Set in Poland and France between the two world wars, this debut novel by acclaimed travel writer Marlena de Blasi has an intriguing premise but promises more than it delivers. Amandine is the illegitimate granddaughter of a beautiful Polish aristocrat. Countess Valeska Czartoryska lost her husband to a shameless and tragic love affair, and she has no intention of allowing her naive teenage daughter to follow in her father's footsteps. Hence when it becomes apparent that Andzelika is pregnant to an inappropriate suitor, the Countess whisks her daughter away to Switzerland. Soon after her baby is born, Andzelika is told her child has died of heart complications. But, in reality, the Countess has delivered this unwanted granddaughter to a convent school in southern France.

The nuns, led by the fearsome Mother Paul, are instructed to give the infant the best possible care. However, in return for generous payment, Mother Paul must agree to never make contact with the Countess again and to deny all knowledge of Amandine's Polish connection. The sweet natured Solange, a "failed" nun, is hired to be Amandine's caregiver, and special quarters are created within the convent to house these two "paying guests". Pere Philippe, the local priest, takes a special interest in Amandine, as does the mysterious Bishop Fabrice.

A good chunk of this novel concentrates on Amandine's childhood in the convent. While she is loved and fussed over by Solange and by most of the nuns, Mother Paul maintains an icy distance. Eventually we discover why Mother Paul acts as she does, but by then de Blasi has transformed this bitter, resentful woman into a one dimensional villainess. When Amandine is old enough to attend school, the other girls also treat her with disdain, until the little girl wins them over with her courage and her Pollyanna-like attitude to life. (There were times when I was reading this novel that I was even tempted to start singing "The Sun will Come out Tomorrow", as Amandine shares a number of personality traits with Little Orphan Annie!)

With the outbreak of World War Two and the German invasion of France, Solange decides that the convent is no longer a safe place for Amandine and she decides to take the girl to her family's farm in Northern France. The last third of the book is about their desperate attempt to cross Occupied France and it is certainly the most exciting and fast paced section of the novel.

While Amandine is a good read, I did feel somewhat cheated once I had finished it. Although Amandine may be the intended heroine, she is not as interesting a character as her grandmother or her mother, who don't get the attention from the author that they deserve. Similarly, the relationship between Mother Paul and Bishop Fabrice is a fascinating one that I wanted to know more about. So it is sins of omission that make Amandine an interesting debut novel but not a great one.