The Yellow Poppy

The Yellow Poppy tells the story of the Duc and Duchesse of Trelan during the aftermath of the French Revolution when sporadic rebellions against the regime of Napoleon were beginning to occur in Northern France. Aristocrats were returning from exile, often funded by the aristocracy in England, to attempt to regain their former estates and standing. Both the duc and the duchesse are high minded, faithful to their class ideals and impossibly noble! 

The themes of honour, friendship, loyalty and sacrifice permeate the book which is fast paced and colourful and manages very well to convey an atmosphere of 18th century France from the point of view of the landed and titled gentry. Broster often uses French in the dialogue and the speech generally is archaic which furthers the portraiture of the many tortured, handsome young men in the story, with their bravery, their romantic notions and their intense soul-searching.