"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING."

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 147, 23 June 1934, Page 2 (Supplement)

"LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING."

AN HISTORICAL NOVEL. In his latest historical novel Mr. Philip Lindsay lias achieved a notabl-2 feat in description of life in fifteenth century London. "London Bridge is Falling" (Ivor Nicholson and Watson) is a "Street Scene" of the mid-fifteenth century, and purports to present a cross-section of the lives of the dwellers on London Bridge at the time of Jack Cade's famous rebellion. It is a crowded canvas and one full of life, vigorously and picturesquely presented, and one feels certain that the picture is historically correct to the smallest detail. Indeed, the author confesses in a most candid and interesting dedication (written, as the fashion goes, in the form of a preface or introductory letter) that his chief care has been "to be exact both in historical and antiquarian particulars," and reveals that ho almost followed Scott's example and placed an appendix at the end of the book "giving actual episodes in proof of my imaginary ones."

Most certainly the book rings true in its description, and must be accounted a brilliantly successful historical narrative; but what of the 6tory? This suffers somewhat by the passion of the author for historical detail. The host of characters that constantly fiood the stage prevent the author from pursuing, or the reader from following with any concentrated attention, the story of any particular one of them. The reader docs not seem to survey the crowded scene continuously through the eyes of any one character in the book, and this seems something of a fault, for the story does not carry one away. The novel, in a word, is more a series of scenes than a story, and this is just a little disappointing to anyone who lias road "Hero Comes the King."

The author is of course acutely aware of all this himself. "As it stands, I fear the tale wanders a little," ho says ingenuously: so frank an admission is disarming. Any reader who is interested in tales of times gone by, to whom Scott and Dumas arc tho classical novelists par excellence, should not omit to read this book and to follow the fortunes of Andrew Picard and his neighbours the merchants and journeymen on London Bridge, and the "soldiers, warders and masters of the Girdlers' Company, harlots, outlaws, weyves, thieves, friars, beggars, watermen, labourers, bawds, alehouse wives, etc., etc.." who form the residuary characters of the book.