Book description
From the church of St Udan's rises The Tower, threatening collapse
unless a large sum can be raised to repair it. In its shadow, the
brooding, macabre figure of Old Liberty, fire-and-brimstone vicar, rages
against robust and clever George Hardcastle, humanist and self-styled
'antichrist', while between them wavers diminutive enchanting Mary
Garstin, wearing her wealth and position uneasily. Happening upon this
tiny hamlet where nothing is quite what it seems, John Smith is held in
thrall by the elusive charm of Cynthia Hardcastle - who plays
Shakespearean games with her father, and crouches on tree stumps in the
dark of night - and by a premonition of disaster. Praised by critics
for his clean prose style, characterization, and the strong sense of
place in his novels, Philip Maitland Hubbard was born in Reading, in
Berkshire and brought up in Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. He was
educated at Oxford, where he won the Newdigate Prize for English verse
in 1933. From 1934 until its disbandment in 1947 he served with the
Indian Civil service. On his return to England he worked for the British
Council, eventually retiring to work as a freelance writer. He
contributed to a number of publications, including Punch, and wrote 16
novels for adults as well as two children's books. He lived in Dorset
and Scotland, and many of his novels draw on his interest in and
knowledge of rural pursuits and folk religion.
