A Sheaf of Bluebells

If you're expecting another Scarlet Pimpernel, you'll not find it here. Nor is it the sort of spy-novel as “The Emperor's Candlesticks”, with action and intrigue. Rather, it is a tale of family feuds and the rejected aristocracy of France trying to find a life again among the ruins of what they lost, and battling primarily their own prejudices and resentments. It is also a love story between a strong man and a dainty woman. Is there any hope to be had in the ruins of a nation?