BOOKS REVIEWED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10657, 26 November 1925, Page 7

BOOKS REVIEWED

"THE ANCIENT HIGHWAY." ROMANCE IN A ROMANTIC LAND. "The Ancient Highway," by James Oliver Curwood, is as the name suggests, full of romance from the first page to the last. The scene is laid in the most romantic part of Canada—the heart of the country of L'Assumption, where Clifton Brant, soldier, murderer and adventurer, entered into the life of New France of 300 years ago—still New France to-day. Little glimpses of history, of life among a simple and lovable people -,of forest ways and forest dangers fill the book. There are exciting adventures in the woods when the rights of the Laurentian Timber Company are tampered with by an unscrupulous modern profiteer. Then wo have told the love of Clifton Brant (whose mother was the lact princess of the Mohawk race) for Antoinette St. Ives, and of Gaspard St. Ives (who loves honour and a good light) for Angelique Fanchon. Another fine character is Friar Alphonse, a. back-sliding trappisfc monk, who believes in ghosts and prayer, and who proves a true friend to all four lovers, and helps them over rough patches on the road. Mr Curwood Has never done finer work than , that which is revealed in this book.

"HER MOTHER'S HONOUR," "Her Mother's Honour," by "Valentine," is a £IOOO prize story—a goodly wage for the relation of the miseries endured by Lady Millicent Painswick in order that her husband shall not discover her "secret." And it is not such a dreadful "secret" after all, though the telling of it is distinctly interesting. In any case, the loyalty of Rosemary Painswick, despite all the doubts raised by her mother's intrigues, will appeal to the sentimental, who will also soundly condemn Gordon Stroud, a stockbroking "crook" who battens on his knowledge of the "secret"—without, however, reckoning on the artfulness of Julius P. Rosebank, a seemingly simple yet cute American, and a friend of the Painswicks, a really colourful character. ANOTHER A. G. HALES BOOK, A. G. Hales in his latest book "The falcon's Eyrie," has produced a work

that will render him a greater favourite than ever with the reading public that likes a thrilling book in which the characters are depicted as real men and women. In this story of Wales, Mr Hales tells the story of tho love of a smuggler chief for a woman who betrayed him to his enemies for the sake of rank and money. His exploits in evading the cordon of war vessels bent ■ton ending smuggling are of themselves | entertaining reading, and the descr.ip-( tion of life aboard ship in the days of frigates and corvettes is most interesting. When to the main love story is added another romance—in which a

'King's officer succumbs to the charms jof a poor fisher maid and while not dosing honour, yet throws honour to |'the winds in return for his life—the j'interest is more than doubled. The reader experiences quite a feeling of regret that the honest, true-hearted sailor does not gain his heart's desire, the daredevil smuggler winning in the end. "OH THE BRAVE MUSIC." "Oh the Brave Music," by Richard Blacker, is a story of middle-class business life, and though it drags a little is on the whole extremely well told. As in his previous works, Mr Bladder has shown great discrimination and re- ! straint in outlining his characters. He avoids exaggerations; he makes his men and women natural, with the virtues and vices common to humanity. Tho central figure, George Eliot, a retired captain of the mercantile marine, is ably drawn as is that of the unhappily genteel Minnie, his wife. There is also a discriminating study of thes development of a boy. All tho above books were received from Messrs Hodder and Stoughton, Sydney.