The Muse of Freedom: A Cévenoles Sagas Novel

by Jules Larimore, Laurie Chittenden (Editor)

Overview

A French Huguenot apothecary's legacy of secrets, a mystic healer's inspiration, a fateful decision.

IN THE MYSTERIOUS CÉVENNES MOUNTAINS OF LANGUEDOC, FRANCE, 1695, Jehan BonDurant, a young nobleman forcibly held in a Dominican prieuré as a child, comes of age only to inherit a near-derelict estate and his Huguenot family's dangerous legacy of secrets. While he cherishes his newfound freedom apprenticing as an apothecary, his outrage mounts over religious persecutions led by King Louis XIV's Intendant Basville, who is sent to enforce the King's will for "One King, One Law, One Faith".

The ensuing divisions among families and friends and the gradual revelation of his own circumstances lead Jehan to question his spiritual choices. A journey, deep into the heart of the Cevennes in search of guidance, unfolds in a way he least expects when he enters the enchanting Gorges du Tarn. There, he discovers his muse, Amelia Auvrey, a free-spirited, mystic holy woman who reveals ancient healing practices and spiritual mysteries.

Together they quest for peace and spiritual freedom by aiding the persecuted until the Intendant's spy reports their activities and the King's dragoons are sent out after them. To retain their freedom, they must choose to live in hiding in a remote wilderness, join a festering uprising against the persecutions, or flee their cherished homeland with thousands of other refugees in search of hope.

Inspired by the true story of Jean Pierre Bondurant dit Cougoussac, distilled and blended with Cévenole magic lore, this is a vividly told coming-of-age adventure and family saga of courage, tenacity, and the power of love.

Fans of Poldark, Magic Lessons, The Lost Apothecary, The Huguenot Chronicles, and The Alchemist will find thematic elements from those stories melded into this thrilling and obscure slice of French history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798986448800
Publisher:	Mystic Lore Books
Publication date:	09/13/2022
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	573,493
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.89(d)

About the Author

Jules Larimore is the author of emotive, literary-leaning historical fiction with a dose of magic, myth, and romance to bring to life hopeful human stories and inspire positive change. She is a board member of the Historical Novel Society of Southern California and lives primarily in Ojai with time spent around the U.S. and Europe gathering a rich repository of historical research in a continued search for authenticity.

As a former Executive Editor with over 20 years experience editing and positioning bestselling and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for Macmillan, Harpercollins, Penguin Random House, and Simon and Schuster, Laurie helped me by looking at structure, characters, motivations, voice, timeline, setting, and consistency of detail, then dove into word choice, use of metaphor, prevention of redundant words or passages, tightening, and awkward phrases. In short, she was a treasure in helping to develop The Muse of Freedom into a professional, polished manuscript.

Editorial Reviews

"AN ENGROSSING STORY about fiercely independent people... This ABSORBING TALE of religious strife creates a vivid world that will draw readers in... " Kirkus Review

"BRILLIANTLY TOLD. A story that will stick with you long after you've turned the last page. FRESH AND COMPELLING. As relevant now as it was then." Janet Wertman, author of the Seymour Saga trilogy

"Larimore's LUSH, VIBRANT PROSE and SHARP EYE FOR HISTORICAL DETAIL at once transported me back to Occitan haunts and castles. A must-read for anyone who loves novels set in that alluring region of southern France." Glen Craney, author of The Fire and the Light

"This story WILL CAPTURE YOU and not let go. History and DEFTLY-CRAFTED STORYTELLING rolled into one." Rozsa Gaston, author of the Anne of Brittany Series

"WONDROUS FIRST NOVEL. Jules is an alchemist, drawing on the poetic power of words, assembling a colorful combination of characters to authentically explore the landscape of the human heart; its yearnings, boundaries, expectations and limitations." Elijah Alexander, actor, Amazon five-star review

"INTRIGUING STORY... ranks right up there with Gabaldon's OUTLANDER & Auel's CLAN OF THE CAVEBEAR. I can't wait for the next volume to come out!!" Eve B. Mayes, Amazon VINE VOICES five-star review

CHARACTERS ARE WELL-DEVELOPED AND LIKABLE, forming easy connections with the reader, and the structure... FLOWS BRILLIANTLY, providing a well-defined combination of history and escape... themes of love and acceptance stream through, along with a very enjoyable depiction of noble and rural life in 17th century France. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Historical Fiction Company, five-star award of excellence

"YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE THERE. A very special historical novel... imbued within it not only history but notions of religious freedom, images of landscape and town life, and knowledge of late 17th century medical remedies... brought beautifully to life..." Amazon five-star review

"BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN... filled with love for the story, the characters, and the setting. As a historian, I know the context of the tale, but it was brought beautifully to life by Jules Larimore's detailed prose. A HIGHLY ENJOYABLE AND ABSORBING READ!" Barnes & Noble five-star review

"A VERY PROMISING FIRST NOVEL where I escaped a hundred years before the French Revolution with delight, in tune with the perfumes, colors, and enchantments of Mother Nature!" Goodreads five-star review - France

"EXTRAORDINARY, WELL-WRITTEN... the mentioned remedies, as well as the pictorial scenes of the town life, the landscape, and the people, had an extraordinary impact on me.." Goodreads five-star review - Germany

"LANGUAGE IS EVOCATIVE AND SENSUAL... a joy to read." Goodreads five-star review

"COMPELLING CHARACTERS... thought-provoking themes of religious freedom, love and loyalty, incredible fortitude, and courage in the face of persecution." Reader's Favorite five-star award

From the Publisher

2022-11-01
This historical novel introduces readers to the author’s ancestor Jean Pierre Bondurant and a tumultuous France in the late 17th century.

To understand the times, readers must grasp the religious discord between the Roman Catholics (King Louis XIV’s state religion) and the Huguenots, the persecuted Calvinist Protestants. Jehan (Jean), whose parents are Huguenot, was forcibly raised by the Dominican Order of the Frères from a young age (“the Dominicans baptized me into the Roman Catholic faith”). Now, at 18, he is free and returns to the family estates, trying to figure out his place in the world, where the threat of persecution and dire punishment is ever present. Secrets are the order of the day. Jehan is training to be an apothecary, and in his work, he meets—and falls in love with—the beautiful and mystical Amelia Auvrey. The feeling is mutual, but for reasons of her own, the relationship must remain platonic. The two seek a better way and a higher truth while dodging the Catholic authorities and becoming leery of the Huguenots’ growing madness. There are several close scrapes and hairbreadth escapes. Jehan’s uncle encourages him to escape to Switzerland and wait for a better future—either a return to a France that has resolved its religion issue or finding a new land where he and Amelia can be together again. Larimore tells an engrossing story about fiercely independent people. They are reflections of the Cévennes mountains in southern France, where the tale takes place: beautiful but rugged and unforgiving, honeycombed with caves and secret redoubts, a sort of European Appalachia. And this defiance frustrates the efforts of the bumbling and bloviating Intendant Basville, the king’s hellhound in the region. Along the way, readers learn a lot about the natural remedies of the times and come to realize how Jehan and Amelia’s apothecary practices could drift easily into spiritual healing, prayers, and amulets. Amelia, it is suggested, has preternatural powers. Of course, the author supplies significant context for this compelling tale of a noble ancestor. The audience is advised to first read the copious backmatter—the history of the region and other details—for valuable background and guidance.

This absorbing tale of religious strife creates a vivid world that will draw readers in.

Kirkus Reviews