Exiled Mother in Search of Kidnappers to Rejoin with her Child After a Decade
SHARON, Mass., Nov. 16, 2009 — In her debut historical fiction, “White Flowers of Yesterday” (published by iUniverse), author Sakuntala Gananathan transports readers to an earlier period when the bond of blood meant everything in the world — be the connection between a mother and her estranged child or the king and his successor.
Returning to her home in Paris after a decade of running, the young and gullible Kathryn Verne recounts the events that cast her into exile. She remembers how her lover Gaston Philippe, Duke of Orleans and nephew of King Louis XIV, whispered sweet-nothings into her ear only to later spit and curse her name upon hearing that she had become pregnant. She remembers the serial deaths of the royal circle and Philippe’s impending succession to the French throne. Lastly, she remembers when her detractors kidnapped her newborn baby to buy her silence, but she cannot remain quiet any longer.
What Kathryn can’t remember — because she doesn’t yet know — is what exactly happened to her son, Daniel. Though the epigraph of his tombstone clearly says, “Here rests Daniel, born and died the same day,” a statement that convinces her loyal friend Elise, owner of the Boutique d’Liza, that Kathryn’s missions will be futile and ultimately end in tragedy, Mother Kathryn is compelled to hope that her son is still alive — but where can she find him?
As she travels between Paris and Versailles during the early 18th century, Kathryn follows the most minuscule of clues that inevitably reveal the true political intrigue and nefarious motives behind her exile. Little does Kathryn know, however, that her journey home will be met with all the emotional power, haunting history, and political maneuvers to turn any mother’s search for a lost child instantly to dust.
What becomes of Daniel? Does she return and marry the man she loves? Can Kathryn forgive those who have wronged her? Read “White Flowers of Yesterday,” a story of love and royal politics that promises to mesmerize women of all ages, and discover the many shades of gray within the lives of mothers, dukes, kings, shopkeepers, duchesses, courtesans, and many others.
About the Author
Gananathan was born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She is a retired accountant and currently lives with her husband in Chennai, India. A submission for a creative writing course inspired her to publish “White Flowers of Yesterday,” her first book. Gananathan’s interests include writing short stories and traveling with her husband to Australia and the U.S. to visit their daughters and grandchildren.
“White Flowers of Yesterday”
Available from: http://www.iUniverse.com
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