My enormous thanks to Gillian Harvey for sending me a copy of her latest book The French Chateau Escape in return for an honest review and subsequently to Rachel of with Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. I’m delighted to help close the tour by sharing my review today.

Gillian previously appeared here on Linda’s Book Bag with a super guest post.

The French Chateau Escape was published by Boldwood Books on 8th November 2023 and is available for purchase here.

The French Chateau Escape

Click: buy… a fifteen bedroom chateau

Condition: ‘may require improvement’

It seems like a good idea. Sell everything we own. Swap our modern little London flat for an entire chateau in the middle of France.

It’s always been our dream. And now it’s coming true. Because who wouldn’t want this?

As I use the rusty key to open the big, creaking wooden door of the fairytale chateau that’s officially our new home, I wonder: what could possibly go wrong?

Turns out my grasp of the language isn’t brilliant but I’d guess that the French for this is probably: L’EVERYTHING.

As the French sun blazes overhead, one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a year to remember…

My Review of The French Chateau Escape

Emma’s life is about to change.

The French Chateau Escape took me rather by surprise. I had expected a frothy, easy to read, book but I had not reckoned with the mature depth of Gillian Harvey’s writing. The French Chateau Escape is still an effortless read but that is because there is a smooth, sophisticated quality to the writing which makes it a pleasure, rather than it being a book that is merely entertaining. As a result, I enjoyed The French Chateau Escape all the more.

Whilst there’s enough about house renovation, as Emma and Mark struggle to breathe life back into their decrepit chateau, to please any lover of television house programmes like me, the real interest and strength in the novel lies in Gillian Harvey’s exploration of a marriage with a sixteen year age gap and a desperate desire to begin a family. Similarly, she illustrates the dynamics between Emma and her sister Rachael with complete dexterity because she has created warm, flawed and realistic people who feel so much more than words on a page. 

I wasn’t always sure I liked Emma very much in the early part of the narrative because at times she seems blinkered, weak and rather self-obsessed, but I definitely cared about her. I wanted her life with Mark to weather the storms and be a success. However, as the story progresses, so does Emma’s understanding not just of others, but, more importantly, of herself. There’s depth and growth here as she realises she doesn’t need to be defined by her past and other people. 

The plot is so relatable. We might not all ditch our existing lives to take on a crumbling French chateau, but the events that befall Emma and Mark are ones that might occur in any life so that they feel completely realistic to the reader. Issues of marriage, family and relationships, the need to keep control over spending, insecurity, maintaining a home, starting a business, caring about older family members, accidents and illnesses all combine to make a highly engaging story where the reader is drawn in and hopes for a positive conclusion. The French Chateau Escape feels like a story told by someone who knows what real life can throw at us.

I found The French Chateau Escape a mature, intelligent and absorbing story and one that is skilfully written and surprisingly emotional. I recommend it highly. 

About Gillian Harvey

Gillian Harvey is a freelance journalist and the author of two well-reviewed women’s fiction novels published by Orion. She has lived in Limousin, France for the past twelve years, from where she derives the inspiration and settings for her books. Her first title for Boldwood, A Year at the French Farmhouse, was published in September 2022.

For further information, follow Gillian on Twitter/X @GillPlusFive or find her on Facebook and Instagram. Gillian has a super website too.

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