Author Description

Écoute is a ramshackle but charming cottage nestled at the base of a hill in a sleepy village in France. Every year, Jeannie and her husband Dave visit the village for several weeks, renting a house nearby. Jeannie becomes increasingly intrigued by the cottage, which seems to be rarely occupied although on one occasion she glimpses a young woman in the yard. Then one day she sees her again, leaving the house and loading her small car with a large suitcase and several boxes. She exchanges a few words with the neighbour, an older woman; looks back with what is clearly regret; and drives away. Some weeks later, Jeannie notices a sign posted on the door: ‘a vendre’: for sale.<br/>Overcoming financial and bureaucratic challenges, Jeannie buys the cottage. With Dave’s support she plunges into repairing and restoring a house that has clearly been mostly unoccupied for a number of years. She finds a patchwork quilt carelessly draped over the back of a chair.<br/>As the years go by, she gets to know her neighbour, Monica Bergerons, and her fascinating history as a member of the French Resistance during the war, after her arrival as a refugee from Poland. She discovers that she, also, lived in Écoute. She learns some of the equally intriguing history of the young woman, Celine, and her relationship with the cottage and the role it has played in her life.<br/>The patchwork is a symbolic and real link between the lives of the three women. The book weaves together the stories of Celine, Jeannie and Monica in a fascinating and moving account that spans 75 years.