With a glowing blurb from one of the best historical fiction writers of our time, Kate Quinn, who needs another excuse to pick up The Women of Chateau Lafayette? However, this intriguing novel based on a real castle and the women who were it's keepers is fascinating and well-told. I think even readers not well-read in historical fiction should add it to their TBR.

Chateau Lafayette, a castle in France is at the center of this massive novel that ties together three unique times in history that all have war in common. Each time period has a woman at the center of the Chateau's story. During the French Revolution Adrienne, Lafayette's wife, must either stand by her man and the ideals they believe in or save herself. During World War I, Beatrice, who received the chateau as a gift from her husband, feels for the devastation that France has suffered through the war and wants to make things better. During World War II, Marthe who was raised in the orphanage at the Chateau is now a school-teacher who becomes part of the resistance. 

This novel is beautifully written. Despite its length it was a quick read for this lover of historical fiction.

My curiosity often propels me to dive into every book that crosses my path, resulting in an ever-expanding list of unread titles. To tackle this more efficiently, I am quickly sifting out those books that don't grip my attention and set them aside. I am now deciding if I will give them another try. The Women of Chateau Lafayette was one I set aside a while back and have decided not to finish it.

While the story does present an intriguing plot with historical history and an array of interesting characters, it's the length of the book that was my stumbling block, causing me to lose interest before reaching the halfway point. I believe an author can effectively convey their narrative within, typically under 350 pages. Anything beyond that, I find myself struggling, and the story often feels drawn out, making it challenging for me to persist. Regrettably, The Women of Chateau Lafayette fell into that category.

Despite my inability to keep turning the pages, I recognize the value of exploring new stories, even when they don't meet my preferences. Stephanie Dray didn’t hold my attention throughout this story, but pursuing that curiosity is rewarding.

I did not expect to love this book so much nor learn so much from it. The story of these 3 women and the choices they are forced to amke by the world around them led this reader into an era and space that I did not know much about. Their decisions to face duty and honor above all set the example for those around them and to anyone brave enough to learn their story. Stephanie Dray has done an excellent job of skillfully putting the reader into the story and drawing their emotional response to a fictional reenactment of the sacrifices they faced.

This book is the best type of historical fiction. I loved the central location that was used in all three time periods. It helped the book feel cohesive while keeping the characters unique. The book is long, but the pages flew by for me.

So I did not realize how long this was going to be. I read it on my kindle so I wasn't too aware of the size until I glanced down and found I was only 20% of the way through even though it felt like I should be at 50% at least. For me personally, I don't think historical fictions need to be that long. I think one of the ways to have made it shorter would be to define the characters a bit more. I definitely kept getting confused by the switch and had to start writing down details to keep track of who is who.

This book is emotional and inspirational. The storylines of the three women were a tad but hard to follow, but everything came together in the end. This is a story I will be thinking about for a long time.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy of this book!

Unfortunately, The Women of Chaetau Lafayette was not the book for me. I was overwhelmed with the dense nature of the story and it was at such a slow pace, I couldn't get into the story. I hope to try again one day, but as of now this was a DNF.

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

This was the story of 3 women at different points in history, all with a tie to Château de Chavaniac (aka Château Lafayette). Adrienne Lafayette was Marquis de Lafayette’s wife and lived at the Château in the 1770s. Beatrice Chanler was a New York socialite who purchased the Château during WWI to use as an orphanage and school. Marthe Simone grew up and then taught at the Château during WWII. The three women were all brave and amazing women.

I had no idea what Lafayette and his wife endured during the French Revolution and after. It was interesting to learn more in this book.

As always, I was excited to get to the end of the book and learn what was real and what was fictionalized. It amazed me that Beatrice was a real person. Marthe was not a real person, but she embodied many of the women living through WWII in France.

I have always enjoyed dual timelines and this one has three. Each timeline is the story of a different determined, nothing will stop them woman. The plot is fascinating and kept me reading as the plots all make sense and come together to make a fascinating story worth reading in this historical fiction book.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this book the characters were interesting and the book was hard to put down. I highly recommend

I really enjoyed The Women of Chateau Lafayette. I enjoyed the plot and the characters as well as the multiple time periods that the story is told in.

The history and how the author wove all three time periods together was intriguing. However, I really didn’t feel much connection to the characters until about 2/3 through the book when their stories started to intersect. At times it seemed to drag on, making it feel much longer than it’s 500ish pages. I thoroughly enjoyed the authors note and learning about what was factually accurate and what liberties the author took. The authors note made my understanding of the novel more comprehensive.

I really enjoyed reading The Women of Chateau Lafayette. The story follows 2 women from different parts in history and they each tell their own story. However, as much as I enjoyed this book, there were times I was lost. I had to keep notes on who was who. The author's note was a great piece to read because it clarified some questions I had. I absolutely think everyone that loves HF should read this.

Ever since I watched Hamilton I have been obsessed with everything 1700-1800’s and this book did not disappoint. Who doesn’t love reading about the people who shaped our country and everyone’s favorite fighting Frenchmen.
Everyone needs to pick this book up and read it. It’s not to be missed.

I really enjoyed this book! I always seem to forget just how much I love historical fiction, but this book was a great reminder of how much I appreciate it!! I liked all three plot lines, and thought this was a beautifully written, epic read! All the stars and chef’s kisses for this one!

Wow. An absolutely remarkable story. I struggled to get through some of the heavier moments that this book so vividly demonstrates, but the story was just so well done, I could not look away. This story inspires justice, truth, and liberty, and although challenging, brings hope. If you love World War stories, don't walk- run to pick this one up!

I was not able to get in to the storyline of this one. If in the future I attempt to read this again I will update my feedback!

I really enjoyed this book though it was a little on the long side. I found Adrienne's story to be the most interesting.

A lengthy and impressive feat of historical fiction that focuses on the incredible women of Chateau Lafayette. I found Beatrice's story to be the most engaging and Marthe was the underdog that took time to grow on me. Unfortunately, Adrienne's story was the most incredible but also the least engaging to me. This was a huge book that covers four wars and spans centuries.