Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Шато край реката

Rate this book
февруари 1900 г., Ла Рошел
Така ми се иска да мога да напиша на тези страници в дневника си, че ус­пях да стигна навреме и че като ме видя на кея, Тома скочи от кора­ба на мига, за да ме притисне в обятията си. И че се обяснихме и всички недоразумения се разсеяха. А после се оженихме и имахме много деца. Но животът, уви!, не е роман.
Изпуснах кораба. Изпуснах го само за ня­колко минути. Когато стигнах до кея, крещейки като луда къде е корабът за Ню Йорк, той вече бе напуснал пристанището, града и Франция и отнасяше Тома към другия край на света.
в наши дни, Шандьоние на река Виен
Американката Александра Доусън открива избледняла снимка на своята прапрабаба Габриел, с която много си приличат.
Фотографията е направена преди повече от сто години във френски замък. Фирмата, за която работи Александра, възнамерява да създаде клон във Фран­ция за производство на местни вина. Младата жена заминава в командировка със задачата да проучи условията, но и с намерението да открие миналото на своя род, което я отвежда в очарователното провинциално градче Шандьоние, разположено насред долината на Лоара. Тук неустоимо я привличат и многобройните дюкянчета за книги по протежение на кейовете на реката, и малкият каменен мост, и старата тепавица, и лозята наоко­ло, и рушащото се шато, което разпознава от снимката. Въпреки че настоящият му собственик мосю Сарказъм я посреща враждебно и се държи арогантно (а е толкова привлекателен!), тя решава да остане, за да помогне за спасяването на замъка и да продължи проучванията на родословието си. Така попада на дневника на Габриел.
Алекс е пленена от красивата любовна история на Габриел и Тома и от силата на чувствата им. И продължава да си задава въпроса какво се е случило с тях и дали и тя някога ще изпита страст, подобна на тяхната…

Роман за две жени – смели и решителни, готови да се борят с цената на всичко за любовта си. И за техните вълнуващи истории, които опияняват като хубавото френско вино.

424 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Chloé Duval

13 books82 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
70 (36%)
4 stars
79 (40%)
3 stars
35 (18%)
2 stars
7 (3%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Deanne Patterson.
2,059 reviews81 followers
February 8, 2019
The Chateau by the River draws you into it's dual time line. A mysterious faded photograph of a woman who looks eerily identical to Alexandra Dawson has her traveling to a crumbling chateau in France. Such a lovely historical story we discover this woman is her great-great- grandmother. Secrets revealed lead us to discover the truth of her own identity. Such a romantic charm to be found in this story within it's crumbling castle walls.
Pub Date 25 Dec 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Nina Draganova.
1,062 reviews62 followers
June 8, 2019
Книга , която повече прилича на приказка, наивна до изтощителност . Може би , затова я четох толкова дълго, такъв тип четива ме приспиват, а не поддържат интереса ми.
Има истории , две даже ( каква изненада) .
Просто е прекалено разтеглена и обвита в детайли.
Явно нещо не й достига, след като не я изчетох на един дъх. Това е моя критерий за качеството на книгите.
Profile Image for Lori.
1,164 reviews42 followers
November 29, 2018
Consisting of two parallel stories featuring Chandeniers, a French castle, Chateau by the River offers a glimpse into the lives of the castle owners by their future wives. In the present, Alexandra meets current owner Eric when she stays in France to conduct genealogical research on her family which came from the castle following a business trip. The castle burned and was never restored. Eric's father intended to do so, but he died before seeing it through, and Eric was unable to continue his father's efforts due to inheritance taxes and other things eating up the funding. In the past, Gabrielle, a bookseller's daughter, meets Thomas d'Arcy, the castle's owner. He'd inherited the castle although his father was really not a d'Arcy at all. Alexandra discovers Gabrielle's diary. Both couples faced problems brought on by others interested in marrying the woman. The present story involves locating funding for restoring the castle. Alexandra's determination at finding a source eventually pays off. While I enjoyed the romances, I enjoyed the genealogical research angle most, particularly delving into the castle's history and the family history. Genealogists who read romance novels will find this one appealing. I received a Kindle edition of the book from the publisher through GoodReads with the hopes of a review, although one was not required. (3.5 stars)
Profile Image for Гриша Атанасов.
Author 36 books15 followers
March 5, 2020
Александра Даусън, млада жена, която работи във винарско предприятие в Калифорния, открива снимка на своята френска прапрапрабаба Габриел, направена пред старинен замък във френско градче. Служебна командировка до Франция дава възможност на Алекс да я съчетае с проучване на миналото на рода си. Снимката я отвежда до градчето Шандьоние-сюр-Виен, където някогашният замък е в руини. Тя започва да разгадава живота на прабаба си Габриел и така постепенно авторката ни въвежда в две любовни истории, едната през 1899-1900 г., другата в наши дни.
Романът се изгражда от пресъздадените успоредно истории на Александра и Габриел. Всяка от тях преживява любовната си история, но те резонират помежду си, старата история е видяна до голяма степен през погледа на съвременната героиня, която постепенно я разплита, докато преживява своята, като същевременно върви упорито по следите на своя произход и паметта за предците си.
Има мрачни семейни тайни, влюбвания от пръв поглед, драматични любовни сцени, скарвания и пр. Любовните истории и в двете епохи преминават през много перипетии, неразбиране, интриги, недоразумения, раздели, за да достигнат до изстрадана щастлива развръзка.
И двете героини са активни, действени, силни жени, които сами коват съдбата си и не се свенят да бъдат активната страна в тези истории и се борят упорито и последователно за това, което са решили да постигнат.
Романът е майсторски композиран, главите от двете епохи се редуват като в края на всяка остава напрежението какво следва. Авторката подхвърля във всяка от тях ключове към разгадаването на събитията от другата епоха. Разбира се, Александра е тази, която черпи опит и сили от своята предшественичка, за да постигне щастието в своя живот.
Profile Image for Reeca Elliott.
1,503 reviews17 followers
December 26, 2018
Alexandra has found a photograph from the past. It has captured her imagination. When she is in Europe for business, she decides to take a side trip to investigate the chateau in the photo. The owner of the chateau is a man named Eric and he is not happy to see her.
I disliked Eric right from the start. He is very rough around the edges and just plain rude. But as the story developed, he sort of grew on me. He and Alex have a strange relationship which grows into much more than expected. Took a while and it was a struggle, but they made it in the end.
This tale captivated me from the very beginning. The historical setting of the chateau and the troubles surrounding the upkeep are fascinating. Then the relationship between Eric and Alex…well, let’s just say, it is not a bed of roses. These two do team up FINALLY to try and save the chateau.
I enjoyed this read. The history, the setting, and the characters are a great combination.
I received this novel from Kensington Press via Netgalley for a honest review.
Profile Image for Kayla Tornello.
1,459 reviews13 followers
November 2, 2018
I loved how this story was split between the present day and the past. Both stories featured interesting characters. And who can resist the setting of a beautiful French chateau? I liked the contrast between the past grandeur and the present day ruins. I definitely recommend this book for any romance lovers!

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Yay!
Profile Image for Anne.
575 reviews97 followers
November 14, 2018
Two Awesome Love Stories in One.

I'm so lucky. I won this book on Goodreads and it was right down my alley! I loved this book. A love story from the past, one from the present. Both based around the same castle. Everything you need in a historical romance.
Profile Image for Meghan.
688 reviews81 followers
December 12, 2018
Magical is the perfect word to describe the writing done by Chloé Duval! Her books are translated from the original French, so I imagine that it would be even better were I able to read French. Sometimes things are lost in translation, and this is one of those times I wish I was bilingual. Thankfully, the wonderful people at Lyrical Press understand that even those of us who are not lingually inclined want to read foreign language books. Thus The Chateau by the River is reborn in English! Chloé Duval has such a gift with writing that it's difficult for me to rate this book, because while I loved her storytelling in this book, I found myself frustrated with major parts of the romance component. As in her last book, I enjoyed the jumping between past and present, because it's like getting two love stories in one. The trouble was, I wanted to stay in the past, because the present was the part that was difficult to read.

Sent to France by her employer to do business there, Alexandra Dawson takes the opportunity to extend her stay for vacation, so that she can do some digging into her French heritage. Her first order of business is to go to a castle where her great-great-great-grandmother was photographed, to understand what her connection was to the surrounding area. What she finds, however, is a crumbled structure destroyed by a fire many years ago, and its caretaker has no interest in helping her explore. Eric Lagnel wants to keep Alex out of his castle and out of his heart, but as she worms her way into his life, he finds her unrelenting positive attitude hard to resist. As they work together to uncover more of Alex's ancestor's history, a story begins to unfold from the past, and Alex will find that history often repeats itself, in the most unexpected ways.

The "past" story was my favorite part of this book! I loved Gabrielle and Thomas so much, particularly as they became closer and showed greater depth in their personalities. Gabrielle was a very strong woman who was also compassionate and smart. She was the perfect fit for Thomas, who needed someone strong to break through his shell and help him see what a wonderful person he was. Their romance made my heart flutter, especially when they showed each other how they felt and had so much joy. It wasn't perfect and there was some drama, but ultimately they realized that love was stronger than any obstacle they faced. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters who brought so much color to the story and made me wish I could jump into the pages to meet them.

As far as Alex and Eric are concerned, I was very, very, VERY conflicted. Alex, dear girl, was engaged, and she neglected to tell Eric this for the majority of the book. So for most of the "present day" story, I was waiting for her to put on her big girl panties and tell him, so that we could avoid a big dramatic scene later when he finds out. Sadly, Alex didn't do that, so we were forced as readers to watch as Eric fell in love with her, and Alex didn't tell him about her fiance back in the States. Eric deserved better, in my opinion, and while he had a lot of faults, I really liked him. I also liked her fiance. When everything exploded and her engagement was revealed, I was cheering Eric and Spencer on, because Alex made it seem like there was an adequate explanation for her lies. Which there wasn't, let's be honest. You messed up, and there was no good reason not to tell them.

So 5 Stars for Gabrielle and Thomas and 3 Stars for Alex and Eric, which is why you will see my final review is 4 Stars.

I really enjoyed reading this book overall, and I can't say enough good things about the author. She really has a talent for putting beauty into words, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**
Profile Image for Marine Level.
194 reviews9 followers
February 12, 2019
Ce livre est absolument PARFAIT ! Ma lecture était juste divine, je suis tombée sous le charme de ces deux histoires…

Pour l’anecdote, j’ai acheté ce livre en ebook lors d’une promotion sur internet, et il a trainé sur ma liseuse depuis tout ce temps. Sur le groupe Facebook de romance historiques où je suis, ce roman défile dans un des posts, et là je m’y plonge… et quel bonheur !

Ce roman rassemble toutes les qualités que je recherche… Une histoire récente, une histoire historique qui sont liées entre elles. Des protagonistes qui ont du caractère. Beaucoup de clins d’œils aux choses que je peux aimer. Mélangez tout ca et voilà « A sa rencontre ».
On y suit en parallèle deux magnifiques histoires d’amour. Une dans les années 1900, avec un arrière goût de Downton Abbey et de Jane Austen. Et une de nos jours, autour de l’histoire de ce château qu’on tente désespérément de sauver…
Deux héroïnes fortes, qui se cherchent mais n’ont pas peur de dire ce qu’elles pensent, Gabrielle et Alexandra.
En face d’elles, deux jeunes hommes, tous deux torturés par la vie par différents événements, Thomas et Eric.
Alex fait des recherches généalogiques sur sa famille et le château qu’ils occupent et se plonge pour ca dans sa propre histoire, et surtout celle de son ancêtre, Gabrielle. Les deux histoires sont incroyablement liées entre elles, de part leurs similitudes, et leur attachement au château de la Ferté-Chandeniers, qui est l’élément central de l’histoire.

Ne vous y fiez pas, leurs histoires ne sont pas simples, loin de là, on a notre dose de rebondissements pour nous tenir suffisamment en haleine. L’auteure alterne chaque chapitre dans chaque époque, ce qui nous fait tourner les pages très rapidement croyez moi. C’est si empreint de poésie que ca nous prend au coeur, aux tripes et on s’attache très vite à ces personnages dont on veut connaître le dénouement final…

J’ai aimé tous ces clins d’œils aux d’autres œuvres que j’aime.. Outlander, Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, ou bien même la Belle et la Bête. J’ai d’autant été troublée par le personnage de Marine, qui me ressemble vraiment beaucoup.. Déjà elle aime Outlander, a un caractère s’approchant du bien, dégaine le même style de phrase que moi « Vous savez, rien n’arrive jamais par hasard dans la vie », et plein d’autres choses qui m’ont fait m’attacher encore plus au récit.

Chose à souligner également, toute la partie qui traite du château se situe en France, proche des châteaux de la Loire, et je trouve que ca se prête idéalement au récit romantique. Les descriptions aident beaucoup à s’imaginer le décor, la plume de Chloé est fluide et on se balade volontiers au bord de la Loire ou dans un vignoble.

Tout ca pour vous dire, que j’ai passé des heures très agréables, plongée dans ces deux histoires riches en émotions… que j’ai eu de la peine de les quitter à la fin… et que si vous aimez les belles histoires, ce roman va forcément vous charmer… et vous tenir éveillé un long moment…
296 reviews10 followers
November 6, 2017
4.5

J'ai Adoré ce livre!!
Alexandra est une jeune américaine qui a débarqué sur le sol français.
Au départ pour le bien de son travail (elle est employée dans une entreprise qui s'occupe de vignobles en Californie) mais également pour son bien être personnel.
Elle est tombée il y a quelques temps sur une photo de Gabrielle D'Arcy, une de ses ancêtres, et tient absolument à en apprendre plus en se rendant sur le lieu qu'elle pense être celui de la photo.
Elle part donc à la rencontre du château de la Ferté-Chandeniers.
Mais ses recherches ne seront pas de tout repos car Eric le propriétaire actuel est loin d'être accueillant.

J'ai déjà adoré la plume et le style de l'auteur.
C'est fluide, ça se lit extrêmement bien et il y a plein d'allusions à des séries, des livres, des auteurs... c'est juste savoureux et jouissif! Ce petit cocktail a bien souvent collé un petit sourire sur mes lèvres.
(surtout que toutes les références sont d'un extrême bon goût et terriblement bien choisies!) :)
Ensuite il y a cette alternance, non de point de vue cette fois ci , mais d'époques.
On alterne entre Alexandra et le présent, puis Gabrielle et le passé.
Et j'ai été totalement emporté par ce système narratif!
Ce roman est emplit de nostalgie, de beauté, de douceur, d'amour, de passion.
Et si certes on y retrouve les codes du genre (et où parfois je trouve cela gênant), ici cela ne m'a pas du tout dérangé.

Les personnages sont travaillés, peut être que certains y verront des clichés, mais moi ils m'ont plu tels qu'ils étaient.
Ils sont forts, passionnés, déterminés, fragiles parfois aussi.
L'ambiance, que l'on soit à l'époque actuelle ou plongé dans les années 1900, est très bien retranscrite. J'ai vraiment cru y être à chaque fois. J'aurai même réellement adoré y être à certains moments!!

Mon seul micro bémol sera pour la fin.
Que je n'aurai pas voulu autre en fait. Mais qui d'un autre côté sonnait un peu trop comme "parfaite".
Ne cherchez pas, je ne me comprends pas moi même!!!
April 25, 2019
Firstly, before I talk about the plot of this novel I want to mention something about the great way in which the book was written by Chloe Duval. I really liked that in Alexandra's chapters the story was written in first person, singular and in Gabriel's chapters the story was written in third person, singular. It was very interesting, at least for me, that this change in the chapters was very easy-going and gracefully done. I think that made the book even better.
And now for the plot - I really liked the story, I often read books that have two stories in different times and they interwine and this was a very good story. At first I liked Gabriel and Toma's story more , because it was the distant 1900s, but then when I continued reading, my opinion changed a little. I was drawn and charmed by the lovely and stubborn Alexandra and the by the handsome screwball that was Eric. I really liked this couple, because they were so different from each other and yet they forgot all about their differences and really gave theirselves to love and to the world through the pink glasses. There is only one thing that I didn't quite like and it was the ending of the love story between Gabriel and Toma - I think they deserve a better ending. But overall I really liked the novel and I recommend it to everyone.
Profile Image for Raya.
136 reviews58 followers
December 22, 2018
This is a dual romance set in France. The story jumps between past and present with entirely different stories. The past features Gabrielle, great grandmother of Alex, the protagonist of the present story-line. We even have Alex reading Gabrielle's diary entries at the present time in line with the events as we see them happen in the past time.

I liked the past story-line slightly more than the present one. The point of contention for me was that Alex has a fiance who happens to me a good guy. Although, her and Eric's relationship start off on a frosty note, they slowly warm up to each other and we still don't see Alex telling him about her fiance, even as both of them start growing feelings for each other. I can't describe the frustration I felt for her. The direction their story took ended up being predictable no matter how hard I wished the author to thwart my expectations.

Gabrielle and Thomas were a midge more enjoyable to read. But honestly, both the romances didn't click with me. The writing felt corny to me, for lack of a batter word. I did like the conversations between the both couple as they get to know each other. I also loved the literary references. But this novel just failed to engage me.
Profile Image for Jo Ann von Haff.
Author 32 books33 followers
December 7, 2017
4.5

J'aime la plume de Chloé Duval, par sa manière de nous faire sourire et de nous faire décrocher des « awwww » mièvres à chaque moment fort. On termine toujours ses livres légers, avec l'envie d'aimer ou d'être heureux ou quelque chose de bien doudou.
Dans ce roman, on retrouve bien Chloé, avec ses personnages touchants et ses héroïnes qui parviennent à voir la lumière là où il n'y en a pas (encore).
Ce n'est pas un coup de cœur comme les précédents qui m'ont fait éteindre ma liseuse avec un sourire béat, il y a eu quelques passages qui m'ont un peu moins plu (concernant certains comportements, mais vers le dernier quart, j'ai eu plusieurs moments de « wa! ». Parfois, il suffit d'une attitude, d'un mot bien senti, d'une plainte, d'un cri du cœur, quelque chose de... parfait (même si pour les persos, ils doivent avoir envie de se bagarrer ou de pleurer ou de taper ou...). Des mots, rien que des mots.
Et il y a ce passage que je ne veux pas spoiler mais que j'ai tellement envie de partager, que j'ai eu envie de relire 1500 fois. « Tu aurais dû être là... » Oh, Zézus, le cri du cœur.
Je n'ai pas pleurer (nouveauté), mais ce n'était pas loin.

Merci, Chloé. ♥
Profile Image for Adri Dosi.
1,600 reviews21 followers
September 8, 2019
Panebože, kolikrát to kdo napsal v podobném stylu? Takový ten příběh o Američance, která něco zdědí, pak najde fotku a začne se pídit po ženě a historii? Dostane se ideálně do Francie a zjistí, že je to princezna, kněžna něco a měla by mít nějaký zámek, ideálně s nějakým pěkným chlápkem. Och můj ty smutku. Tak odrhané téma s minimálními rozdíly.
3* dávám proto, že to není špatně napsané a není to zlá kniha, pokud jste něco podobného už nečetli. Bohužel pro mě, já letos narazila na čtyři podobné kousky a už toho mám vážně dost. Takže i když to nebylo špatně napsané, tak u mě se tahle kniha nezavděčila. Bohužel.
Profile Image for Kelly.
473 reviews10 followers
Read
January 20, 2019
A cosy romance with a sprinkling of predictability but a heart warming dual tale none the less. I enjoyed this book. There were few surprises but it was well written and the separate stories of Alexandra and Gabrielle easy to follow which is sometimes a risk with this type of book. It could have been set anyway, the French location could have been expanded on as last of the story. Some incidents felt like they were brushed over rather than being pivotal parts of the story. However well worth a read.

Thank you Netgalley.
July 1, 2022
Сякаш всички книги свързани с Франция трябва да вървят в две паралелни времеви линии. Или аз така ги уцелвам или това е някакъв тренд. И отново миналото е по интересно и вълнуващо. За пореден път миналото е основата на книгата. Чак се чудя защо всички пишат по една и съща схема. Но иначе не е лоша. Става. Не ви обогатява много с почти нищо френско - няма да научите нищо за френската кухня, забележителности, нрави, обичаи и традиции. Но пък ще се поровите да намерите къде е замъка. То благодарение на книгата май са започнали и реставрациите му
10.4k reviews174 followers
December 12, 2018
A dual time line romance set in, sigh, a chateau in France. Alexandra decides to do some research into her family's history and while doing so, discovers the diary of Gabrielle, who was in love with Thomas. She meets Eric, who is the current owner of what has become a tumbledown in serious need of renovation. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This isn't deep but it's a good read, with four characters who you will root for.
491 reviews28 followers
October 9, 2019
Two parallel stories separated by 120 years, connected by a photograph, a burned down castle and a bookshop. I enjoyed the story, even though it was somewhat predictable. The writing and the dialogue was often clever and witty, although some pop culture references were lost on me.

On the downside, it is still a romance novel, so the parallel stories "climax" with an intimate love scene. Yuck. Also, the details wither away at the end of the book.
Profile Image for Lily.
224 reviews11 followers
April 15, 2018
This was an amazing read, I truly didn't want it to end!
Chloe Duval weaves the tale of two women in a very endearing and moving way, her characters are full of life and very well drawn out. You care for them and you live every moment with them until the very end.
I would recommend this to fans of Kate Morton who like a little bit of extra romance on top.
Profile Image for Lucie Aran.
1,100 reviews18 followers
May 28, 2022
Příjemně plynoucí, oddechová kniha, která vás s sebou na chvíli přenese na výpravu za francouzským vínem, chátrajícím z��mečkem a historií jedné rodiny.
Jak to tak u tohoto typu knih bývá, vydává se hrdinka po stopách vedoucích k odhalení minulosti své rodiny. Děj tak plyne přirozeně, za střídání jednotlivých časových linií a pozvolna odhaluje tajemství skrytá časem. Oba příběhy jsou poměrně vyrovnané, jen s lehkými dějovými zvraty. I tak ale celkem zaujmou a čtenáře nenudí. Tahle kniha je klasickou oddechovou romantikou pro chvíle, kdy potřebujete vypnout, neřešit nic složitého a jen se nechat unášet na vlnách příběhu.
477 reviews5 followers
October 31, 2018
Review

I really enjoyed this book. It was be charming and entertaining.The descriptions of the castle were absolutely amazing. I enjoyed both stories and was glad both had a happy ending.
Profile Image for Veselina Bakalova-Mihaylovska.
563 reviews10 followers
September 10, 2022
Приятна любовна история в две линии, които обаче изглеждаха твърде нагласени. Всичко като че ли бе написано съвсем тривиално...но пък идеята за замъка и лозята беше добра и я различаваше от всички други. Хареса ми е второстепенната линия за Марин и кмета и ми се искаше тя да бъде по-развита

385 reviews3 followers
January 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great and it was a fun relaxing read.
188 reviews2 followers
February 14, 2019
Beautiful story with history entwined with current. Chasing down her genealogy, can she find the same forever love. Everyone loves a castle so maybe a fairy tell does exist.
Profile Image for Laska.
22 reviews4 followers
October 26, 2019
Много изтъркана, но красива и сладка романтика.
Profile Image for Ganka.
28 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2020
"Един-единствен човек ви липсва и светът изглежда пуст"
331 reviews17 followers
January 7, 2019
Not much of romance fan.didn't like the main character, not sympathetic at all, found her abrasive, entitled and dishonest. Don't go after another guy while in a relationship with someone, especially when you are engaged!
Profile Image for Laurence.
250 reviews31 followers
February 5, 2021
Une excellente lecture! J'aime toujours autant les histoires que met en place Chloé Duval qui est en train de devenir l'une de mes auteures chouchou pour les romans contemporains! J'étais d'ailleurs contente de revoir Flavie que l'on rencontre dans «Le temps volé» le premier roman que j'ai lu de cette auteure. Je suis curieuse de voir ce qu'elle va écrire par la suite...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.