BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Evening Star, Issue 11451, 19 January 1901, Page 8

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

‘Tommy and Grlzs!.' By J. M. Barrie. London : Cassell and 00. Duuediu: Whitcombe and Tombs, Limited. One cf those delightful books that it is difficult to lay down until finished, and the perusal of which repays for the pain and duty of wading through oceans of commonplace and wearisome twaddle. It is hooka such as this that enable one to comprehend the immense popularity of their authors—for we have Crockett in our mind also—and the reason why so much else that is written never passes beyond a first 'edition, or, if puffed into the 100 000 rank, has to pay for its splutter and sparkle with a deep and surer final burial. The secret of Barrie’s and Crockett’s charm is to be found in the predominant human interest of their works. Their characters are in most cases creatures of flesh and blood. They do not simply introduce to our notice a string of lay figures to which they attach labels, and then put into the mouths of their puppets—the said mouths opening and shutting like a mechanical toy—iheir own words, sentiments, and opinions. The vast majority of men and women do not talk in epigrams, everlastingly discuss the sex, nor hold forth on socialism, the submerged tenth, and flying machines. Many novel writers live too much in a world the like of which few have ever ieen; their men and women are too transcendemly good or bad, wise or weak. It is the few that get away from this common rut—those who do not seek to solve something religious or educational or political, but who give us plain every-day folks, with jnst the necestouch of the ideal whose w rts survive a little longer than the usual nine days. In ‘Tommy and Grizel’ we have a splendid portrait of the pure, loving, intelligent woman who is not too superlatively anything to be either improbable or very 'rare. In fact, we think that there are many sach, and it does the reading world good to have her type kept continuously before it. There is no batter way to exorcise the impression left by the host of gloomy, pessimistic, gloriously beautiful women with a past and very doubtful present. Grizel has tne weakness as well as the greatness, the nobility, simple innocence, and self-sacrificing spirit of her sex at its best* Fortunately for the world that best is a common one. lommy we do not like. We keep calling him “ contemptible ” Tommy rather than sentimental lommy, and the only time we feel vexed with Grizel, although recognising its extreme likelihood, is when she casts aside her pride and accepts meekly the humiliation his conduct casts upon her. Sdll, he may be true to life. His selfishness aud baser parts undoubtedly are traits common to us all. But we thick hia sudden shifts and changes, hia self-deceptions, and his double nature rather overdrawn. Nor is it necessary that we should believe that a young man of twenty - two did write a book which placed its author at a bound on a social equality and terms of intimacy with the titled and great of the earth. The charm of ‘Tommy and Grizel ’ is in the manner of its telling and nob dependent upon its incidents. The humor, pathos, bits of character, kindly satire, are, after all, what make a book aud distinguish it from the ruck. And these Mr Barries latest possesses in abundance To give qtotilions would be an endless task ; but hero are a few drawn at a venture: “The full beauty of Grizel came out at night only, like the stars”; her month was “a little bit of babyhood that had forgotten to glow up With the rest of her ; “ Corp had by nature such & gift for giving luggage the twist which breaks everything inside as vou dump it down that he was incvitablvappointed porter;” ‘‘When Corp first"proposed to her she gave him a clout on the head, and »o little did he know of the sex that this discouraged him; ” “or if you do not care for music you can go into the drawing room and listen to the piano.” But we must conclude. Good wine needs no bush, and Barrie’s ‘ Tommy and Grizel,’ ,whateyer our opinion may be upon the male portrait—which, however, from an artistic standpoint is well done—stands in need of no puffery. ‘Mistress Dorothy Marvin.’ By J. C. Snaith. London: Ward, Lock, and Co. Dunedin ; J. G, Sawell. This is a story dealing with the plpts and risings with which England was thick during the closing montns of James ll.’s reign and the advent of William of Orange. It is a most popular and favorite period, and the stories written thereon would fill many libraries. However, wo like them, provided that the love and the villainy are not overdone. ‘The present is freely illustrated, and contains all the ingredients that go to make up a book of adventure, history, and romance. It is told in the first person—a rather objectionable form—and ends in the .most orthodox and approved fashion.