A Little Trivia…

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In the novel, Richard asks Gabriela where she found the coin.  She replies:“…At the summit, there is a stone table with an orientation map indicating all the interesting spot visible–on good days, mind you.”The mountainous areas of France, full of intersecting hiking trails, have many of these orientation tables peppering their peaks.  The views, on … Read more

The Map

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In the novel, Gabriela needs to show Richard the area where she found the coin.  I am attaching a picture of the map we were always using for trips (weekend, vacation, or business).  I have another one that is much more detailed–to the point where specific houses, elevation, and hiking trails are shown–but I have … Read more

La Route Napoleon

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On the second chase scene, Richard and Gabriela are in what is known as the Route Napoleon, between Grasse and St. Vallier de Thiey.The Route Napoleon is called such because, after Napoleon left Elba, he landed near Nice and marched, supposedly triumphant, via this road in 1815.  He, of course, was then defeated at Waterloo … Read more

In Memoriam

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Thinking and praying for all those who have fallen and who have fought for our freedom.  Thinking about the sacrifices of their families and their pain.  It takes a rare human being to willingly place himself in the path of danger for others.  Thank you, all who have served with honor and those who are … Read more

N’est-ce pas

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In the novel, Maurice, the French intelligence officer, speaks a few idiomatic French phrases.  Some are  in argot, or slang, the others are regular everyday speech.This expression literally means “isn’t that so” and is used at the end of a phrase or sentence.  In idiomatic English, we would usually say “right.”  For example, in French, the expression … Read more

More setting on the novel — Cagnes-sur-Mer

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In the novel, Gabriela is driven home by Richard after learning something critical that will affect her life.  On her way there, she observes:  “… they zoomed by the walled city of Cagnes-sur-Mer, perched on the hill like an eagle’s nest on a telephone pole.”The city of Cagnes-sur-Mer looks like a eagle’s eyrie when traveling … Read more

More setting in the novel — Bories

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In Chapter 20 of the novel, Gabriela describes the following:  “the forest abruptly ended at a small expanse of pasture.  A cone-shaped stone hut emerged incongruously from its center, the rickety, slab door hanging crookedly from decaying hinges.”She is referring to a borie–a dry-stone hut structure familiar to the landscape of the Alpes Maritimes and … Read more