O'Brian, Patrick
The Catalans
- ISBN 13:
- 9780008696566
- author:
- O'Brian, Patrick
- format:
- Hardback
- publisher:
- HarperCollins
- language:
- English
- Publication Year:
- 2025
- Pages:
- 176
- Dimensions:
- 20.4 x 13.5 x 3 centimetres (0.3
- Genre:
- Fiction & Literature, Literary, Fiction & Literature,
- Condition:
- New
- Availability:
- Item usually sent within 10 working days
Description
Set in the rolling vineyards and gentle courtyards of a small seaside village in Catalonia, Patrick O'Brian's second novel is a poignant story of tumultuous love, complex faith, and one man's desperate bid to reclaim his humanity. Alain Roig returns to his Catalan hometown after being summoned by anxious family members, who have nominated him for the ancestral property due to an impending marriage between his cousin Xavier and Madeleine, a quiet village girl. As Alain seeks to understand his cousin's motivations, he is drawn into Xavier's dark crisis of faith, the well-worn pattern of the sleepy Catalan days, and the tight circle of village gossip surrounding Madeleine. Through O'Brian's slow and seductive narrative, the reader is lured into the landscapes, rhythms, and passions of Catalonia, where a unique way of life and two very different men - one generous and impulsive, the other desperate to revive affection in his soul - come together. This novel demonstrates the insight, lyricism, and psychological drama that made Patrick O'Brian one of the best storytellers of his generation.