Pure

An ambitious young engineer is given the job of demolishing Les Innocents, one of the oldest cemeteries in pre-Revolutionary Paris. As well as the overpowering stench of the dead, he must also contend with the temptations of the big city and the emerging political consciousness of the workers. Miller captures the moment when the dust of the past is blown away by the future through his vivid characters and intense atmosphere--historical fiction lovers might be advised to keep a perfumed nosegay close at hand. A "pure" delight. ~ Reviewed by Charles Bottomley