FLORENCE BARCLAY'S FIRST NOVEL

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 19

FLORENCE BARCLAY'S FIRST NOVEL

Few novel readers can resist the charm of Florence Barclay’s stories, and in 4 Guy Mervyn ’ they have an opportunity of learning something of her early life. As the publishers (Putnam) point out, ‘ Guy Mervyn,’ Mrs Barclay’s first book, was written in her early twenties. It was published in 1891, but owing to the termination of the publisher’s business only a few copies reached the public. Later she came to regard ‘ Guy Mervyn ’ ns immature and requiring revision before appearing in a new addition, but this had not been done when she died. The task, however, was completed by her daughter, but only such changes were made as Mrs Barclay would have desired, so that readers could confidently accept the book as truly her creation. The story is told with charm, humour, and sincere spiritual emotion, and it has the special interest of containing a selfportrait of Mrs Barclay as a child.