TIME MARCHES ON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22350, 22 February 1936, Page 35 (Supplement)

TIME MARCHES ON

AN EVER-CHANGING WORLD The sadness and tragedy of a world that is ever changing is revealed in "Silas Crockett," a story of four generations of a Maine seafaring family, written by Mary Ellen Chase. To say that this is a splendid novel is yet to understate its value, for "Silas Crockett" is a book which is rich in literary quality as well as enthralling for the story it unfolds. The Crocketts have been seafaring people for generations and when the story opens, Silas Crockett, captain of his own sailing vessel at the age of 23, arrives home in the year 1830 for his marriage to Solace Winship. Next comes their son Nicholas, who follows faithfully in his father's footsteps. To Reuben Crockett, born in 1875, comes many changes, for the sailing vessels are giving way steadily to steam. The call of the sea is strong, however, in Reuben, and he also follows the vocation of his father and grandfather if in a slightly different and less glorious capacity. Finally is born Silas, second, in the year 1910. Opening in cheerful vein when the years were prosperous and maritime folk living on the Maine coast had money in plenty, the story gradually gathers in pathos as the times inevitably change. Saturday Cove, the home of the Crocketts, of which the writer draws a thoroughly delightful picture, also suffers under the march of time, when tourists and week-end trippers begin to invade its peaceful security, while grass and weeds grow on the sites where shipyards used to echo with the sound of hammering. The wives of the Crockett men are portrayed in full colour also and stand out as being among the most interesting characters drawn in modern fiction. It is a delightfully absorbing book, based on fact and told in a language which reaches the height of fine literature. "Silas Crockett" is quite outstanding in present-day fiction. "Silag Crockett," by Mary Ellen Chase. (Collins.)