OUR STORE IS CLOSED ON ANZAC DAY: THURSDAY 25 APRIL
Jacquie Bloese, an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative course, has a strong personal connection with the subject matter of THE FRENCH HOUSE. She grew up on Guernsey, and is in love with both the island setting and its history. The character of Emile is loosely inspired by her great-grandfather, who suffered permanent hearing loss as a young man. Jacquie has worked as a publisher of English Language Teaching materials for a variety of publishers including Penguin Random House, Scholastic and Oxford University Press. The French House, which was commended in the 2020 Caledonian Novel Award as 'a brilliantly moving historical novel' and was a finalist in the 2019 Mslexia First Novel Award, is her debut novel.
A brilliantly moving historical novel * 2020 Caledonian Novel Award * A raw and honest love story, filled with a wealth of historical detail. The French House is a powerful depiction of the brutal intricacies of island relationships and loyalties in a time of war -- FIONA VALPY, bestselling author of THE DRESSMAKER'S SECRET Deeply involving . . . A fantastic debut by a gifted storyteller -- JILL MANSELL, Sunday Times bestselling author A story of fraught secrets and tested loyalties . . . I found this beautifully told tale hard to put down -- ANITA FRANK, author of The Return Heart-wrenching . . . A truly special novel -- LOUISE FEIN, author of People Like Us A vividly written, refreshingly different World War Two love story, with a central character I adored. Just brilliant! -- GILL PAUL, author of The Collector's Daughter A wonderful story, powerfully written with beautiful characters -- JAMES KENT, director of Testament of Youth
