SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 28, 27 October 1917, Page 13

SOME RECENT FICTION

Maria Once Again, Mrs. John Lane will earn the gratitude of all whom, in the past, she has so agreeably diverted with her satirical sketches in which her amusing creation, Maria, is the leading figure, by giving us yet another "Maria liook," to wit, "War Phases According to Maria" (Loudon, John Lane). The middle-aged, but still indefatigable, social climber and worldly philosopher, is here presented as tlio heroine of a scries of most entertaining episodes. Wc have Maria keenly anxious to "do Bomething," being indignant over tlte appearance of her social rival, Mrs. Dill Binkie, in an elaborate and most becoming uniform as a "war-worker"; we have Maria's opinions on the Zepps., with the extraordinary adventures of her spouse, Samuel, in connection therewith. Maria, too, explores a submarine and waxes eloquent upon politics. Maria on "Cardboard friendship" is on inimitably funny chapter, but it is when Maria, with a view to domestic economy, starts poultry-raising that we reach tho limit, of her amusiug absurdities. Mrs. Lane is .clearly a social satirist of exceptional ability, as, indeed, was long agu '•ccognised, when sho gave us that quite Tbaekcrayan study of tlio British snojxxiracy, "The Champagne Standard." Maria is a type of a.class which is stilt far too numerous for the good of. society as a whole, but sho is certainly ono of the most amusing personages to be mot with in latter-day fiction. A special feature ot ,i book 'which everyone who enjoys a good laugh should go straightway and buy is I lie witty and brilliant work of thi'it clever pictorial satirist, A. H. Pish. Miss Fish's illustrations aro oven funnier than are Mrs. Lane's, sketches, of Maria and her friends, Mrs. Dill Binkie, the Simpson-Blotters, and that delightfully stodgy and stupid person, her husband.