One of the most pleasurable aspects of writing my novel, The Lives of Things, was researching the chateau that figures prominently in the last third of the book. At the time I was writing that section, there were 270 chateaus for sale in the south of France alone, and I got to peruse them all. Many had photos and details to spark the imagination.
More recently, while I’ve been adapting the screenplay that producer Luc Campeau wants to use to make a film of the book, I have found various chateaus that seem to me to be perfect for the movie. This one, a Burgundy chateau featured in the December 2014 issue of Architectural Digest, is especially delightful, because its owner, Jean-Louis Remilleux, comments that he believes his things are all alive.
Besides the beautiful golden façade and lovely grounds, some of the rooms have the kind of gorgeously cluttered interiors that would have made my heroine, Rebecca Katz, sick to her stomach from the demands echoing from all the artists’ souls in the floor-to-ceiling paintings, the endless rugs, and sculptures. Maybe if Luc finds the right lead actress and the funding to get the film made, we can reach out to Mr. Remilleux, who is a filmmaker himself. Perhaps it is improbable that we could use the Chateau de Digoine to film the movie, but stranger things have happened.
What is your favorite house?
Stephanie Wilson Medlock 