Off the Wild Coast of Brittany

Content warnings: war, Nazis, miscarriage, butchering animals, affair, loss of eyesight

Natalie & Alex are sisters living in a guesthouse on a small island once occupied by Violette during German occupation in World War II.

Violette Fouquet is a native of the Île de Feme, a French fishing village off the coast of Brittany. When World War II starts, the men leave to fight alongside the British and the women and children are left on the island. Nazi soldiers are eventually stationed on the Île de Feme, making an already hard life more difficult for the women on the island. Without boats, there is no fishing and without fishing, there is no food. The hearty island women will do what they must to survive.

Violette's unexpected ally is a German customs officer named Rainier who helps her by giving her extra food and delivering her letters that are confiscated by the Nazis. Through him, Violette realizes that not all Germans are Nazis and that some Germans also oppose the Nazi regime. Rainier is carrying secrets that could mean his death at the hands of the Nazis, and confiding in Violette eases his mind.

In the present day, Natalie Morgen has moved to the island with her boyfriend François-Xavier. Natalie's memoir details her life in France and her romance with the French chef. The couple returns to François-Xavier's hometown of Île de Feme and plans to renovate the guesthouse Violette's family ran during the war. To an outsider, her life is perfect.

But Natalie's life is a shambles. François-Xavier has left her and gone to Paris and she can't let the islanders know in case they kick her out of the guesthouse. Natalie's sister Alex shows up unexpectedly, and Natalie must eventually tell her what has happened and deal with her traumatic childhood. But Alex is hiding secrets of her own...

Both the WWII and present-day stories are interesting and separate, with the guesthouse being the common thread between the women. In many dual timeline stories, one arc is typically more interesting than the other. The women's stories are all compelling for different reasons and will keep the reader turning the pages.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction and women's fiction.

Notes: The Île de Feme is fictional, but based on the real Île de Sein.

There is an instance where a character says going blind is worse than death which some readers may find hurtful.

Juliet Blackwell is an author who writes historical fiction, mysteries, and fantasy. She lives in California.

Publisher: Berkley (print); Penguin Audio

Narrator: Hope Newhouse & Xe Sands

Running Time: 12 hours, 24 minutes

Length: 464 pages

Release Date: March 9, 2021

Representation: gay side character, war widow, transgender side character, blind person

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I received a digital audio recording of this title from Penguin Random House Audio as a librarian review copy. I read the latter edition.