A French soldier faces endurance, loss, and longing as the army moves through Metz and Lorraine toward war’s end.
This historical novel follows a single narrator, Joseph Bertha, as he endures a grueling campaign after the fall of Paris. From crowded garrets and crowded streets to dusty marches and tense encampments, the story anchors the reader in the human side of a country at war and a man clinging to hope for home and family.
Across vivid scenes of Metz, a cramped lodging with a Jewish butcher’s family, and a march toward Thionville, the narrative blends personal memory with the wider costs of conflict. It traces friendship, duty, and the pull of home, inviting readers to step into the daily life of soldiers after battle as they yearn for reunion and peace.
- Experience the texture of 1810s French life on the march and in barracks.
- Meet a close circle of comrades and witnesses who bring the era to life.
- Feel the weight of loyalty, family, and the pull of home after war.
- Experience a grounded, character-driven perspective on a storied period.
Ideal for readers who enjoy historical fiction that centers on personal journeys amid large-scale events.