The Candlemass Road
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | George MacDonald Fraser |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | historical fiction |
| Publisher | Harvill Press (UK) HarperCollins (US) |
Publication date | 1993 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 156 |
The Candlemass Road is a historical novel from George MacDonald Fraser set in the time of the Border Reivers, a period Fraser had earlier written about in The Steel Bonnets and would later return to in The Reavers.[1][2]
Fraser later described it as "a rather dark morality tale - at least I meant it to have a moral - in what I hope was a reasonable imitation of Elizabethan English".[3]
The author said he had another purpose in writing the book, to emphasise the decline in law and order. "We're becoming a nation of broken men," he told a journalist. "Now that the law fails to protect us, people have just got to look out for themselves - within the custom of the country, which is not necessarily within the law."[4]
The book is mentioned in the film All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane.
Reception
[edit]The Washington Post said "Readers who enjoy a snatch of history brought to life will enjoy this brief but fascinating tale. However, the slightness of the plot, along with the old-fashioned treatment of point of view and the lack of character development, will leave those looking for a satisfying story disappointed."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Stanley Reynolds, "George MacDonald Fraser: He created Harry Flashman, tormentor of Tom Brown turned comical anti-hero", The Guardian, 4 January 2008 accessed 23 November 2012
- ^ Books: Reiving up on the Borders Cameron, David. The Daily Telegraph09 Oct 1993: 27.
- ^ George MacDonald Fraser, The Light's On at Signpost, HarperCollins 2002 p311
- ^ Lord, Graham (11 December 1993). "Writing on the border line". The Daily Telegraph. p. 69.
- ^ "FICTION: THE CANDLEMASS ROAD By George MacDonald Fraser Harvill/HarperCollins. 180 pp. $20". The Washington Post. 22 January 1995.
External links
[edit]- Review of novel at Washington Post