Men of the Canal, Jean-Louis Magnon

Ever since the Sun King had the Canal du Midi built, that long ribbon of water connecting the Garonne to the Mediterranean, the Jourdan family has been "bargees" from father to son. Men of "old times", men of their word, honest and hardworking, who always delivered their cargoes of grain, oil, or wine safely to port. But in these troubled times following the fall of Napoleon, ultras and opportunists rule supreme and become threatening. For Pierre Jourdan and his fellow boatmen, like old Aubanel whose barge will be crushed by the winter ice, or Florent Cambon, endangered by his political convictions, the struggle will be fierce. But they can count on the love and loyalty of their wives and daughters. Just as they know that Rose, Caroline, Marthe, and Elodie, later, will pass on their heritage. Through the story of three families of boatmen, Jean-Louis Magnon masterfully retraces the adventure of a mythical waterway and evokes the destinies of these men who loved and suffered along its banks.

9782226122070