The Creation of Brittany


Book Description

Michael Jones is recognised on both sides of the Channel as an authority on late medieval Breton history. In this book he brings together much of his work on the subject, examining not only the administration of the duchy but also more intangible questions about the identity of a late medieval state.




A Concise History of Brittany


Book Description

The Breton language and culture has been in long and gradual decline since Brittany's incorporation into France in 1532--notwithstanding Brittany's successful reassertion of its linguistic and political identity over the past thirty years. Brittany: A Concise History is the ideal introduction for students of French and Breton history to this remarkable region, as well as an ideal travel companion for any inquisitive globetrotter who enjoys doing her homework. Within the pages of this book, the reader will discover the rich and varied history of this complex and fascinating region--a world of Franks and Romans, dukes and peasants, Celtic nationhood, and enduring legend.




Brittany and the Atlantic Archipelago, 450–1200


Book Description

How did Brittany get its name and its British-Celtic language in the centuries after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire? Beginning in the ninth century, scholars have proposed a succession of theories about Breton origins, influenced by the changing relationships between Brittany, its Continental neighbours, and the 'Atlantic Archipelago' during and after the Viking age and the Norman Conquest. However, due to limited records, the history of medieval Brittany remains a relatively neglected area of research. In this new volume, the authors draw on specialised research in the history of language and literature, archaeology, and the cult of saints, to tease apart the layers of myth and historical record. Brittany retained a distinctive character within the typical 'medieval' forces of kingship, lordship, and ecclesiastical hierarchy. The early history of Brittany is richly fascinating, and this new investigation offers a fresh perspective on the region and early medieval Europe in general.




Her True Worth


Book Description

Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer, leaders of the social media sensation and ministry Her True Worth, deliver a powerful call to women to break free from the bondage of false identities and discover their true worth in Jesus Christ. After years of working in the beauty industry, Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer became disheartened by the false, contradictory messages about what defines a woman's worth. They saw women who were lost and wandering, endlessly seeking security and approval. So Maher and Speer made it their mission to help Christian women uncover their valuable identity in Jesus Christ. In Her True Worth, Maher and Speer reveal what God intended our identity to be in the beginning, how sin corrupted it, how Christ has redeemed it, and how to live securely in that identity. They remind us that, ultimately, our true worth is found in Him--and that's a life-altering, soul-anchoring truth to live in and live from. As you uncover your true worth, you'll also learn how to: Identify the false messages that are stealing your self-worth Embrace what the Word of God says about who you are Find your security and significance in Christ alone Let Her True Worth be your guide as you discover the woman you were meant to be. Praise for Her True Worth: "In a world that teaches us to measure our worth by our social media followings, achievements, and striving, Her True Worth gently turns us back to where our identity truly lies: in Jesus. Brittany and Cassandra empower women to remember the source of all hope and encourage us to lay down our idols in exchange for true peace in him." --Danielle Coke, illustrator, activist, and founder of Oh Happy Dani




Bretons and Britons


Book Description

What is it about Brittany that makes it such a favourite destination for the British? To answer this question, Bretons and Britons explores the long history of the Bretons, from the time of the first farmers around 5400 BC to the present, and the very close relationship they have had with their British neighbours throughout this time. More than simply a history of a people, Bretons and Britons is also the author's homage to a country and a people he has come to admire over decades of engagement. Underlying the story throughout is the tale of the Bretons' fierce struggle to maintain their distinctive identity. As a peninsula people living on a westerly excrescence of Europe they were surrounded on three sides by the sea, which gave them some protection from outside interference, but their landward border was constantly threatened - not only by succeeding waves of Romans, Franks, and Vikings, but also by the growing power of the French state. It was the sea that gave the Bretons strength and helped them in their struggle for independence. They shared in the culture of Atlantic-facing Europe, and from the eighteenth century, when a fascination for the Celts was beginning to sweep Europe, they were able to present themselves as the direct successors of the ancient Celts along with the Cornish, Welsh, Scots, and Irish. This gave them a new strength and a new pride. It is this spirit that is still very much alive today.




Oola


Book Description

A provocative and impressive debut delivered with a uniquely sinister lyricism by a brilliant 21-year-old; a story about sex, privilege, desire, and creativity in the post-college years The first thing Leif notices about Oola is the sharp curve of her delicate shoulders, tensed as if for flight. Even from that first encounter at a party in a flat outside of London, there’s something electric about the way Oola, a music school dropout, connects with the cossetted, listless narrator we find in twenty-five-year-old Leif. Infatuated, the two hit the road across Europe, housesitting for Leif’s parents’ wealthy friends, and finally settling for the summer in Big Sur. Leif makes Oola his subject: he will attempt an infinitesimal cartography of her every thought and gesture, her every dimple, every snag, every swell of memory and hollow. And yet in this atmosphere of stifling and paranoid isolation, the world around Leif and Oola begins to warp--the tap water turns salty, plants die, and Oola falls dangerously ill. Finally, it becomes clear that the currents surging just below the surface of Leif’s story are infinitely stranger than they first appear. Oola is a mind-bendingly original novel about the way that--particularly in the changeable, unsteady just-post-college years--sex, privilege, desire, and creativity can bend, blur, and break. Brittany Newell bursts into the literary world with a narrative as twisted and fresh as it is addicting.




The Fleur de Sel Murders


Book Description

Commissaire Dupin is back in The Fleur de Sel Murders, this Brittany mystery from international bestselling author Jean-Luc Bannalec. The old salt farmers have always said that the violet scent of the Fleur de Sel at harvest time on the salt marshes of the Guérande Peninsula has been known to cause hallucinations. Commissaire Dupin also starts to believe this when he’s attacked out of the blue in the salt works. He had actually been looking forward to escaping his endless paperwork and taking a trip to the “white country” between the raging Atlantic Ocean and idyllic rivers. But when he starts snooping around mysterious barrels on behalf of Lilou Breval, a journalist friend, he finds himself unexpectedly under attack. The offender remains a mystery, and a short time later, Breval disappears without a trace. It is thanks to his secretary Nolwenn and the ambition of the prefect that Dupin is assigned to the case. But he won’t be working alone because Sylvaine Rose is the investigator responsible for the department—and she lives up to her name... What’s going on in the salt works? Dupin and Rose search feverishly for clues and stumble upon false alibis, massive conflicts of interest, personal feuds—and ancient Breton legends.




Province and Empire


Book Description

This book is a study of imperialism and its consequences in the early Middle Ages. Focusing on the development of Brittany as a Carolingian principality, this book offers interpretations of the largest western empire of the medieval period.







The Little French Bistro


Book Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop, an extraordinary novel about self-discovery and new beginnings. Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After forty-one years, she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the coast of Brittany, also known as “the end of the world.” Here she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life’s small moments. And, as the parts of herself she had long forgotten return to her in this new world, Marianne learns it’s never too late to begin the search for what life should have been all along. With all the buoyant charm that made The Little Paris Bookshop a beloved bestseller, The Little French Bistro is a tale of second chances and a delightful embrace of the joys of life in France.