Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed that it's over!
Review: I read this book in about 2 days. I couldn't believe how it sucked me in! I read "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and thoroughly enjoyed it but had a little trepidation picking up another Chevalier book for fear I would be disappointed. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I felt for Ella, knowing that feeling of not being sure of the decisions you've made. I think most people have felt that way before. The book was beautifully written and so full of sorrow. I highly recommend it! I also recommend "The Kitchen Boy" for those with a taste for historical fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: Read the historical note first
Review: I found the first third of this book very baffling and confusing. The reader is launched into Isabelle's story without an explanation of the current situation. I was halfway through the book before I realized that the author was talking about the reformation and Calvinism. The historical note at the end of the book should be at the beginning of the book so the reader can understand the context of the story. I also found it helpful to brush up on my reformation history. Isabelle's life is drastically affected by those historical events, so a basic understanding of them is necessary. Like most readers, I enjoyed Isabelle's story more than Ella's. Ella's growing distaste for her husband, Rick, is a little confusing. I never really understood her motivations. She was a little too whiney and unhappy for my taste. So Isabelle was more interesting. However, I highly recommend looking at the family tree on page 127 (very end of chapter 4). The characters in Isabelle's story are never really introduced in relation to each other and it was quite confusing trying to figure out who was who and how they were all related.
Rating:
Summary: sure, its an early book....
Review: sure, its an early book.... but honestly, though it is obviously rougher in terms of overall reading.... the storyline (if you choose to believe in it) is incredibly original and amazing. I was so shocked and intrigued by the end that I sat staring at the book for a few minutes after I finished it and said "wow". Her newer books are, though equally amazing, alot more subtle and not so suprising afterthefact. I felt for La Rousse in this like I have rarely felt for any other book character... and I am not a particularly emotional or heart-run person. That is saying something.
Rating:
Summary: A Beauty
Review: The best novel I've read by Chevalier. I was awake until the wee hours of the morning to read the last section of the book and ended up missing work. The language is exquisite. I'm jealous of those of you folks that still have the opportunity to read it for the very first time around.
Rating: 
Summary: New type of novel for me
Review: I guess this could be considered a Romance Novel, but I have not read any (other) Romance Novels. But the romance part is only a sideline to this tale. It was an enjoyable read and for me sparked an interest in history. The historical parts are what really captured my interest. I like novels that move around in time and space in a fluid way and this feat was accomplished well in this story.
Rating:
Summary: Very Moving, my favorite Chevalier Novel
Review: Despite the complaints that I have heard saying that this novel is not up to par with Chevalier's other novels, I find this work to be her best. All of Chevalier's writing is extremely well-researched and beautifully worded. This novel melds the past and the present in two complex and provocative characters. Having read both Girl With the Pearl Earring and Falling Angels, I found The Virgin Blue to be superior to Chevalier's other acclaimed novels. This book is a masterpiece - it is honest, lyrical, captivating, and compelling.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: I agree with a previous reviewer in that I liked this book, "The Virgin Blue," much better than "Girl With a Pearl Earring," though I did enjoy that book as well on a different level. All of Chevalier's books are worthwile, with writing on the same level as McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood," or that of Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees." Her characters are well-developed and the plots believable and strong. And the emotional pull that her books have on their readers cannot be denied. Very enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood
Review: I just finished reading The Virgin Blue yesterday--I tore through it in only a few days. After reading a few reviews, I find that I agree with some of the opinions expressed. For one thing, I love Isabelle and her sad story but found myself bored and impatient during the chapters spent on Ella. Her character was too wishy-washy and, in the end, I found myself disliking her. Like many other reviewers said, she is whiny. She also has no real reason beyond lust for Jean-Paul for her to feel her marraige is failing. The only area where I noticed there was a breakdown in the marraige was directly related to her actions (or lack thereof). Instead, she seeks refuge in Jean-Paul, an intriguing stranger who is willing to help with her research. Her accusations of Rick in the final chapter don't even match how he has acted throughout the book. It seems to be merely an excuse--another lie. Chevalier would have done well to simply leave out Ella's half of the story and expound on Isabelle's side. I was longing to find out what happened to Isabelle in the end. Which path did she choose? Isabelle's story was beautiful, sad, and poetic. It deserved to be the focal point--not Ella's, which I found to be dull, boring, and disharmonious with the Isabelle's story (which, since it opened the novel, set the tone). And, yes, there was too much coincidence in the stories. After all was said and done, I wondered how she knew as much as she did about Isabelle (and Marie) with nothing more than birth & death records. There seemed to be a "connection" between the two characters, but it wasn't given enough attention to make it significant. The shifts between past & present left me at points where I was still intrigued. However, it just seem to formulated--I've seen this shifting between past & present and the interlinking of them both done all too often in Hollywood moveis. In the end, it isn't a bad book, but it also isn't a great book and doesn't stand out from Chevalier's other work.
Rating:
Summary: definitely a victim of bad reviews
Review: I agree with the person who said the Virgin Blue is a victim of bad reviews. This book is SOOOOOOOO much better than Girl With a Pearl Earring. I found it hard to believe this was a debut novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A disappointment
Review: An interesting premise but clumsily executed. Reads almost like a draft. Characters are undeveloped, motivations are not plausible and main character, Ella, comes across as decidedly whiny, self-centered and not particularly likeable. Chevalier clearly overcame the problems evident in this first novel with her second book (the third was good but less successful). I wonder if this one wasn't rushed into print based on the success of "Pearl Earring".
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