A Slight Detour: Amiens and the Homeric Struggle of the Rue des Trois-Cailloux
Amiens One place Ardel takes her reader in Chapter 9 is to the city of Amiens. Here, we meet André's mother and learn that phosphates might be in M. Douvry's future through the connections André has made. Considering this novel was published in 1914, right around the breakout of World War I, Amiens is worth mentioning because of the role it played during that war. Situated in northern France in the Hauts-de-France region, Amiens is well-known for its 13th-century Gothic cathedral, Cathédrale Notre-Dame Amiens, which is the largest in France. Although the city was fought over in both World Wars, it was the 1918 Battle of Amiens that stands out with Ardel's story. In just a few short years, where André stands on the steps of the cathedral with his mother, will the Hundred Days Offensive and the push towards the Armistice with Germany begin. Of course, following both World Wars, the city of Amiens faced massive reconstruction and recovery. Personally, I find imagining what was...