Rose Alley
Jeremy M. Davies has written a literally overwhelming book: the historical Rose Alley was the scene of Dryden s brutal ambush by hirelings of the Earl of Rochester, and each chapter of Davies s book appropriately ambushes the reader, not with brutality but with wit, irresistable ingenuity, and a stupefying narrative abundance that propels us from one sizzling and often hilarious surprise to the next. You havenoexcuse for not reading this book. --Harry Matthews