The Grand Promenade — Gary Jennings

The epic saga of Spangle takes us on a grand tour across two continents, from the post--Civil War South to the glittering capitals of nineteenth-century Europe. In The Grand Promenade, Zachary Edge and his troupe of show-men travel north across Hungary to rugged, majestic Russia, where he will meet Tsar Alexander at the St. Petersburg court. From there it's south and west, dodging Bismarck's bullets, to Emperor Louis Napoleon's Paris which is facing the imminent threat of war. For Zachary Edge and his friends, Europe, with its beautiful women, its absinthe-drinking poets, and its captivating royalty, provides one unforgettable experience after the next. Through them, we view a continent poised on the brink of tumultuous change.