Publisher's Synopsis
Cerise: A Tale of the Last Century is a novel written by George Whyte-Melville. Set in the late 18th century, the book tells the story of a young French girl named Cerise who is orphaned and left to fend for herself in the midst of the French Revolution. She is taken in by a group of smugglers who teach her their ways, and she becomes a skilled horsewoman and sailor.As Cerise grows older, she falls in love with a British officer named Captain George Desborough. However, their love is challenged by the political tensions between France and England, as well as by the fact that Cerise is a smuggler and George is a member of the British Navy.The novel is a blend of historical fiction and romance, with vivid descriptions of life in France during the Revolution and the dangers faced by smugglers on the English coast. It also explores themes of loyalty, honor, and the power of love to overcome obstacles.Cerise: A Tale of the Last Century was first published in 1866 and has since become a classic of Victorian literature. It is a captivating and engaging read that will transport readers to a bygone era and leave them rooting for the book's fearless and determined heroine.1866. Whyte-Melville was an officer with the 93rd Highlanders and the Coldstream Guards. Hunting, his main interest, figured in many of his novels. Cerise begins: In the gardens of Versailles, as everywhere else within the freezing influence of the Grand Monarque, nature herself seemed to accept the situation, and succumbed inevitably under the chain of order and courtly etiquette. The grass grew, indeed, and the Great Waters played, but the former was rigorously limited to certain mathematical patches, and permitted only to obtain an established length, while the latter threw their diamond showers against the sky with the regular and oppressive monotony of clockwork. The avenues stretched away straight and stiff like rows of lately-built houses; the shrubs stood hard and defiant as the white statues with which they alternated, and the very sunshine off the blinding gravel glared and scorched as if its duty were but to mark a march of dazzling hours on square stone dials for the King of France.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
