The Bastide of Sorrows - Jean-Paul Malaval - book

The day after the Great War, near Gaillac , in the Tarn.
Still haunted by the horrors of the front, Stéphane Frontignac
feels like an extra man when he returns to the family country house.
He discovers that his little brother Armand, who escaped the
mobilization, took advantage of his absence to court and marry
his fiancée, the beautiful Elvira. Everyone closed their eyes
on this betrayal, preferring to believe that Stéphane would not return
not alive. But isn't the main thing for the Frontignacs
to plan and ensure the future of the wine estate operated since
generations?
Against all odds, the flame between Stéphane and Elvire is rekindled
and draws the Frontignacs into a whirlwind of anger and hatred.
Especially when, from this forbidden love, Hadrian is born...

In this sensitive and powerful novel, Jean-Paul Malaval explores
the devastating effect on a French family of the conflicts that have
marked our contemporary history.