For the Love of a Queen - Pierre Sogno

After making his fortune in India, Jean Laborde (1805 - 1878) sets sail for France with a precious cargo, but his ship is wrecked on the shores of Madagascar... Total shipwreck, yet this does not prevent him from becoming, after extraordinary adventures, the most influential man in Madagascar. Yet Queen Ranavalona is an absolute tyrant whose despotism casts a shadow over the entire Indian Ocean. She who seized the throne through a coup d'état is nicknamed by the French the " female Caligula ". How does this merciless and racist queen allow herself to be ensnared by the love of a white man? From this irresistible passion will emerge Madagascar's economic boom and its entry into the modern era. Against the backdrop of an extraordinary love story lies the colonial struggle between France and England, exacerbated by the conflict between the planters of Réunion and the settlers of Mauritius. This authentic story unfolds in a sumptuous historical narrative where the author displays an exceptional command of suspense and action: battles, erotic scenes, slave markets, Catholic masses, grandiose caprices worthy of Caligula himself... Pierre Sogno, armed with vibrant and colorful prose, gives us here a novel that is both beautiful and captivating.