Farewell, My Only One

Book excerpt: A novel that brings to life one of the great romances of all time. “Evokes in gritty and poetic detail the streets of twelfth-century Paris.” —The New York Times Book Review In the early twelfth century, William reaches Paris full of hope and without a penny. There, on the same day, he meets the two people who will dominate his life: young Heloise, with whom he immediately falls in love, and Abelard, the world-renowned philosopher. Through the eyes of William, we follow every turn in the greatest love story of the Middle Ages. We witness, in harrowing and lush descriptions, the scandal of the famous theologian falling for his educated and charming student; their flight and secret marriage; the barbaric revenge of the girl’s uncle; their years of separation; the writing of the famous letters; and finally the demise of a broken Abelard, whose books have been burned, a man who finds his ultimate solace in the thought of the woman who has never ceased to love him. Antoine Audouard brings literary grace to a story that is palpably infused with sensuality, conflict, and intellectual ferment. Farewell, My Only One is intelligent and bawdy, philosophical and romantic—a universal story of star-crossed lovers. “This is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.” —Publishers Weekly