“Whisphering in French” was published in August of 2017, focusing on new beginnings and recovering from the past.
In the book “Whispering in French,” Kate Hamilton stayed in her grandfather’s villa in South France called the Madeleine Marie in the summer. When the home begins to fall apart, it ends up in Kate’s hands because her grandfather needs help with debts, and she is the most responsible one in the family. When she goes back to France from her home in the U.S., she tries to convince her grandfather to sell the house. Kate finds herself breaking just like the Madeleine Marie as her marriage ends, and she does not want to fail her daughter Lily. Throughout all of the challenges, Kate realized who and where she really wants to be.
An important part of “Whispering in French” is the setting in France. Not only does it show her family history and where she always used to go growing up, but it also symbolizes her life now and how she needs to get so many things figured out before she falls apart. It highlights that she was to persevere through her background and history, while also finding herself and moving on from her past struggles and relationships. In addition, the story of Kate’s life is in that villa, and she does not want to see her grandfather struggle because he can’t fix the repairs and maintenance that it will take to put it back into perfect shape. The setting also shows the growth of Kate from the beginning all the way to the end of the book. All in all, the setting is amazing because it allows the readers to feel the same energy that Kate does as she goes throughout her life.
Another key aspect of the story is Kate’s relationship with Major Edward Soames. Kate is a psychologist and life coach, and she agrees to coach Edward. He is a British military officer, and he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Throughout the process of Kate coaching Edward, he breaks through his shell, which helps Kate realize who she wants to become. This was a big moment because coaching Edward not only helped him to overcome events from his past, but she was also able to move forward from her previous marriage. Although their friendship was very unlikely to work out, it provided depth for the plot of the story to propel it forward.
Overall, “Whispering in French” would be rated a 4 out of 5 because the plotline was very intriguing. This book would also be recommended to anyone who likes romantic and historical books.
