Devereux — Volume 06

"Devereux — Volume 06" by Edward Bulwer Lytton is a 19th-century historical novel that shadows Morton Devereux through trials of love, the obligations to his community, and the weight of his own thoughts against a vibrant historical background, primarily after his return from Russia. The story begins with Devereux in St. Petersburg, reflecting on sorrow, his need for peace, and the complex political climate after the Czar's death, which directs his wishes toward the comforting warmth of Italy, that he hopes will cure his Russian chill and give sanctuary for thought and philosophical questions. Devereux finds a lovely cottage where he experiences the natural beauty and starts his deep reflections on the connections of love, life, happiness and suffering around him. During this time, he meets a reclusive hermit whose troubled life seems deeply connected to his own past, which foreshadows the linked destinies that will arise.