Summary of The Spirits of the Earth
“The Spirits of the Earth” is a family saga about a wealthy Swiss family whose fortune begins to dwindle, set on the shores of Lake Geneva during the interwar period. The story revolves around César, the eldest son who divides his time between the two family-estates where his younger brothers live with their families. Secretly, he longs for a family of his own, while his brothers and their wives worry about what will happen should César marry and claim his share of the inheritance.
Reasons to read The Spirits of the Earth
“The Spirits of the Earth” is a compelling psychological novel exploring the tensions within a Swiss upper-class family in decline. Catherine Colomb was an innovative Francophone Swiss writer but is relatively unknown to English-speaking audiences. Other notable novels by Colomb are “Château en enfance” and “Le temps des anges” (not available in English translation).
Setting: Lake Geneva (Switzerland)
The ‘Château de Fraidaigue’ is located in Saint-Prex, the author’s birthplace on Lake Geneva, while the ‘Maison d’en Haut’ is situated in the hills above the lake.
Original title: Les esprits de la terre
Year of publication: 1953
Nr of pages: 232
