Off the Wild Coast of Brittany

Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell 464 pages

For fans of Jenny Lecoat’s “The Girl from the Channel Islands.”

This story takes places on a fictional island, Ile de Feme, off the coast of  France’s Brittany region, the part of France that sticks out like a thumb into the Atlantic Ocean.  It has one of my favorite plot devices too, dueling timelines.

Most of the book is centered in present day. Natalie Morgen is a best-selling memoirist. In fact, people travel to the island (accessible only by boat) just to catch a glimpse of her or have their picture taken with her. But Natalie’s like isn’t going according to plan.

Her partner, Francoise-Xavier, had abandoned her to return to Paris. There he plans to open a new restaurant. But on the Ile de Feme, Natalie is left with a guest house that is stuck in a partial rehab. He has absconded with their bank account, leaving Natalie almost penniless. She is thinking of chucking the whole thing and heading, well, she isn’t sure where. Fortuantely, her sister, Alex, arrives. She is a great handywoman and pitches in to help get some of the basic repairs done.

The two sisters have never really been close, but this affords them the opportunity to get to know each other.

Alex and Natalie find an old cookbook, more like a journal, in a concealed cupboard.  It once belonged to a young woman named Violette, who has some interesting things to share. One is that she marries a man named Mark, who is besotted with her, yet she is in love with his brother, Salvatore. Quite  the dilemma!

When the Nazis occupy France, all the men on the island take their fishing boats and head for England to join de Gaulle and the Free French. The women are left to fend for themselves.  The Germans take over the entire island and many of the men are billeted in the islanders homes. Violette’s home is no exception, and she becomes friendly with Rainier, a military customs officer. As food becomes evermore scarce, Rainier helps out Violette and her parents obtain the necessary food supplies to keep them alive.

As much as this book is about relationships, it also about secrets. Everyone, past and present. on Ile de Feme has a secret---Violette, Rainier, Natalie and Alex.

Off the Wild Coast of Brittany  is a good read. I loved the descriptions of the scenery, but I hated the abundance of French words that the author used that was overkill in my opinion. Therefore,  receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.