Although "Demelza" is not a masterpiece of historical fiction, both casual readers and those familiar with the eighteenth cen-Winston (Mawdsley) Graham 1910– Photograph by Godfrey Argenttury will be interested in its reconstruction of the troubled years of the French Revolution in remote Cornish towns. The French Revolution seems to be a publisher's staple this year, but Mr. Graham's book is both solid and readable. He has obviously done extensive research into the period, and he even reproduces, with some fidelity, English speech of the age….

"Demelza" is more than a collection of romances. It makes us participate in movements which control the destinies of its character. It offers realistic and somber descriptions of Cornish farmers, fishermen and miners pushed to the verge of revolution by unjust laws.

W.A.S. Dollard, "A Lady by Adoption," in The New York Times Book Review (© 1953 by The New York Times...