The Chevalier d'Auriac

"The Chevalier d'Auriac" by S. Levett Yeats is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. It follows the complex life and adventures of Alban de Breuil, the Chevalier d'Auriac, set against the backdrop of the turbulent political landscape of France during the Wars of Religion. The narrative begins with Alban embroiled in the tensions of the ongoing conflicts, navigating personal rivalries, love, and the broader questions of loyalty and honor amidst war. The opening of the book immerses the reader in a tense scene where d'Auriac and his rival, de Gomeron, engage in a game of chance that soon turns hostile. In the midst of their conflict, they are interrupted by the arrival of prisoners, a man and a woman, who are suspected spies. The beautiful woman’s courageous plea for mercy captivates the soldiers and incites dramatic actions that set the stage for d'Auriac's character development and his evolving motivations. As the story unfolds, themes of bravery, honor, and the challenges of warfare emerge, underscoring the protagonist's journey through both battle and personal turmoil. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sidney Kilner Levett-Yeats, an English novelist known professionally as S. Levett-Yeats, was the descendant of an old English trading family with connections to British India. S. Levett-Yeats became a soldier with the Indian Army and later joined the Indian Civil Service as a low-level bureaucrat. Inspired by the example of other ambitious Anglo-Indian writers like Rudyard Kipling, Levett-Yeats turned out a series of Victorian potboilers, often set in Europe, that earned him a place on the bestseller lists of the day.