The Blue. A Novel. - Nancy Bilyeau

As with any book by Nancy, I always learn something. I never knew that the color blue had such a significant place in history. Genevieve Planché is an English born woman but is actually a Huguenot and absolutely hates the French and all they stand for, including the King. She aspires to be an artist, but of course, women in 1758 London are not taken seriously so she paints porcelain. She lives with her grandfather on Spitalfields, a questionable area to live in. 

She meets Sir Gabriel Courtenay who wants her to spy for him regarding the color blue, he wants the formula for the color.  She is tasked with going to Derby and is expected to infiltrate the lab where the color is formulated. The main obsession of Sir Gabriel is with getting the information on a new shade of blue on porcelain that is a perfect shade. 

She wants to be able to go to Venice as Sir Gabriel has promisedto fulfill a lifelong dream of being able to study so she agrees. Things don't go as planned though and she finds herself in France, the very place she hates. She is concerned though that the task she has to undertake could cause problems for her grandfather. Spying is not something she has wanted to do but in order for her to fulfill her dreams, she must do this.

Like I said before, Nancy's novels always seem to teach and thrill at the same time. An exciting story that is character driven, and has a female protagonist that is strong and goes after what she wants and does not let society tell her what she can and can't do. The addition of a love story keeps the story fluid and easy to read. When I look at some of the porcelain figures I have, I just never realized nor cared how they were made or about the colors that they are painted with. Well, I will now..lol.

 I always look forward to a new book by Nancy and this one did not disappoint! Go get your copy when it is released, you won't be disappointed!