The Inheritance (Guernsey 7)

Author/Guide: Anne Allen

Why a Booktrail?

1862, 2012: How close were Victor Hugo and his copyist?

ISBN: 978-0992711269
Genre: Historical

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What you need to know before your trail

1862 Young widow Eugénie is left bereft when her husband dies suddenly and faces an uncertain future in Guernsey. A further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, living in exile on the island in his opulent house only yards away from Eugénie’s home. Their meeting changes her life and she becomes his copyist, forming a strong friendship with both Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.

2012 Doctor Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey born though now living in Exeter, is shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child she was entranced by Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once was, and who, according to family myth, was particularly close to Hugo. Was he the real father of her child? Tess is keen to find out and returning to the island presents her with the ideal opportunity.

Will she discover the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess embraces new challenges which test her strength – and her heart.

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Travel Guide

Travel to the Guernsey of Anne Allen

When you read this book, you will need to go and take a look at the very house mentioned within! The man himself Victor Hugo lived in a huge house on the island of Guernsey and is now a tourist attraction – Hauteville House

Anne says:

“I was drawn to write about Hugo as I had visited his home, Hauteville House, a couple of times and found it larger than life – flamboyant, eclectic and full of surprises. It gave a clue to Hugo the man and I started researching his life, focusing on his 15 years spent in Guernsey. Although living in exile, far from his beloved France, he came to appreciate the calm and beauty of Guernsey and produced some of his greatest works there. Although he had started writing Les Misérables twenty years earlier, he had stopped after the death of his daughter Léopoldine, but continued it after arriving in Guernsey. In fact he was at his most prolific while living on the island, even writing a book dedicated to the islanders, Toilers of the Sea.”