A NEW ZEALAND NOVEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 117, 18 May 1892, Page 2

A NEW ZEALAND NOVEL.

f Acokland Star : The reviewer sitting down to Mr Tom Cottle's New Zealand novel, "Frank Melton's Luck," has the wind rather taken out of his sails by the author himself in the preface. That gentleman states thab hie aim has been a realistic and truthful description of station life in New Zealand together with a faithful depiction _ of 'the historical incidents woven into ;the story ; and in this he has already been credibly informed that 'he has achieved success. « When a man ibelieves in hia success—and Mr Cottle evidently does—there is litble to be said. ;He is pleased, and ib would be ungracious 'to inberfero with thab pleasure. Itmusb nob be understood by this that we differ ;from Mr Cobble's kindly critics. " Frank Melbon's Luck " is an unassuming readable story of station life, wibh some exciting war incidenbs worked in. The characters of the ■ book are firmly drawn, and the author has ia facile pen, a pleaeanb fancy, and shows every now and then a facility for descriptive writing and word picbures. The same sorb of story has been told fairly off.on before, but Mr Cottlo tolls ib in a new way, and has one advantage over several authors whose names are better '.known—that ho has had acknowledge ot what he was writing ahout. Frank appears to us a sufficiently pleasant young fellow, and, all things considered, be is an interesting one. He has a decidedly susceptible heart, and falls in love as ofben as practicable before he meets his special uilinity, Fanny by name, on board the steamer on the way from Manukau Heads to Wangauni. She turns oub to be his ccusin, and the course of true love does nob run by any means smooth. A perfectly oubrageou3 cad named Grosvenor ie the principal stumblingblock in Mr Frank's way. This young spiig of the aristocracy is most certainly aa contemptible a personage as it has been our privilege to come across. Mr Cottle is very successful over the character, bub ib was surely stretching a point to make the young man tnlk the language of the lower classes. Even a baronebs son would scarcely talk about the "likes of us." A description of a cattle muster ia very realistic and distinctly diverting. Ib is, moreover, very true to lifo, as many a cadet could toll. Poor Frank gets unmercifully chaffed about hia croppers, and the usual incidents of a mueter when now chums are about aro graphically described. The description of the war at Patea and the death of Yon Tempsky are about the best specimens of fine descriptive writing in a book that is by no means deficient in good descriptions. A capital idea is given of the Thames gold fever, and of the doings on the Auckland Mining Exchange in the good old days. The book is throughout, in fact, full of vivid pictures of Now Zealand life. Few of the conditions aro changed so much or so long that it could nob bo eaid that many of the characters, especially the minor ones so clevorly introduced, ars veritablo portraits. One thing is certain. Mr Cobtle has writbon a book that ia faithful and true. Ib is also interesting and amusing, and equally so to the old setbler, his sons and daughters, or tho new arrival who wishes to know whab sorb of placo ho has como bo. Tho book can bo obtained from all stationers and booksellers throughout New Zealand. Price, Is.