GRAND PARADE

The last two years have deepened the interest in this country in the history of our great neighbor to the north; fiction writers have made their contribution, too. There was Bruce Lancaster's story of conflict between Upper and Lower Canada, Bright to the Wonderer, in period paralleling this story, Grand Parade, to some extent. Cyril Harris in One Braver Thing and Thomas Raddall in His Majesty's Yenkees dealt with the problems of the Loyalists who went to Nova Scotia during the American Revolution. Now comes this story, again a Nova Scotian setting, in a slightly later period-during the wars with Spain and France and the War of 1818. The background is Halifax; privateering was practised by the best families; and high society, a bit in the rough, held court in Halifax. The cochranes, leading citizens, and two ""orphans of the storm"", Paul-Marie St Brelade, who sacrifices his life to his loyalty to France, and Anne, wife of deserter Nigel, neither maid, wife nor widow, and incurable flirt, are the main characters of a romantic adventure tale, which ends with nobody getting his just deserts. The story is a trifle slow getting under way, but gathers pace, after Charnisay rescues Paul from the island prison.