"THE FORTRESS."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 263, 5 November 1932, Page 2 (Supplement)

"THE FORTRESS."

MORE ABOUT THE HERRIES FAMILY.

In "The Fortress" (Macmillan), Mr. Hugh Walpole achieves a striking success, whether one views it as a novel complete in itself, or merely as part of the whole" Herries family chronicle, of which it is the third volume. The popularity of the first two volumes, "Rogue Herries," and "Judith Paris." has shown that there is still a large public with time and inclination to read a long and leisurely, novel, and one feels that in a briefer compass, Mr. Walpole could scarcely succeed in his ambitious project of making the comprehensive history of a large and wide-spread family provide a vivid and accurate picture of nearly every aspect of the life of the times. Politics, literature, justice, sport, the life in town and country, of both rich and poor—all these are interwoven into the atory, for the descendants of Si? Robert Herries are now to be found ill every walk of life. The main theme of this volume is the latter half of Judith Paris' life—her devotion to her son Adam, and her concentrated support of Jennifer against Walter Herries, in the feud which, arising from a trivial and almost forgotten incident, has by now divided the whole family in two. The book opens at the moment when Judith has decided to give up all thought of a peaceful and happy life at her farm at Watendlath, and to live instead at Fell House to protect Jennifer from her cousin Walter, who had sworn to destroy her and her children. At the close df the story she is shown as a frail but indomitable old woman, holding a triumphant reception of her relations on her hundredth birthday. Whatever faults there may be throughout the book of unevenness and inconsistency, they are not apparent in the portrayal of this spirited character. She is indeed a powerful creation. Nor are the other major characters —Adam, Margaret, Uhiand, Walter and Jennifer—drawn with less sureness of touch; it is only on coming to the minor characters that one feels that the author liaa not fully substantiated all the claims he makes for the Herries family. There are. times when the storv seems to move a little ponderously, though a Teally dramatic situation or T*>""dent alwavs finds Air. Walpole at the top of his form; then, again, certain historical incidents seem to be dragged in rather unnaturally, though strangely enough their artificiality in no way detracts from the reality of the historical background as a whole, for this depends on spirit rather than on incident. In spite of faults, ' "The Fortress" has the essential qualities of a great book.