Along a Breton Shore

By Arlem Hawks

Book Overview

A soldier must choose between his heart's desire or his duty to country in this gripping novel of friendship and survival.Maxence tienne believes fiercely in the Revolution and longs for his name to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1639931074
• ISBN13: 9781639931071
• Release Date: June 2023
• Publisher: Shadow Mountain
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Love from opposite sides of the French revolution

To start, I had no idea that this book was a follow-up to another of this author's book, Beyond the Lavender Fields; had I known, I would have read that one first, though I don't feel like skipping BtLF in any way hindered my enjoyment or understanding of AaBS. However, now that I've finished this book (which starts two years after the first book begins), I don't know how likely I am to go back and start at the beginning. Without giving too much away, I will say that some information given in this book would very much hinder my enjoyment of the first book unless I could pretend they're totally unrelated. Books set during the French revolution are always interesting to me, and I imagine they are a challenge to write. On the one hand, prior to the revolution, society was based and dependent on class inequality. Clearly, things needed to change. However, I always struggle with the method of change and the way it was enacted, with so many innocent people being punished simply for their social standing. War, no matter how terrible, is sometimes necessary. But I do not think the ends always justify the means. I think this book successfully presented those aspects of history. (Nemesis and the Swan by Lindsay K. Bandy is another book that does this well.) Armelle (20) and Maxence (25) were compelling characters with very clear and similar moral codes despite being, essentially, on opposite sides of the French revolution. (Okay, mostly. Max had no idea how many women he'd kissed, while Armelle didn't want to kiss anyone but the man she married.) Max's moral compass meant that he allowed Armelle to escape, knowing what the consequences would be for him. Armelle's would not allow her to let him remain in prison, likely destined for execution. Their actions throughout the book demonstrate their goodness. Even while they disagree on what is right for their country, they look out for each other. Their relationship developed slowly compared to book length, but I think the pacing was just right. Another book in the "series" is coming out next year (With You Still), following Armelle's brother Julien. I am interested in it but hesitant because of the connection between AaBS and BtLF. We'll see.