Author: Liza Perrat
Kindle Edition Published October 19, 2024
Category: Historical, Fiction, Women’s Fiction
The three main protagonists in this story are Adrienne, Suzanne and Blanche who are all navigating their own traumatic lives. Adrienne Chevalier realises her ‘perfect’ marriage was perhaps not as perfect as she thought. Her husband’s use of what he considered to be a term of endearment, which Adrienne felt was more of a belittlement, coupled with the seeming lack of affection from her children, caused feelings that ate away at Adrienne’s sense of self worth. Things came to a head one day in a grocery store and she fled with no particular destination in mind. By a roundabout route she found herself at L’Auberge de Léa where, with the help of a supportive group of women, she rediscovered a sense of happiness and a feeling of belonging despite missing her children.
Blanche Larue lived in Adrienne’s favourite place, Sainte-Marie-du-Lac, and was herself in a less than satisfactory marriage which brought on agoraphobia. Blanche is more concerned with how she appears to others, not allowing the ins and outs of her life to be generally known until a fatal accident and a scathing attitude had terrible consequences for Adrienne.
Suzanne Rossignol’s tragic story is told at intervals through diary entries, written in the early 1900s and read by Adrienne after she discovered the diary’s hiding place in her room. It highlights the struggles of men who return home from war different people from those who left to fight for their country, and the impact it can have on their wives.
The story also takes into account the fact that even in the 1970s a lot of women whose husbands were professionals/businessmen were expected to stay at home to run the household and and look after the children, rather than have any kind of life outside the home. Adrienne blossomed after she met the women who lived in Sainte-Marie-du-Lac, her sense of worth increased with the support and friendships that developed, but the threat of her husband was always lurking in the background. Quite a thought provoking read, especially about the horrendous way women with emotional problems were treated in relatively recent times. The setting is beautifully visualised. A worthy addition to the series.
I chose to read and review Lake of Widows for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy from the author.
Three women. One shared struggle. Can they survive?
1970. When Adrienne Chevalier’s perfect life in a chic quartier of Lyon unravels, she flees to rural Sainte-Marie-du-Lac to escape her controlling husband, Emile.
Taking refuge at the idyllic L’Auberge de Léa, Adrienne befriends Blanche Larue, who is herself trapped by her husband’s infidelity. Adrienne begins to understand the subtle strictures that keep women chained across generations.
But to what diabolical lengths will Emile go to reclaim his wife?
And can Blanche find the courage to choose truth over appearances?
1914. Suzanne Rossignol bids farewell to her beloved husband as he marches off to war. Through Suzanne’s journal entries, Adrienne discovers that the damaged soldier who returns from the trenches is a stranger, leaving Suzanne to navigate a home-front battlefield.
Join Adrienne, Blanche and Suzanne on their emotional journeys amidst the tranquil French countryside as they fight to escape the shackles of tradition and abuse. Their stories, bridging half a century, are bound by a timeless struggle.
A heart-wrenching blend of historical and women’s fiction, Lake of Widows explores the complexities of marriage, family secrets and self-discovery in 20th-century France.
