The Foundling Boy

A baby found on the doorstep of a parentless couple in 1919 France. A period of instability, rapid change, and the quick march to another war. That is the world that the hero of the book, Jean Arnaud, grows up in. He is from a small country estate in the North of France, the son of a gardener and his wife. He rarely travels outside of his hometown, and only really starts to travel and explore the world around him and its changes when he becomes a young man and gets caught up in all of the world’s events. He travels to London, meets con men, mysterious strangers, and even stranger benefactors. All of this leads up to the beginning of World War II, when he joins the army; that part of the story is for the next volume.

Modern fiction works can tend to get bogged down in the little details, and that is the same with this work. While Jean Arnaud is the main character, often times the author segues into long asides with other characters, their lives, loves, and future before we get back to Jean. Although a little daunting at first, the story does pick up some momentum towards the end.