A French Escap-aid

 

My hope is that this story will snuggle up with you in your magical me-time -moments’ unwinding at the weekend or as part of the mid-week madness that is real life. This story will fill you up with comfort and croissant – what more could a girl want or need?

The all-important blurb

It’s fair to say that Flick has had a terrible year. Her beloved father died, she had the wedding of her dreams and only hours after the ceremony her husband ran out on her. 

Brenda, fed up with her daughter living like a hermit, decides to drag Flick off to France to stay in a chateau. What could be better than an idyllic escape?

But when they arrive Flick discovers the chateau is all but abandoned.

The only upside of her French escape is the handsome and mysterious neighbour, Nate.

Nate loves his life living in the cottage on the grounds of the abandoned chateau but that is about to be put in jeopardy…

Can Nate and Flick ever learn to come to terms with the past and find love again?

Enjoy my Review of A French Escape, written by Suzie Tullett and published by the Tres bon Bombshell Books. 

They say that the path to happiness is normally about enjoying the journey and not the destination and normally I would agree. However, with the title The French Escape ringing in our ears It is no surprise that our destination in this story is a beloved character all of its own and that actually venues are of paramount importance in this tale.  The Chateau D’Enchantement, as its name suggests, has more than a sprinkling of Gallic charm and it begins to weave its Disneyesque magic upon our imaginations from the moment we arrive. We are not the only ones to fall under its spell, it sets to work on our grieving heroine Flic and her Mother as soon as the threads of life that have brought them there finally unravel and drop them at its iron gates. The fairy-tale enchantment moulds a mystery that swirls and unfurls around them both as we read deeper into their story. ‘In a forest in a wood … at the window stood’ goes the refrain – who stands at the window indeed? And is the forest friend or foe, a soulful sanctuary or sinister place? This will have a large bearing on the adventure contained within our story.

This week I am planning a school residential trip away for all the pupils to France this summer. As life and fiction merged together, I stepped further into the life of the village and its community. I enjoyed falling deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole of the romance of the place. My head was spinning with the sights and sounds of Brittany and the French way of life, if I turned one way I could ‘faire la bise’ and if I turned another I could enjoy baguettes and ficelles, all washed down with delicious French café au lait.  In my reverie I could hear the echo of the refrain of a song by Enrique Iglesias – in his mother tongue he reminds us that “we can run, we can hide but we can’t escape his love.” Many are running away in this story, but the writer teaches us that we cannot run so far that we run out of love’s reach. Will Flic still be able to feel the love of her departed father? will others in the community heal and find their heart’s desires of a happier future? Jess, Pete, Brenda, Julia, Phillippe and Nate – all are searching for something better for someone else they care about if not for themselves, even the future survival of the house itself is under question. If only we could all have a fairy godmother waiting in the wings to conjure up the answer to all our woes.

But Flic is a feisty gal who has a hero living on the inside of her. Through the mirror of her story this reader found hope enough to be her own hero too. When we follow the yellow brick road – we meet difficult times, difficult choices and it is so easy to develop a hole in the bottom of our bag of confidence and see our courage trickling away behind us. Flic taught me that after the storm we can find comfort in the strength we have within, that we can choose love over fear and continue onward, making choices for ourselves. It turns out that there may be something even better than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – the gumption to stand on our own two feet and reach for what matters to us, to dare to risk it all to gain it all, and to really have a life well lived.

Coffee Cup Conversations and Teapot Talking Points:

If you and I dear reader were sitting down together today, perhaps in a cosy corner of the Chateau D’Enchantement itself or the Café Ange, having both read the book, here are a few of the points we could mull over together, whilst trying out one of Jess’s delicious creations of course.

Have you ever stayed in a wonderful French venue?

I was once invited by a school friend to stay in the heart of the French countryside in gite. It was one of the most romantic and idyllic holidays that I have ever spent. In the day before the internet and mobile phones we were cut off from all communications. How my poor mum back home coped without hearing from me at all I don’t know. We enjoyed relaxing in the sunshine and cycling our way to collect a baguette and croissant or two. I really enjoyed the beautiful French farm house with its shuttered windows and faded bricks. What a treat. Nowadays it is even easier to stay in an authentically French home – I am definitely going to try out Air BnB for a future trip.

Have you ever built what you thought was a sanctuary, a comfort-zone which actually turned out to be a fence, keeping you from the outside world?

I could really relate to the theme of the comfort zone – it really is like a ‘protective blanket’ and there is most definitely in my experience a time and a place for this. However, it is important to let people see over our fences and into our gardens from time to time. The best thing about my family is that they accept my need for time alone as an introverted type – but that they also push me to believe in myself when I feel the urge to retreat out of a sense of fear or intimidation. Self-compassion is the key I believe – and little baby steps – but choosing to surround ourselves with love helps to conquer the power of fear and frees us up to make the choices that we truly want to make in our day-to-day lives.

If it was ‘French Week’ on the Great British Bake Off, what would you bake?

The first ever episode of GBBO that I saw was when the contestants were lined up and showing their best homemade loaf of bread to Paul Hollywood – master baker! So, no pressure then. They had had to plait the bread and make sure that it was all presented in an even shape and depth. Firstly, I couldn’t believe the difference that could be had amongst 8 loaves of bread and secondly, I really felt for the poor blighters as they had to claim ownership of their loaves and receive the comments attached. I think that I would really like to learn to make a croissant – a low fat one of course – I can’t imagine how wonderful it would be to present your very own confection for breakfast. The whole process looks really relaxing to me too. Maybe there is a class out there where we can learn a few skills before sending off our applications for the show!

Now, if you are anything like me, you will love getting to know the author: Suzie Tullett

Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. Her novels include Going Underground, Little White Lies and Butterflies, which was short-listed for The Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize, and The Trouble with Words. She has a Masters Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist.

I LOVE to interact and keep in touch with writers – either to share my thoughts on the book or to ask questions, but mainly just to hang out with people who love writing, reading and soul-surfing as much as I do. You can get in touch with Suzie here:

Website: suzietullett.com

Twitter: @SuzieTullett

So, dear reader, whilst you all head off to your bienvenue in Brittany, I’m going to search for some other brilliant books to take with us into the lighter evenings.

Upward!