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The beasts of Paris, Stef Penney

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The beasts of Paris

Stef Penney

A diverse group of characters find themselves in Paris during the build up to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, connected by their proximity to the Menagerie in the Jardin des Plantes, home and prison to the glamorous predators that draw visitors from all walks of life. Anne is a former patient from the women's asylum, La Salpetriere, trying to carve out a new life for herself in a world that doesn't understand her. Newcomer Lawrence is desperate to develop his talent as a photographer and escape the restrictions of his puritanical Canadian upbringing. Ellis, an army surgeon, has lived through the trauma of the US Civil War and will do anything to avoid another bloodbath. The Franco-Prussian War ended in humiliating defeat for the French after the Siege of Paris in which civilians were subjected to sustained bombardment, barely surviving a long winter of hunger and bitter cold. This terrible time was followed by yet more bloodshed: the socialist government of the Paris Commune that briefly seized power was crushed by the French Army with devastating violence

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