How is your summer reading going? The global coronavirus pandemic has interrupted the normal way of life. When you’re forced to stay home for a lengthy time, reading a book seems to be one of the ways a person can feel like getting away from everything. Even better, pick up a whole series – like The French Connection, Elizabeth Pye’s historical fiction series.
Author of The French Connection,
a historical fiction novel series
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Elizabeth covers events of different eras in The French Connection series. Her splendid sense of place carries the reader’s attention to another place, different era, where world changes happened such as the French Revolution and World War II.
The French Connection Historical Fiction Series
Silk or Sugar …
the first novel in the series, is the story of Janine de Fleury who sails from New Orleans in 1803 to reclaim her dead parents’ estate that was confiscated in the early part of the French Revolution. She meets Etienne Tremeau who is not of her class. Yet he helps her escape the Reign of Terror when her life is threatened.
Readers can easily feel grateful in Silk or Sugar when reading about the Rein of Terror during the French Revolution for the freedom we have in America.
Of course, we live two-hundred-plus years later. Yes, life is different now. But social upheaval, even in our day, can disrupt families, communities, and nations.
How can we learn from past eras?
Read. Read. Read. Consider the viewpoints of political factions. Hear opinions of others. Take everything into account. Read not just one person’s or group’s articles, but check out differing opinions before you jump onto any popular bandwagon. And don’t repeat what didn’t work in the past societies.
Author Elizabeth Pye reads. Extensively. She writes from thorough research as well as actual visits to places, such as France. It is apparent that she carefully studies wars and political and social upheavals of countries referred to in her novels – and how people were affected.
Elizabeth has visited sites like the Sorbonne, Eiffel Tower, and stayed in a chateau. The actual experience of standing in the place as her characters do enhances the novels immensely.
Take a minute to read the interview about Elizabeth’s recent trip to France.
Return to Chateau Fleury…
the sequel to Silk or Sugar, is a blend of the past (French Revolution) and present when American Claire Bennett returns to Paris, investigates French records, enters a world of intrigue and danger, and seeks counsel from a handsome attorney, Marc-Claude Laval. But can she trust him?
Learn more about Elizabeth’s visit to Château des Sept Tours and the book Return to Chateau Fleury at her blog epye.com.
Return to Chateau Fleury can be ordered by clicking on the following Amazon link:
When Elizabeth traveled to France in 2019, little did she know that less than a year later, COVID-19 would stop worldwide travel and that Francophiles would only get to dream about a trip to France.
Mon Amour, Friend or Foe…
Elizabeth’s visit to the Sorbonne in 2019 gave her a feel of what her character, eighteen-year-old American Paulette Rousseau felt when she arrived in Paris in 1939 to study at the Sorbonne. She thought her prayers were answered when the handsome and charismatic Guy de Laval invited her to be a part of his chemistry study group. But her pursuit to a happier future away from her self-absorbed parents took on an unexpected turn when Guy convinced her to join the French Resistance in May of 1940.
Follow Elizabeth Pye on Facebook at facebook.com/lizpyebooks and on her blog, epye.com. Check out her latest blog post, Trip to France – Elizabeth Pye Interview. Read the interview about her trip to Paris in 2019. Included are photos of several sites she and her family visited in France.
Now Mon Amour, Friend or Foe is available on Amazon and has been added to my summer reading book list.
Summer Reading Book List
Start a summer reading list if you haven’t already begun one. Reading interests during this pandemic summer, for me, has shifted from what they were a year ago. My book list includes:
- Mon Amour, Friend or Foe (a novel of WWII Occupied France) – Author Elizabeth Pye includes in her notes about this novel: “Through the characters, I write of a people whose country and way of life are under siege and of how their morals and instincts direct their behavior. Some chose to collaborate with the enemy and others to fight to the death to defend their sovereignty for future generations and to protect those most vulnerable in their society.”
- Outstanding Black Sermons, Volume 2 – Samuel D. Proctor writes “When Christ has set you free, for one thing, you are able to see worth and dignity in all of God’s children, from the least to the greatest.” (Something to give serious thought to as change is being demanded in cities across America). Reverend Proctor also quoted a scripture in Proverbs 13:34, “Righteousness exalted a nation, and sin is a reproach to any people.” And he referred to another Bible verse where the apostle Paul said we should not be bound by our old inherited prejudices and sins, but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
- Women’s Devotional Bible, New International Version – Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
The Outstanding Black Sermons, Volume 2, by Walter B. Hoard, editor, isn’t available on Amazon. However, you can purchase Volume 1 edited by J. Alfred Smith, Sr. Click on the Amazon link below if you’re interested in reading it.
“to love your neighbor as you love yourself was to practice justice towards your fellow human beings.”
In a Christianity Today article, Derwin L. Gray says “to love your neighbor as you love yourself was to practice justice towards your fellow human beings.” It would do tremendous good if all people, all groups, would follow the practice of treating everyone justly. But that isn’t the case, is it?
So we learn how to cope. Like staying at home because of a pandemic. Going to the grocery store and wearing a mask, ripping it off as soon as we exit so we can breathe. Staying six feet apart from people. And reading books to escape our plight.