, A Mother's Reflection, by Elissa Ambrose, c. 2003 -- link goes to blog as it's from booksfree.com, see entry of January 18, 2005

update 1/26/05 -- I have to admit the first few pages didn't draw me in but I am now enjoying it.

I just finished this book. The ending didn't quite satisfy me. I was wanting some integration of Ella's and Isabelle's lives. That said, it is human nature not be tight and succinct so an open-ending is poetic justice.

By the way I didn't find Ella too, too, whiny. I am not in my birth country (which is New Zealand) and I kept on thinking of my integration to the American culture (Midwest, Southeast, and Miami). It is a tough transition. However, I don't agree with her actions with J-P. That's a guarantee for turning your life upside-down :)

One of the haunting images I will take from the book is the torture done in the name of organized religion. How can that be? How can we solve it, to help our current world not to perpetuate such ideas?

On a lighter note ..

I collect quotes as I read. These ones are fun, poetical, or even philosophical. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Note that these aren't necessarily the "best" in the book. These happen to be close to the spot where I stopped reading each night.

"Why aren't you at the library?" I asked, abruptly.
He looked up. "It's Wednesday. Library's closed."
"Ah. How long have you worked there?"
"Three years. Before that I was at a library in Nimes."
"So that's your career? You're a librarian?"
He gave me a sideways look as he lit a cigarette. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"It's just - you don't seem like a librarian."
"What do I seem like?"
I looked him over. He was wearing black jeans and a soft salmon-coloured cotton shirt; a black blazer was draped over the back of his chair, His arms were tanned, the forearms densely covered with black hair.
"A gangster," I replied. "Except you need sunglasses."
Jean-Paul smiled slightly and let smoke trickle from his mouth so that it formed a blue curtain around his face. "What is it you Americans say? 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.'" p43
[comment: libraries, books, librarians, reading etc. -- fun topics for me to collect]

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to -" I sighed and plunged ahead. "You know, I never thought I was unhappy with xyz [name blanked for spoiler reasons], but now it feels like something isn't - like we were a jigsaw puzzle with every piece in place, but the puzzle frames the wrong picture." My throat began to tighten and I stopped. p151

"I've never been sure." Saying it aloud to Lucien of all people, felt like breaking a window. The very sound of words shocked me. p252

RELEASE NOTES:

At Beth's booth near the entrance to the sale. Free lemonade too!

Caught the book at a all city garage sale.

CAUGHT IN FOREST GROVE OR USA

INTERESTED IN BOOKCROSSING WHEN I FOUND THIS BOOK

CAUGHT IN ROGUE RIVER OREGON USA