This novel is a historical romance interwoven with a family mystery. The narration alternates between the story of Isabelle “La Rousse” Moulin in 1600s France, and her modern-day ancestor, Ella Turner in a small town outside Toulouse. The novel attempts to explore the connection between the past and the present, with a twist on the old Greek motif that a son inherits the sins of his father. In this case, the sin is passed on from mother to daughter. Whenever a member of the Tournier family (which Isabelle married into) becomes pregnant, they start having dreams of a special blue hue that during the Renaissance was reserved for artists painting the Virgin Mary. It is to figure out the story behind this blue that sets Ella on the path to discover her family’s past.

This novel is very visual in nature, being plotted around the particular blue of the virgin’s robe, which also appears in the dreams of Tournier women. It is told in alternating points of view from Ella and Isabelle, each chapter leaving with a cliffhanger to keep the reader longing to find out what happens next. Although Ella’s life and Isabelle’s tend to mirror each other with their feelings of alienation, the reader can assume that Ella’s life ends on a happy note, while Isabelle’s is much more somber. However, the ending is left open, which is very disappointing, and a bit confusing. It is ultimately up to the reader to decide on the fates of the two women.

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