Beyond the Lavender Fields

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 Beyond the Lavender Fields

Written by: Arlem Hawks

Synopsis:

1792, France
Rumors of revolution in Paris swirl in Marseille, a bustling port city in southern France. Gilles Étienne, a clerk at the local soap factory, thrives on the news. Committed to the cause of equality, liberty, and brotherhood, he and his friends plan to march to Paris to dethrone the monarchy. His plans are halted when he meets Marie-Caroline Daubin, the beautiful daughter of the owner of the factory.


A bourgeoise and a royalist, Marie-Caroline has been called home to Marseille to escape the unrest in Paris. She rebuffs Gilles’s efforts to charm her and boldly expresses her view that violently imposed freedom is not really freedom for  all.  As  Marie-Caroline  takes  risks  to follow her beliefs, Gilles catches her in  a  dangerous  secret  that  could  cost  her and her family their lives. As Gilles and  Marie-Caroline  spend  more  time  together, she questions her initial assumptions about Gilles and realizes that per-haps they have more in common than she thought.


As the spirit of revolution descends on Marseille, people are killed and buildings are ransacked and burned to the ground. Gilles must choose between supporting the political change he believes in and protecting those he loves. And Marie-Caroline must battle between standing up for what she feels is right and risking her family’s safety. With their lives and their nation in turmoil, both Gilles and Marie-Caroline wonder if a révolutionnaire and a royaliste can really be together in a world that forces people to choose sides.

Review: 

Arlem Hawks has created a masterpiece in writing. Beyond the Lavender Fields brings to life the realities and the and tragedies of the French Revolution while keeping the hope and force of love that can change anything. There is so much that Hawks is able to weave into this story. The introduction of the guillotine, the storming of the palace, the cruelty and hatred that comes from the Jacobins it is all within the pages of this story. The nitty gritties are within the pages of this story but that isn't all it is there. Love is there. Love that defies all else- all the separation that different political ideas can bring. This was a heavy story. Such a well-written and enchanting love story but definitely heavy. 

Purchase on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-the-Lavender-Fields/dp/B09G5B8MFD/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Arlem+Hawks&qid=1634066551&s=audible&sr=1-2

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