Jeffrey Perren's Blog, page 3

"Cossacks In Paris" Gets Rave Review

A recent review of Cossacks In Paris posted on Amazon says:

When reading Tolstoy's War and Peace, although stylistically brilliant in many respects, one gets an overwhelming sense of the lack of purpose. The lead characters drift aimlessly through the trials and tribulations of the Russian aristocracy, seemingly destined to a fate outside the control of their individual decisions.

Cossacks in Paris covers the same historical period, but adds a sense of purpose that breathes life into the drama. Breutier Armande, the protagonist intent on reshaping the future with his engineering perspicacity, finds his ambitions thwarted by Napoleon's grandiose - and ill-fated - designs to expand his power by conquering Russia.

But all is not lost for Breutier. During Napoleon's march to Moscow, Breutier meets a beautiful Finnish Countess, Kaarina, on a scouting trip to St. Petersburg. Timing proves once again a double-edged sword for Breutier, as his chance encounter with the woman of his dreams clashes with Alexander's plans for the young beauty - to marry her off to a brutal Cossack adept at war named Agripin.

Alexander discovers a ready accomplice in Agripin whose Rousseauian lust motivates him to have Kaarina - by any means necessary.

The struggle of Breutier and Kaarina to be together against the backdrop of war machinations and a barbarous foe provide a central purpose that is lacking in novels like War and Peace. As Metternich remarks after having seen a confrontation between Breutier and Agripin:

"Those rulers [Napoleon and Alexander] are merely fighting over a continent. The two young men over a woman. I daresay the latter will always be more passionately pursued than the former, much as it defies logic."

It may defy logic for somebody like Metternich who is embroiled in political deceptions and a cunning pursuit of power, but it does not defy logic for those who seek the rational goal of a fulfilling romance.

Indeed, the reader finds himself tightly gripping the pages as the union of Breutier and Kaarina is constantly undermined by the political calculations of rulers, the switching allegiances during the uncertainty of war, and a Cossack intent on winning the prize, even though the prize has no desire to be his bloodlust trophy.

Mr. Perren's economical style moves one quickly from page-to-page while leaving little for interpretation, and everything to purposeful conquest.

And the reader is driven by one overriding question: will a man's passionate pursuit of a woman prove more powerful than a ruler's quest for an empire?

If you enjoy that review, please click the Yes button on Amazon.

Cossacks In Paris, Published

Cossacks In Paris is available at Amazon.

Synopsis:

Rebellious Breutier Armande, a rising young civil engineer in Paris, is drafted into the Grande Armeé on the eve of Napoleon's 1812 Russian campaign.

On a scouting mission in St. Petersburg he meets Kaarina, a Finnish mathematician and daughter of the counselor to Tsar Alexander I. The pair soon fall in love. But Kaarina is betrothed to Agripin, a vicious Cossack and a favorite of the Tsar.

When she refuses him, Agripin kidnaps her, aided by Kaarina's envious twin sister, Kaisa. At a time of Europe's brief, uneasy truce Breutier deserts Napoleon's army and the Tsar's employ to reclaim Kaarina. Dodging the vengeance of the world's most powerful rulers sends Breutier on a perilous quest to hunt down the era's most ruthless Cossack.

Interweaving the characters' personal dramas with the epochal events of the following two years forms the core of the story. Historically accurate, the novel climaxes at the moment when, for the first time in 400 years, foreign armies invaded France, leaving behind Cossacks in Paris.

Upcoming novel: Cossacks In Paris

Cossacks In Paris will be available at Amazon soon.

Synopsis:

Rebellious Breutier Armande, a rising young civil engineer in Paris, is drafted into Napoleon's Grande Armeé on the eve of the 1812 Russian campaign.

On a scouting mission in St. Petersburg he meets Kaarina, a Finnish mathematician and daughter of the counselor to Tsar Alexander. The pair soon fall in love. But Kaarina is betrothed to Agripin, a Cossack and a favorite of Tsar Alexander.

When she refuses him, Agripin kidnaps her, aided by Kaarina's envious twin sister, Kaisa. At a time of Europe's brief, uneasy truce, Breutier deserts Napoleon's army and the Tsar's employ to reclaim her. Dodging the vengeance of the world's most powerful rulers sends Breutier on a perilous quest to hunt down the era's most ruthless Cossack.

Interweaving the characters' personal dramas with the epochal events of the following two years forms the core of the story. Historically accurate, the novel climaxes at the moment when, for the first time in 400 years, foreign armies invaded France, leaving behind Cossacks in Paris.