THE BOOKWOMAN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3225, 23 May 1911, Page 3

THE BOOKWOMAN.

(Written Speciallyfor, the " ••••Gisborne 'ivnies.V)- .

NEY/ PUBLICATIONS

1 “Whirlpools : ” Homy Sienkiewicr —a novel of Mouern Poland, by the author of “Quo Vadis.” The average reader knows little of Poland beyond the vague fact that it is a restless country, mentally ticketed by him as ‘ ‘unhappy' ’ and ‘ ‘trodden under the iron heel" of Russia."• ‘••Whirlpool's” conveys a good deal of ready useful infm matron m the palatable form of a very original and clever ' narrative, every word ot whiqh can be > thorughly enjoyed. The author lias brought himself most prominently before English readers by his striking book t*Quo Vad-is, ” which- depicts Rome in its most degen.-' erate days with an unflinching realism, and liis other books, such as “The Knights of the Cross,” have very great interest and power. T “Whirlpools,” a®, a. study of real modern life in a country that has not been over-ex-ploited by the novelist, is a hook that ] probably wjill be as widely read as “Quo ' Vadis. ” x The scene is laid first at a- manor-house in the countiy, and afterwards in Warsaw. The country is full of unrest and the l people are largely under the influence of an- extremely revolutionary • Socialist party, who do not hesitate to issue sentences of death, add even to carry thorn out, oni those who are judged to- have offended.“The Party” either by outspoken opposition or iby- refusal to contribute to funds for the purpose of bombs and other anarchical supplies. The principal characters are brought under the displeasure of the revoluiona-reis from various causes and the tragedy of the book is supliocl by the murder of Maiynia, child-viohnist and genius, by the very people for whose benefit she- was preparing to devote her music. As a section taken bodily from real life, must leave raw edges where it is cut, the story does not attempt to trace out or even indicate the future destiny of any of the other characters. Life is only finished off smoothly in novels that do not purport to give things as they really are, that are written merely to please and amuse. Consequently, to- many the end will be disappointing, but so long as the deestiny of Poland is still undecided, so long is it impossible to imagine “Whirlpools” with a more decisive ending. The keynote of.the bock is probably given in these words of one of its characters: “Shall we, however, remain amidst these convulsions, waves, and whirlwinds? whirlpools? whirlpools! and of sand! Sand is burying the whole of Poland and transforming her into- a wilderness, on which jackals live. . . . We are lest past help? That is untrue. Beneath those whirlpools 1 which are whirling upon the surface cf our life is something which lie did not perceive. There is more than elsewhere, for there is a bottomless depth ,of suffering. . . And why do we suffer thus? Of course we might, at ones, to-moirow, breathe more freely and be happier. It would be sufficient for everyone to say to her, that Poland, “The much dost, Thou pain me, too much dost Thou vex me; therefore I renounce Thee. And nevertheless nobody says that. . . . And we will set- our teeth and will continue to suffer for thee, mother and we—if God so wills it —and our children and grandchildren will not renounce either Thee or hope.” The book-has an. additional advantage forvEnglish readers m the fact that tire translator lias done his work in a particu.arly admirable manner— —in fact it is difficult to find any of. the faults that usually mar translations. “Account Rendered” : E. F. Benson a study of an elderly lady in' society. It is not always true that -rate of production and standard of excellence vary in inverse proportion. .Moreover, one would bo loth to accuse so and indeed brilliant a writer as Mr E- F. Benson of writing “potboilers. Nevertheless, the thing has been known on occasions to be done by writers even more brilliant than he, and it must be confessed that his latest book gives one “furiously to think” on this point. In the first place it is barely three months since we enjoyed “Tiie Osbornes,” ana even if this fact is put carefully on ono side, it is only too evident tnat “Account Rendered”, bears traces of hasty work. The book is good. I d'o not think that Mr Benson has yet written anything that cannot he classed as such; but it does make one wish that iu author had carefully pigeonholed it out, and then taken it out (after due consideration) and re-written it at greater length. For its chief fault -is sketchiness. The study it contains of an elderly woman’s character might have made a full length portrait instead of the merely showy “first sketch” that it is. As it is, tc-o much psychological analysis is compressed into too littre space' much of which space, limited as it is ’ is taken up by wholly irrelevant matter. For “The Nups” delightful children as they are, though they cannot hope to rival Ambrose, and Peipetuu in “Sheaves,” have- really very-little to clo with the plot, and though tfiey wpmu be -welcomed a© a comic relief in a larger book, there is no room, for tlicm in one so short. Again, there is altogether too much sugariness and stiemness of endearments. Scarcely a character opens his or her (especially her) mouth without letting: fall a dozen dr so “dears,’’ duckies ’ and “darling. This is absurd enough in real life, -but when fixed ■ hard and fast in black anu white it becomes worse than absurd. Yet- in spite of its faults “Account Rendered” has many of its writer’s own delightful good points, and will be enjoyed (with a difference) by his circle of. devoted readers..

Some new books in March and April : “The Fiddler” : Mrs J. 'O'. Arnoiu. “Mac’s Adventures” : Jane Barlow. “Defender of- the Faith”.: Marjorie Bowen. h-'f.V----“Friends of Fate” : Lucas Cleeve. “Wilson’s” : Desmond Coke. F t “A Fair House” ? Hugh de Ste-fin-court.” ■ . . “The Third Wife” : Herbert Flowerden. • ' “The Lass with the Delicate Air”: . A. R. Goring-Tliomas. ■ “Widdershins” : Oliver Onions. “Demeter’s Daughter”: Eden Philpotts. “The Two Faces” : Mario Van Voist. “The Riding Master”: Dolf Wyllarde.

[Published by arrangement with Messrs Cassell and Company, Limited, of London, the proprietors of the copyright.]