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Glyn Pope Synopsis ‘The Living and the Dead’
Synopsis for ‘The Living and the Dead’ Soon to be complete novel by Glyn Pope. Approx 100,000 words Nicolas parent’s escape from persecution in Russia, moving England at the end of the 19th century. They live in the north of England and have a son Nicolas. They keep themselves very much to themselves and become prosperous. Nicolas attends the local village school, as does Mary-Alice. Mary-Alice is one of a large family, the daughter of a local miner. Ultimately Mary-Alice, the Catholic, and Nicolas, the Jew, fall in love in their teens and Mary-Alice becomes pregnant. Nicolas is banished by his mother to France to live with an uncle, which is where he spends the rest of his life. Mary-Alice lives with her aunt and uncle until she meets up with Harold and marries him. He becomes as a father to June, Nicolas and Mary-Alice’s daughter and Nicolas is never spoken of again. They finally settle in Leicester where they live for the rest of their lives, dying during the 1980s. In France Nicolas befriends the Russian émigrés Alexander and Eva. Alexander is a fantasist who says that he is in the pay of the Russian government as a spy. He is, though, a superb chess player who can win a chess game blindfolded. In fact it is Eva who is in the pay of the Russian government and ultimately works for the French resistance during the Second World War involving Nicolas in one of her actions. During the war Nicolas is a successful lawyer and he fails in his role as resistance fighter quite miserably. After the war Eva has a baby who is adopted by an English couple who later become British Ambassador and wife to France. Meanwhile June marries. There is some background story regarding her husband and his father. June and William have two children, the youngest being Richard. When Nicolas’ father, her blood grandfather, dies she inherits a considerable sum of money. Ultimately when Nicolas mother dies she inherits the rest of the fortune, which goes into millions of pounds. She never tells anyone about this until at her death by the deeds of the original will from her grandfather Richard is the sole beneficiary. Richard is a gifted linguist and he studies French at university. He falls in love with Helen who is the daughter of the English ambassador in France. The pair makes a visit to France. Helen meets up with Nicolas for the first time. He is her blood mother’s solicitor. Her mother has died leaving her a small income and a large flat in Paris. Helen and Richard decide to spend the rest of the weekend in the flat. They argue and separate. Both are too obstinate to make it up. Richard takes up teaching and lives with his mother. When she dies he goes to pieces and has a nervous breakdown. He is given early retirement. He is unable to go back into the house of his mother. With his inheritance he buys a house in the backwaters of France. The locals in the village say an Englishman once owned it as well and that he is in a home for the elderly in a local town. Richard visits him and it turns out to be Nicolas. Richard has a French girlfriend, his first since Helen, who is killed in a motor accident. He makes contact again with Helen through an ‘old school friends’ site on the World Wide Web. After some communication she visits him and they finally marry. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD Ian Ousby ‘Occupation’ Beverly McPartlin BBCi Chaim Potok The Wanderings of the Jews Space Today NASA The Sunday Times May 2004 Microsoft Encarta Churchill Roy Jenkins La Nouvelle Republique 1944 La Region Liberee (pub 2004) L’Illustration May 1944 " May 1943 " June 1943 Paris Match 18th January 1940 Forgotten Voices of the Second World War Max Arthur Forgotten Voices of the First World War Max Arthur The Last Great Frenchman (A life of General de Gaulle) Charles Williams 1993 Last Post Max Arthur 2005
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