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The year is 1809. Long before Katrina ambushed New Orleans, a young man from France was starting life anew after a harrowing escape from his homeland and its bloody revolution.
In her debut novel A World Of His Own-In The Land Of The Creoles, Arlette Gaffrey dives deep into her own ancestry and into her birthplace's history to weave a story of Andre Raphael de Javon, an orphan in his 20s who lost his family in the French Revolution.
In this epic saga of love, marriage and betrayal, we follow Andre as he becomes one of the wealthiest plantation owners in the Louisiana Territory.
When Julie, the young daughter of his mentor falls in love with him, de Javon ventures elsewhere and marries the beautiful, seductive Gabrielle Ste.Claire. The marriage is a nightmare for Andre, Gabrielle dies leaving Andre a widower and saddled with the care of her illegitimate son.
Will Andre find love with Julie after all this time?
In her story, Gaffrey casterfully folds in historical goodies that shed light on New Orleans's burgeoning adolescence. The pirate Jean Lafitte, Henry Shreve and even General Andrew Jackson are but some of the colorful characters that pop up thoughout the story making this book a work of fascinating historical fiction.
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