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2024 HFC
Book of the Year
"THE HERON LEGACY"
by Leona Francombe
"A sublime tale...Leona Francombe has penned a mystery that intrigues the soul wanderer within us." - Reedsy Discovery
"Mesmerizing...superbly crafted." - The Independent Review of Books
"An exciting and deeply moving story." - NetGalley
A forest of mysteries. A shrouded legacy. Can the past really give up its secrets?
When wealthy New York lawyer Charles Fontaine returns to Europe to sell his ancestral estate, Blancheron, he finds that a twelfth-century legend still haunts the property. Driven by unresolved questions from a childhood spent roaming the lonely woods and ridges on the domain, Charles makes a startling discovery: an ancient parchment documenting the story of Arda, a pagan healer and recluse who once inhabited the Blancheron forests, and whose music altered the fate of a local nobleman preparing for crusade. Captivated by the mysticism and wrenching conflict of Arda's tale, Charles's understanding of his heritage is soon shattered.
The parchment suggests that explosive secrets concerning the Fontaine family have been left buried for nine centuries. With the help of a famous medievalist and enigmatic woman from his youth, Charles draws ever closer to the heart of the legend and its stunning historical revelation. Soon his journey becomes not only a quest for the truth, but a challenge to his very sense of self. Will he find the courage to choose his destiny?
The Heron Legacy is a gripping mystery set against the backdrop of Europe's medieval ruins and lore-filled forests. If you love rich atmosphere, unforgettable characters and historical echoes that still resonate today, Leona Francombe's immersive storytelling will keep you reading late into the night.
From the author of The Universe in 3/4 Time: A Novel of Old Europe, shortlisted for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize.
Discover the haunting landscape of The Heron Legacy on YouTube.
Author, pianist and composer Leona Francombe is of English and Czech heritage and grew up in the United States. Her novels include: "The Heron Legacy" (Merle Books Brussels, 2024); "The Universe in 3/4 Time: A Novel of Old Europe" (Merle Books Brussels, 2021, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize); "The Sage of Waterloo" (W.W. Norton, 2015); "Madame Ernestine und die Entdeckung der Liebe" (Random House Germany, 2014). She is also the author of many short stories and essays. Her work is inspired by, among other things: European history and atmosphere, music, ancient mysteries, Nature mysticism, and the otherworldly. "The Heron Legacy" came to life after the unexpected discovery of a medieval ruin in a remote part of the Ardennes forest. A piano abandoned on a Brussels street one winter's night was the catalyst for "The Universe in 3/4 Time". Leona lives with her family in Belgium.
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