I was instantly drawn into this five-star character-driven historical fiction tale. The author writes to establish an emotional bond with both protagonists from each dual timeline. As a result, I was invested in what happens to them. Furthermore, her vivid descriptions and impeccable sense of place allowed me to become part of the story. I’d previously read “The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger” and loved the author’s writing style. If her success with that book is any indication, this one will meet and/or exceed that success. You’ll be swept away in this evocative and emotional page-turner featuring strong female protagonists who are forced to make difficult decisions.

Both set in France, Imogen Wren’s 2019 adventure into fixing up an abandoned 16th-century war-ravaged chateau dovetails perfectly with Simone Varon’s 1944 experience living with a sick sibling during the occupation.

Readers become emotionally attached to Imogen Wren when they discover her heartache; miscarriage and her husband’s (James) sudden death. When colleagues label her as The Android and claim she is devoid of any ability to socialize outside the work setting, it’s just the push Imogen needs to start over. She smiles when she remembers talking with James about buying a place in Brittany, moving there permanently and running a B&B or a vineyard. So when she finds two postcards with a message on the back written in James’ handwriting, she knows it’s a sign.

“Life is on the other side of fear.”

“Follow your dreams; they know the way.”

Readers follow Imogen as she makes the courageous move to France and takes a chance on living and loving. Life isn’t easy and she discovers she needs to overcome another hurdle before realizing her dream and setting to rest the ghosts of the past.

Equally strong is the 1944 timeline with 18-year-old Simone falling in love with a German soldier. Fortin makes it possible to see life from this naive teenager’s point of view. Readers experience the range of emotions as Simone struggles between knowing what her mind tells her she should do and what her heart tells her to do. At the center of each decision is her love for her brother and her neighbours. Fortin has capably captured the wartime experience in occupied France. Simone’s flute is the key to successfully carrying out Resistance activities.

“Papa always told us that to be brave doesn't mean you have no fear. It just means you can move forwards in spite of that fear.”

Although I didn’t add to my wartime knowledge, the ability to connect to the characters on an emotional level far surpassed my need to learn from this historical fiction tale. I’d eagerly recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers because I was completely consumed by the characters’ journey.

Congratulations to the graphic designer for an AMAZING cover design. It was what initially drew me to this book.

Publishes October 21, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Suzanne Fortin, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

4.5 Stars

"Papa always told us that to be brave doesn't mean you have no fear. It just means you can move forwards in spite of that fear."

This is a novel told from two perspectives. In 2019, Imogen is making a fresh start by buying a rundown French chateau after the loss of her husband and unborn baby within months of each other. In 1944, Simone is living under German rule, trying to make the right choices to protect her family while also following her heart. The devastating consequences of Simone's choices will continue to affect her family and the town through the decades, right up until Imogen moves to town and starts to restore the chateau.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Suzanne Fortin's last novel, and when I was offered the opportunity to receive an ARC for this novel, I jumped at the chance! While I don't think this hit me quite as hard as Arthur Pettinger, I also really enjoyed this one. I loved the description of the town and the atmosphere of the countryside, and Simone's character was one I really resonated with.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Aries and Aria Publishing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All That We Have Lost is a story that takes place in Brittany, with a dual timeline of WWII and present day. A woman decides she needs a new start after the loss of her husband and baby. Brittany is a place that both her and her husband fell in love with so she buys a chateau to fix up. Immediately she senses a problem as the village is tight lipped about the chateau and don’t want anything to do with it until one man offers his services. What follows is a poignant story of lost love, family bonds, war and redemption. This is a beautifully written book dealing with the terror and pain of war along with starting over and finding what is right for you. Wonderful characters. I thank Aria books for the invitation to read this via NetGalley.

“All That We Have Lost” is a moving historical fiction novel set in the Brittany region of France on two timelines – the past, in 1944 during German occupation, and the present, in 2019. The author uses this dual timeline plot device very effectively with her evocative depiction of a Nazi-occupied small town and what the villagers, particularly a young woman name Simone Varon, must do in order to survive the war. Almost equally compelling is the “present” story of Imogen Wren, a young widow who buys a dilapidated chateau in Brittany, in that same small town where Simone spent most of her life.

At first it isn’t obvious how the two subplots will come together, but the story unfolds as Imogen starts renovating the chateau and getting to know Simone’s grandson, Laurent. Interspersed is Simone’s story, as she becomes connected to both the resistance and to a handsome German soldier who was stationed at the chateau. Simone and Imogen are both well-drawn strong female characters who the reader will enjoy and root for. Both storylines feature light romance as a source of both heartbreak and hope in the women’s tragic lives. The way the storylines come together and past wrongs are righted is satisfying.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me an advance copy of this book.

The French Chateau

Exciting, Tragic, Heartbreaking, and Romantic are some words I would use to describe this book. Set in dual time periods the story transcend the ages.

The first story is of Simone, a young girl that plays a flute, and a German officer named Max. Simone is forced to play her flute for the German's in a chateau that they have confiscated as their headquarters. It will take you deep into the German occupation, the resistance and how the people were treated by the German officer's. How the Romance between Simone and Max begins and how it ends. This takes place in a small French town in 1944 during the German occupation of France.

The second story is of a young widow named Imogene and an architect named Laurent. , second story takes place in 2019. Imogene buys a chateau in a small town of France to get on with life after the death of her young husband. She meets Laurent there as he has agreed to help her restore the chateau. She soon learns that the town does not view Laurent and his family in a good light and it has to do with some dark secret from WWII and the German occupation and his grandmother. Imogene must learn the secret and why the town holds an ancient grudge against Laurent. She soon learns that a flute hidden somewhere in the chateau may hold the answers, but does she really want to know?

How the characters and the chateau fit into both stories will become evident as you read the stories. The book is a tearjerker and tragic but also romantic and uplifting in spots. It is written beautifully with vivid descriptions of the chateau and the gardens and of the small French town both past and present. It holds a bit of history and a bit of the beauty of the French countryside. It was an interesting book to read and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Suzanne Fortin, Aria and Aries publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy for my honest review.

I loved this book from the beautiful cover to the very last page. All That We Have Lost is a touching dual timeline historical fiction. The chapters alternate between France 1944 and the present in 2019. The author weaves Simone's story from 1944 and Imogene's in the present together flawlessly. This is a must read for historical fiction fans. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to author Suzanne Fortin, publisher Aria & Aries, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Historical Fiction

Review:

A beautifully story told over a dual time line, the first time line is set in 1944 tells the story of Simone a young girl trying to survive the horrors of German occupation in a small village in Brittany. In doing so she has to make some difficult and dangerous choices. The second timeline tells the story of Imogen, a young woman who has lost her husband tragically four years ago, at an impasse in her life, she takes the courageous step to move to France to make a fresh start which was something she and her husband always talked about doing.

Overall:

The book is well written and the story flows well. This made it very captivating. Once I started I found it hard to put the book down so it only took me a few days to finish. The stories told over the two timelines are nicely interwoven and tied up at the end. The main characters are strong women who are forced to make difficult choices in order to do the right thing and protect the people they love. They showed real emotions such as fear, despair, love and courage, this made the characters appear realistic. A great book I really enjoyed it.

Review

Thankyou NetGalley, the publishers and the author, Suzanne Fortune, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of All That We Have Lost.in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a beautiful read.
The imagery was captivating and realistic. The dual timelines were woven beautifully together.
I was hooked from the first pages and was swept away.
Well worth a read.

Simone’s life is hard during the German occupation of Brittany, France. One of the German officers wants to abuse her, but another protects her. She wants to hate him, but his kindness wears her down. The villagers assume the worst about her.
In the present day, Imogen moves to France from her English home and buys a rundown chateau. Laurent, a Paris architect, wants to help restore the chateau. He has a connection to the old place through his grandmother. Something awful happened there, and a fire burned one wing.
Laurent’s family has always been ostracized. No one will talk about what happened at the chateau. Finally, they discover his grandmother’s secret.
Because secrecy was so important for resisters during the war, people didn’t know of the courageous deeds of some of their neighbors and acted as bad as the Nazis.

Told from a dual narrative, 1944 a village in Brittany is occupied by German troops, they have taken over a local chateau, I love this historical part of the book with the descriptions of the struggles and resitance of the locals. Fast forward to 2019 when a young English widow buys the chateau but will her idilic plan to renovate it work out when most of the village are hostile to her ideas and think the building would be best left as it is, a virtual ruin. I rushed from chapter to chapter and enjoyed both stories and the link from past to present.

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..  


I haven't read a lot of historical fiction All That We Have Lost was a enjoyable read. It was hard to put down as I wanted to go on this adventure 5 star read 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟



Happy Reading Lisa 📚

I loved the dual storyline of Imogen and Simone, The history of the town and the chateau which Imogen buys in 2019 and the history of what happen in World War 2 with Simone. I love books all about World War 2, its so interesting and it makes you think what women went through to keep their families alive and how victimised they were afterwards.

I have PTSD and I have written the publisher to explain I will be unable to finish reading this book. The WWII part is too difficult for me. I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK

Set in occupied Brittany, France in both 2019 and 1944, this dual timeline book is gorgeously written and captured my heart and mind from the first page. Actually, from the lovely cover. This author is gifted at realistic storytelling, including gritty barbaric WWII details as well as incomprehensible strength and glimpses of beautiful hope. She is obviously a student of human nature and her characters are wonderfully introspective. I like to get into the minds of characters. Fortin also writes about her inspiration and research for this book in the acknowledgements.

Imogen Wren's young husband has died of a heart attack, shattering her life and dreams. She and James had hoped to live in France one day. Four years later in 2019 she is still a young woman and decides to get her life back and bought a ruinous chateau in Brittany to restore. Chateaux are full of mystique and secrets and hers is no exception. There are fascinating links to WWII which unravel as the story goes on. As she explores and becomes a part of village life, Simone rebuilds, physically and mentally.

In 1944 Germany occupies Brittany and most soldiers are cruel, doing their utmost to humiliate, terrify and bully Jews. Simone Varon is a flautist but her life is rife with horror on a daily basis. She lives with her sick brother and mother, barely surviving. She must endure extreme food rationing, propaganda and dire treatment as a Jew. However, in the midst of pure evil one German soldier shows acts of kindness to Simone and her family. His caring nature provides slivers of hope which are crucial in an otherwise bleak and despairing environment.

Historical Fiction readers, please do read this tremendously fascinating and heartbreaking book. It will crush you then revive you. The timelines and stories of the main characters intertwine in a wondrous way, written seamlessly. The historical details made me feel as though I was privy to the characters' experiences.

My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this absolutely stunner of a book! I hope we will be blessed with many more books by this author.

An excellent read! I really enjoyed the double time eras and the stories of both modern and WWII kept me enthralled. Such brilliant research and warm characters that brought the French countryside to life.

This novel, All That We Have Lost, is a dual time novel. The author, Suzanne Fortin, did a nice job of shifting between 1944 and 2019. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along well. I did find the first few chapters a bit slow, but after the opening chapters, the writing was engaging and the reading easy. The history in 1944 was well done, but narrowly focused. I kept wondering if the nearby villages were similarly impacted.
I did enjoy this novel and appreciate that the author, publisher, and NetGalley provided this ARC for me to read.

All That We Have Lost is a brilliant dual timeline historical fiction story, the characters of Imogen and Simone are both strong and brave women. In France, 1944, it tells of one young woman's need to help save the country she loves, no matter what the personal cost to her and her family. In England, 2019 it follows the life of a woman, desperately trying to find herself following a tragic event. The story and characters are well done and the story held my interest. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A well thought out dual story line which draws the reader in. The characters were very believable and interacted well with each other in both the WWII setting and the modern day.

The descriptions of trying to integrate into French rural life, together with the descriptions of the opposition faced by the character called Laurent , are very realistic. The use of elementary French in the text was nice, just enough to add to the flavour of the setting without becoming overdone. But, please, please, could someone actually correct the French! The version I downloaded was studded with errors which could so easily have been avoided.

Apart from the bad French I would definitely recommend the book.

I received All That We Have Lost as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

In the midst of World War II, Simone Varon's Breton village is overrun by German troops. She is repelled by their violence and arrogance, but one young soldier reaches through her misery and in doing so, changes the course of Simone's future. Generations later, Imogen Wren, desperate to escape the grief that has plagued her since her husband's death years earlier, purchases a chateau in the same village. Together with Simone's grandson, she discovers the truth of Simone's wartime involvement and seeks to right a terrible wrong.

This was a nice, quiet read. As far as dual timeline stories go, it wasn't my favorite, but it's a slightly different take on WWII fiction, which frankly feels a little overdone at the moment, in that it takes away from the front lines, concentration camps, or other sites of mass violence and death, and instead explored "ordinary" indignities of life under occupation.

A wonderful novel historical fiction at its best.I really enjoyed the dual timeline the book drew me in kept me reading late into the knife.The characters the storyline were so well written it came alive.Highly recommend.#netgalley #aria&arias