At that festival time, when the days are the shortest and the nights the longest, and when, therefore, it is the invariable practice of all intelligent men to turn night into day; when the ratio of business and pleasure is clearly in favor of the latter; when a magnificent carnival is held in London, and everything testifies to the predominance and influence of good humor.
This is a historical novel describing the events of the Great Plague in London and the Great Fire of London. The protagonist is Leonard Holt, apprentice of our grocer Stephen Blundel, he is madly in love with the grocer’s daughter Annabelle, who is not madly in love with him, she is madly in love with Lord Rochester.
A typical gothic fantasy, Rookwood is a good read if you can stomach the songs, poetry, and flowery language. It features underground vaults, mummified corpses falling out of tombs, paranormal summonses, girls in great distress, a sinister gypsy old woman, adultery, death by lightning, and macabre prophecies.
The novel clearly includes a huge amount of historical research. And then there is the geography associated with it – Charles always stops in the middle of his flight to admire this or that beautiful prospect. The author also gives us the latest news about what happened to all these places. The author uses Boscobel as a guide to follow Charles’ steps.
For a person unaccustomed to the imposing religious ceremonies of the Catholic Church, it was a delightful sight to observe all the pomp and splendor displayed at this high celebration. The papal choir now and then sang the melodic masses characteristic of worship, and hundreds of centers spread all-consuming spirits around.