Welcome to the final discussion of In a Field of Blue by Gemma Liviero! We hope you enjoyed the book! Note this discussion covers the full book, so if you haven’t finished reading yet you may want to go back to the In a Field of Blue Book Summary Page for the previous discussion.
Brooke’s Thoughts
Overall I enjoyed this book. At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of how descriptive the author was. Eventually, I got used to it, even though I prefer dialogue between characters over the description of scenery. I also felt her writing style was a little different for each character.
Mariette’s chapters were my favorite. I liked learning where she came from, why she acted the way she did, and about the love between her and her sister. I wasn’t a huge fan of Rudy and Marriette’s love in the beginning but I understood a little more as the book went on. The book might have been slightly better for me if it stopped before the epilogue. I still liked it and I give In a Field of Blue by Gemma Liviero 4 stars.
Favorite Quote:
“There is enough to carry in life without having to carry the worries of others.”
– Gemma Liviero, In a Field of Blue
Kevin’s Thoughts
Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of this book. Each time I got halfway invested in a character, the book would change points of view and throw me completely out of interest again. I also didn’t find the mystery very appealing since there were only a few options for whether Mariette was telling the truth about her marriage to Edgar and Samuel’s parentage. The family also seemed to decide pretty quickly to accept Samuel either way, so solving the mystery wasn’t even too critical. In terms of the historical fiction aspects, the book was pretty descriptive but I just don’t think WWI is a period I enjoy.
Favorite Quote:
“I had been warned at an earlier stop about the cold, but I did not think much about it, my mind only on the prize. And one often has to experience something to fully understand.”
– Gemma Liviero, In a Field of Blue
Surprised by the ending?
Last Week’s Poll
Several of us were on the right track. All three votes predicted Samuel was Edgar’s son but didn’t think Mariette was his wife. Although she was technically married to him, she wasn’t his true love so…partial credit.
Brooke’s Prediction
I was a little off in my prediction because I said Marriette’s story was not true. It actually had more truth than I thought. She was married to Edgar and Samuel was his son. It was just her sister Helene’s child and Marriette married Edgar for non-traditional reasons. I was pretty sure Samuel was Edgar’s son early on and I thought it was maybe Helene’s child but I did not think Marriette was really Edgar’s wife. I did enjoy how the story slowly filled in the gaps.
Kevin’s Prediction
The story played out pretty much as I predicted. Once we found Edgar in Canada and Mariette stayed with him, I even figured she would eventually join Rudy once Edgar passed away or no longer needed her. I didn’t expect the epilogue and Rudy dying in WWII though. I found that pretty sad with none of the family really getting a happily ever after. For this aspect, I think the book is pretty true to life but not what I want in a story.
How would you rate In a Field of Blue by Gemma Liviero?
Sorry, this vote is now closed. The average rating was 3.5/5 stars!
Discussion Prompts / Questions
Feel free to comment whatever thoughts and questions you have! But if you aren’t sure where to start, consider some of the prompts/questions below:
- Where you surprised by how Edgar, Marriette, Helene, and Samuel were related to each other?
- What did you think of the Epilogue?
- Do you think Rudy was happy?
- Do you have a favorite character? What do you like about them?
- Have any favorite quotes to share?
- What did you think of the descriptions of WWI?
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We hope you’ll enjoy this discussion and join us again in two weeks to discuss Part I of Educated by Tara Westover, our next book for Book Club! Check out Educated: A Memoir Book Summary Page more for details.
The second half of In A Field of Blue had a much different tone than the first half. In comparison the first half of the book seemed lighthearted and fresh while the second half was dark and heavy. But I think the second half has to be darker because as a piece of historical fiction dealing with war it has to drive home the truth that war has the potential to decimate everyone and everything it touches. In A Field of Blue, we see how war has destroyed the relationships, bodies, and minds of the characters. Liviero does a fantastic job of juxtaposing the horrific time people have during and after war with the simultaneous love they can also feel. Edgar lost his sanity and the love of his life, Mariette lost her family and home, and Rudy lost his older brother and his chance at love all because of war. However, Edgar’s love was the only reason he remained sane enough to return to find his French family and then later make the necessary sacrifice to ensure Samuel had a good life. Mariette never stopped loving Helene and she traveled to another continent to give her child a better life and was completely ready to give up all her happiness to fulfill a promise she had made to her dear sister. Rudy never stopped loving his older brother and traversed the Canada wilds risking his life to find him. When war reared its ugly head again Rudy was quick to follow Samuel into war, again because of love. Taking a page from the QuillQuotes author’s repertoire I chose my favorite quote from the book and it happens to be from Edgar. “Every day is different from the last. Not just that the sky or wind is changed, but within me fires burn and fires die, rage and fear run through my veins, and a purpose I am yet to find.” While Edgar was speaking about how he feels after the war and I can never and hope to never comprehend what toll experiencing war can have on a human I believe we all have points in our lives where we have a similar sentiment as this. The tough times we are currently facing, whether it be the pandemic or the systemic racism leading to the death of people of color, are different than the vileness that is war but the idea, that Liviero portrays through her characters, that the negativity in the world will not supersede the love that we feel for our family, friends and even community is relevant in our current society. In this respect In A Field of Blue did a fantastic job showing just how resilient human beings can be in the face of something as terrible as war.
I like your take on Edgar’s quote and the book showing love can overcome the world’s negativity. Perosnally, I didn’t really pick up on this vibe but am glad some found meaning in the book. For me, I mostly saw the book as a dose of reality for those who may be overly optimistic or have a rosy picture of the world. Although Mariette and Rudy do get some time together, I’d say this definitely isn’t your typical happily ever after story. Which, don’t get me wrong, I often like when authors take the path less traveled. For some reason, this one just didn’t resonate with me though. I think maybe I’m just not familiar enough with the WWI time period to connect with it.
I also agree she does a good job of showing death and destruction but also the strong unbreakable love between family and the people we choose to be family.
I too really enjoyed that quote. It amazes me just how resilient humans are, maybe it’s our love for others that makes us that way.
I think my favorite character was Rudy he didn’t stop looking for his brother. He was determined to get to the truth. Rudy also fought in WW II trying to protect Samual. I also really liked Mariette when I found out she was trying to protect Samual and Edgar over her own happiness I’m sure she would have rather stayed with Samual and Rudy rather then be in Canada taking care of Edgar. I’m so glad she got the chance to have a life with Rudy and Samual.
The descriptions of WW I were horrifying it is hard to imagine living in a city that was taken by the enemy and being treated so bad. The hunger alone would be so hard to live with and the bombing not knowing where and who was going to get hit next.
Everytime I read a book about WW I or WW II I’m grateful for the sacrifices those generations had to make to have the lives we are living now.
I was surprised and found it interesting that Rudy fought in WWII. He knew how terrible war was from his brothers but maybe that was part of his reasonings. I think I wanted more from the epilogue. It raised more questions for me, which is why I would have preferred if the book ended before it.
I couldn’t imagine my home town being invaded or leaving all of my belongings to run. It would be a terrible situation so I am also grateful for all of the veterans.
Did you like the book? Did you enjoy I’ll Never Tell better?
Yes I really enjoyed the book! I’m not sure which one I liked better. I’ll Never Tell is the type of book I read more often so it was my favorite genre. I do like to read historical fiction too. The last historical fiction I read was The Nightingale and I really liked that book it took place in WWII.
I liked I’ll Never Tell better. I think I prefer WWII historical fiction over WWI.
I also prefer WWII stories over WWI. I’m not sure why, maybe I just know more about the WWII time period so it’s easier to get engaged by the stories.
Rudy is my favorite character too! He most impressed me with his ability to let Edgar go and live out his life in Canada after going through so much to find him and learning about his PTSD. I think many people would have continued to bother Edgar and try to get him to come home or seek treatment rather than letting him live his way. I’m also glad Mariette got to be with Rudy and Samuel but more for Rudy’s sake, I think. Rudy dying in WWII was a big surprise for me compared to the rest of the book. I hadn’t really considered it too much but figured he’d be old enough to avoid the war. It’s not stated but it seems like he probably volunteered which says a lot about his character after everything he learned about war while tracking down Edgar.
It’s hard to imagine what living in a war zone would be like. I’m sure even stories like this pale in comparison to the real thing. Really makes you appreciate our veterans and how difficult it must be to live with PTSD.
Three very young sisters, one stolen, left alone to steal food and clothing to survive. After reading about Marietta and Helene and the their protectiveness of each other I felt differently about Marietta. She traveled to the estate to help Edgar and Sam. Sam needed to be with Rudy and Abigail. Rudy needed to know what happened to Edgar for his own peace of mine and struck out to find him hopefully alive. The book ended well. The epilogue told a lot. I needed to know how how Rudy and his family lived after all the devastation. This books also tells of the horrors during WW1. I knew it was bad but I did not realize how bad. Good read.
I completely agree, I changed my mind about Marriette after reading her chapters. She ended up being my favorite character! I also think it helped Rudy knowing what actually happened to his brother.
WWI was over 100 years ago and people tend to forget or not know the horrors since it is usually overshadowed by WWII. It’s a good story showing PTSD can happen any time during any war.
I am really glad you enjoyed the book!
Mariette definitely lived a hard life and I’m glad she was able to find some happiness with Rudy in between wars, even if it was brief. It was also good for Rudy and Abigail to get closure on Edgar’s fate and gain Samuel into their family to help fill the void left by Edgar. Sometimes that’s life, but the ending with all three of Abigail’s sons dying young is really sad. Maybe that way is more realistic, but I’d have preferred Rudy and Mariette just getting to live out their lives together without the epilogue and inclusion of WWII.