The Straw Tower

Set in London and the English countryside during the 18th century, Wilson's latest historical novel is the spirited culmination of the trilogy begun in Master of Morholm. The story traces the career of Caroline Hardwick. From naive capriciousness--during a stormy period of the Napoleonic wars she falls in love with a ``forbidden'' man, a French prisoner of war--she grows to enlightenment, finding true love with the person she least suspects can supply it. But Caroline is still haunted by the indiscretions of her youth, and on a seemingly innocent vacation to France, she tries to exorcise her ghosts and in doing so wreaks havoc. Wilson develops a cohesive, bold plot, which he spices and substantiates with clearly delineated subplots. Lyrical prose and lingering subtleties of language lift this work above the general run of romantic fiction, while Wilson's appealing characters claim the reader's imagination. (July)