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“A brilliant blue butterfly, stuck with a pin, stares back at us, wings frozen mid-flight…’Remember, blue is the rarest color on earth. This is one of the few living creatures the color exists on…’ The light from the nearby window reflects off the delicate blue of the creature’s wings…The butterfly is faceless, sightless. It does not seem possible that it ever lived. At that moment I do not feel that I’ve agreed to a spying-for-money scheme but something finer, something extraordinary. The quest for blue.” Nancy Bilyeau, THE BLUE

Publisher Synopsis:

In eighteenth century London, porcelain is the most seductive of commodities; fortunes are made and lost upon it. Kings do battle with knights and knaves for possession of the finest pieces and the secrets of their manufacture.

For Genevieve Planché, an English-born descendant of Huguenot refugees, porcelain holds far less allure; she wants to be an artist, a painter of international repute, but nobody takes the idea of a female artist seriously in London. If only she could reach Venice.

When Genevieve meets the charming Sir Gabriel Courtenay, he offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse; if she learns the secrets of porcelain, he will send her to Venice. But in particular, she must learn the secrets of the color blue…

The ensuing events take Genevieve deep into England’s emerging industrial heartlands, where not only does she learn about porcelain, but also about the art of industrial espionage.

With the heart and spirit of her Huguenot ancestors, Genevieve faces her challenges head on, but how much is she willing to suffer in pursuit and protection of the color blue?

My Recommendation:

Is there any reading more enjoyable than historical mystery that blends fact and fiction, and sends one straight to the internet seeking images to illuminate the already colorful prose between its pages? There is not, and THE BLUE, by Nancy Bilyeau, is just that kind of read.

Set in eighteenth century Europe, THE BLUE tells a fascinating and informative tale of hedonism, power, and how corrupt we mortals can become for our shiny objects and idols. The characters are spirited and flawed–there’s not a perfectly good egg in the bunch–but that makes them all the more relatable and memorable. The protagonist Genevieve is a gem whose missteps endear her to the reader, and the antagonist is captivating and complicated. Even the cover of the book needs mentioning: it’s exquisite. My preciousssss… 

Nancy Bilyeau writes books the reader may buy on release without knowing a thing about but may be certain will be worth the time and investment. THE BLUE is no exception. I was in a severe reading drought but THE BLUE ended it. I give it my highest recommendation.

Have you read any of Nancy Bilyeau’s other novels? Which is your favorite?