Can’t find the cover – it’s a red hardcover Doubleday dated 1949
cbr18bingo Wealth
I was such a Costain fan in my teenage years, since Palm Springs summers are long and hot and we only got to the library once a week. And if you are speedy reader, you want a book that you can sink your teeth into, and Costain delivered. Locations varied, time lines varied, but it was always a good meaty situation with plenty of believable characters. And even now, once again, I am hooked.
This tale is set during the early days of the French settlement in Montreal, and continues half way through with the beginnings of New Orleans. There is a band of seven hearty brothers who end up ruling both locations. There is a young girl of unknown (at least to most) parentage, who is exceptionally sharp and grows up to be a beauty besides. There are the occasional emissaries from the French court, with supplies and orders and no clear idea of how things work out in the wilderness. There are dangers too, from the climate, to the fierce Iroquois. Gotta keep an eye on the English as well but they are mostly out of this picture. Then there is always the Catholic Church to be reckoned with – the right man in the right place is invaluable.
At least Montreal was fairly well established at this point, but New Orleans was brand new. Just a bunch of tents pitched in boggy land and of course, alligators everywhere. Imagine the shock of the settlers shipped from France. Not at all as advertised. And there’s no going back. Some of the newcomers were wealthy but that hardly mattered if there was nothing to spend it on. Nothing to do but keep on keeping on.
And did I mention there are maps? Inside the front and back covers. The fort of Montreal and the initial grid of New Orleans. Am a happy camper.
