Chapters 3 & 4 Summary

In this section, Charlotte continues to describe the France of her childhood to her grandchildren. The narrator admits to not knowing where reality ends and fantasy begins. Even though his grandmother is describing French villages, he can only imagine them in a Russian context, the only context he's ever known. One story that particularly interests the narrator is the story of the Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, visiting France with his wife, Alexandra. Charlotte recounts the events of his visit in vivid detail, reading from newspaper clippings she's saved all these years. She has even managed to save a copy of the menu that was served to Tsar Nicholas II and his wife. The narrator and his sister have no idea what these foods look or taste like, only that "Vine quails a la Lucullus" and "Poulardes du Mans Cambaceres" sound exquisite, and positively...