The Lost Seigneur: A Chateau Laux Odyssey
In this complex and beautifully written novel that takes place in both colonial America and southwestern France, David Loux explores the meaning of love and family.
The story begins with Magdalena, daughter of Pierre Laux, a pioneer French immigrant farmer near Watertown, Pennsylvania, and wife of a local politician who receives a letter with the startling news that her grandfather is alive and will soon arrive in Philadelphia. Her father is shocked, because his father, Seigneur Jean-Pierre du Laux, set off for the king’s court one day when he was 13, decades earlier, and disappeared, leaving the boy, his mother and all their tenants unprotected during the terrible times of the Dragonnades, which billeted troops in Protestant homes to force their conversion to Catholicism. In the intervening years, Pierre migrated to America, settled, married and raised his family.
Unknown to all, the seigneur was wrongfully imprisoned in France for decades. His story unfolds after he has escaped and is walking along a dusty Toulouse road. He meets Gabriel/Gotzone who saves him from rearrest.
This is a remarkable tale of priests, Cathars, torture, love, secret sects and all sorts of twists and turns as the novel moves back and forth among these four main characters. It develops seamlessly and with ever increasing tension and will keep you awake until you finish it. I recommend it highly.
