The Pomp of the Lavilettes, Volume 1

A short historical novel set in 1837 depicts life in a small French-Canadian parish, focusing on a prominent farming family, the neighbouring manor and the old seigneur. The return of a dissipated heir to an empty family seat unsettles the close-knit community; the narrative follows everyday institutions—the post office, mill, shops, bridge—and local figures such as the astute notary. Through careful local description and character study the work explores cultural friction between competing authorities, social hierarchies within rural life, and the personal consequences of ambition, decline, and intrusion into a secluded society.