Toulouse, Toujours (Wilton Crescent) (Volume 1)

Enjoy this searing and cleverly written roman à clef by Chadwick Hagan that is loosely based on the tumultuous, sometimes comical and often tragic life of Count Gottfried von Bismarck-Schönhausen. Toulouse is a wonderfully decadent and graphically descriptive novel that explores humanity in a highly original and insightful manner. The reader is given – quite literally – a bird’s eye view of what happens in this strange, sometimes dark, yet undeniably intriguing world. There is also an underlying animal rights message. Toulouse, Toujours, is part one of a fast-paced trilogy brimming with exhilarating descriptive narratives that will take the reader deep into the heart of central London’s famed Belgravia district, which has long been known for its impressive residences and remains one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world. In Toulouse, Toujours, an insightful yet delightfully unexpected observer gives a colorful account of the sights and sounds of the city’s posh SW1 and SW3 districts – and of the goings on in and around the Belgravia home of the wealthy and highly eccentric character of Lord Louis Bancroft, whose lifestyle exhibits more than just a passing resemblance to von Bismarck’s. From sensual descriptions of London itself and the mansion’s impressive gardens, to animated chronicles of the often drug-fueled antics of Lord Bancroft and other local characters, Toulouse, Toujours, is a uniquely intellectual work that manages to nonetheless take the reader on a wild ride through the torrid world of the über-wealthy. Reviews ---- "Toulouse, Toujours is a sly and funny book, carefully considered and crafted. Hagan’s writing has a charm and aesthetic sensibility that brings to mind the work of Gogol, or Kafka, or even Bulgakov. Toulouse, Toujours is a fine collection of stories, a fine book, and a great read." - Marc Fitten, American novelist & author of Valeria's Last Stand