Ceremony of the Innocent is well written, but the plot remains unconvincing. This time the notion of a small group secretly controlling the world is implausible. The book may be of some interest because of its autobiographical insights. Miss Caldwell disavows autobiographical intent but also states that [the heroine] Ellen Porter's "thoughts have been my thoughts and her experiences mine also." The author would be well advised to seek another theme the next time.

Barbara Sicherman, in her review of "Ceremony of the Innocent," in Best Sellers (copyright © 1977 Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation), Vol. 36, No. 11, February, 1977, p. 346.