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CAMPION TOWERS by John and Patricia Beatty Kirkus Star

CAMPION TOWERS

By

Pub Date: April 1st, 1965
Publisher: Macmillan

In At the Seven Stars (1963) these authors provided a panoramic vision of 18th century London during the time of King George III. Here they have given a similar treatment to an earlier time in English history, the years just prior to the Restoration. The Puritans, with their undisputed respectability, are a popular subject for juvenile historical fiction. In this case the severity of the heroine's beliefs is tempered by her gradual involvement in the Royalist cause. 15 year old Penitence Hervey leaves her home in Salem to visit her dying grandmother in Worcestershire, England. Although she is avid in her support of Cromwell and has agreed to spy on her relatives for the cause, circumstances bring her to the opposing side. The devoted Roundhead who masquerades as a boy to bring news to Cromwell on the eve of the battle at Worcestershire is kissed by King Charles, accompanies him on his disguised escape, and has a romance with an outlaw cousin. A solid overlay of detail makes this fantastic sequence of events seem perfectly plausible. The story is long, but this is compensated by the building adventure set against the full panoply of the period setting, which has been described in a smoothly convincing modification of Cromwellian English.