The Beekeeper's Promise

All of Fiona Valpy’s book are little treasures. The emotional depth, the character developments, and interesting story lines are always wonderfully done. You will become deeply invested in the characters and truly care about their outcomes. I highly recommend them! And, oh yes, you will also learn things by reading them- - not just history of the time period, but other interesting things. In this book, you’ll learn a bit about bees and their keeping as well as the conditions the people lived in during German occupation of this area of France. I found it all very enlightening and entertaining. Top marks!

A wonderful read to curl up with when you’re in the mood for a bit of distraction and desire for a light romantic adventure. Despite the heaviness that surrounds the topic of Nazi occupation in Europe, this novel is not overshadowed due to deft storytelling and masterful weaving of several characters, two timeframes, and healthy doses of mystery, romance, and strong family bonds. The author uses beautiful metaphors to deposit you directly into the scenery, and the recurrent references to seasons and nature’s own timing paired well with moving the story along in one timeframe, while successfully keeping the other storyline safely in place. I appreciated the historical references and the author‘s due diligence in presenting the facts accurately. If you’re looking for an incredibly detailed and harrowing read, move along. This book reads like a pg 13 movie script, which is just fine if you’re into that genre. The novel feels a little... too perfect and polished. But that is a horrible nitpick that I’m even slightly ashamed to write. I’d recommend this to most people.

A beautiful story of love, courage, resilience and hope. So expertly written. The characters are deep, rich and beloved. I am an avid reader and appreciate this author and her superb storytelling and vivid details so picturesque in just the right detail. The Bee Keeper’s Promise is a book well worth your time and will forever live in your mind as an unforgettable story of a people’s choice to rise and shine in the face of unspeakable evil, unbearable sorrow and loss. Together, entwined in the unbreakable bonds of love, they conquer fear, overcome the enemy and stand together as victors. The resistance fighters of France refused to allow their lives to be forever lost by the darkness that threatened to break them. They chose love. They chose courage and their story is worth reading and remembering long after reading the last sweet word.

I am a fan of this author and read this book following the “Escape to France” trilogy. This book follows “The Season of Dreams” with a continuation of some of those characters; although it is not an official part of that collection and you don’t NEED to read the others first (although I was glad I had). In The Beekeeper’s Promise we are transported back to France in the era of WWII. There are beautiful insights into the war’s impact on the French people as a community and as individuals. I immediately embraced the characters and felt an intimate view into their life and their relationships and their struggles to hold onto a sense of hope. Ms Valpy intertwines that storyline with a thread from 2017 that keeps you rooting for that character’s perseverance as she, too, struggles to find and believe in her own inner strengths. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the bees…it was a gift to learn about their strength of purpose as well, and they were the perfect theme for the story. A lovely read!

This charming novel alternates time and points of view between present day Abi and WWII Eliane. The setting is always small town France. While the town is fictional, the setting in the Dordogne region is recognizable. Abi lives in London, but she arrives in France after a difficult past to attend a Yoga retreat. Through a series of events, she leaves the retreat and lands at a Chateau that is now a wedding venue where she signs on to work for the season. Eliane is the miller’s daughter. She tends bees, gathers herbs and mushrooms, works at the same Chateau for the Comte and works for the resistance. The stories are well told and fresh enough to be interesting and entertaining. The fictional town is right on the border between occupied France and Vichy France. The tensions along the border and border controls are very interesting and part of the story that is seldom featured. There are parts of Abi and Eliane’s stories that are harrowing, but the book is not filled with gruesome details. The writing is good, and the pacing kept me turning the pages quickly. The setting in France is part of its charm for me. The plot is largely believable, and the stories are interesting.

loved it

I love books about WWII; the occupation of Italy and France and the peoples' resistance to the Nazi regime. This a good story about the occupation of France and the French resistance but it didn't completely hold my interest. As another reviewer commented, it was a little "soft" in the description of life for the French people under Nazi occupation but the reader did get a flavor of life in a small French town on the border of France and Vichy France. It is a book divided between two periods in history and two female characters: Abi from 2017 and Eliane from the war years. The chapters alternated between the two characters and time periods which some readers complained about but which I, personally, like. Abi arrived in France at the end of an abusive marriage and worked at a Chateau which hosted guests and their wedding parties. Eliane was the miller's daughter who tended bees at the same Chateau during the war. The characters are interesting and well developed but I was put off by the premise that living within and escaping a bad marriage (Abi) was comparable to living under the rule of monsters and murderers (Eliane). The author has written another book about the French resistance featuring Eliane's sister who lived in Paris. I will read that book next since it is a topic and time period that I am very interested in.

La novela desarrolla de forma paralela la historia de dos mujeres, con el nexo común del lugar donde se desarrolla. Bastante bien escrita, nos transporta a la Francia ocupada por los nazis a la vez que va desarrollando la historia de la protagonista que llega al lugar en la actualidad.

I first discovered Fiona Valpy by reading her novel The Dressmakers Gift and quickly ordered Sea of Memories and this novel, A Beekeepers Promise. She has quickly risen to one of my favourite historical fiction authors ever. This book is a wonderful story, weaving back and forth between modern day and war-torn France. Elegant vivid prose and beautiful characters, like Mrs Valpy's other works, she draws you into the world. I couldn't put this book down. Gripping and unforgettable, brought me to tears in spots. Recommend this book and this author!! Huge fan!

Beautiful read! I was transported to the time where Eliane lived her life at the Moulin, crossing each path like bravado.

I loved Fiona's style of writing, particulary the way she linked both stories. I recommend this book to those who like a heart-warming and thoroughly enjoyable read.

As soon as the character of Matthieu was introduced, I knew the events of Tulle would eventually appear also in the story. I am french, and I was born in Tulle... The tragedy of june 9, 1944, have been a part or my history, my grands-parents lived through them, my aunt, who was 15 at the time, has searing memories about them. Thank you for treating this terrible event with care. You only made one mistake : 99 men were killed that day ont 97, most of them hanged from lamposts and balconies, but a few were shot after jumping into the Correze to try and escape hanging. And yes, every year each spot where a man was hanged bears a wreath.