A PARCEL OF NOVELS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21005, 19 April 1930, Page 4

A PARCEL OF NOVELS.

SHEILA KAYE-SMITH AND JEAN DEVANNY. " Shepherds In Sackcloth." By Sheila KayeSmtth. London: Cassell and Co., Ltd. (us “ Bushman Burke." By Jean pevanny. London: Gerald Duckworth and Co., Ltd. (us nC " Mr Absalom." By Alan Sullivan. London: John Murray. (6s net.) " Giving the Bride Away.” By Margot Neville. London: Chapman and Hall. (6s D 0“ The Spruco Yalley." By Frank Bichardson Fierce. London; Thomas Nelson and Sons, Ltd. (6s net.) " Whither Thou Goest. By William La Qucux. London: Herbert Jenkins, Ltd. (6s net.) Miss Sheila Kaye-Smith has definitely gone crusading in “ Shepherds in Sackcloth/' introducing her readers to a phase of the ecclesiastical conflict which has lately been given some prominence in England. It is for the reader to decide whether a book in which arguments for and against certain observances of the Established Church are so forcibly mustered and propounded in narrative form appeals to him, but it must be remembered that the author is the wife of a clergyman, and, therefore, probably feels strongly on a subject which is a matter of some indifference to the laity—at any rate in a community where Presbyterianism holds sway. The book tells of the tiny village of Delmonden on the border of Kent and Sussex, in which the elderly, and very likeable Mr Bennet ministers faithfully and sincerely to hie liwe Anglican flock. On the death of the old squire the wealthy Mrs Millington purchases the' Hall and establishes herselt ns the lady bountiful of the village. Mrs Millington is not ungenerous Ito her tenantry or to the church of St\Thomaa a Becket’s, but she likes to receive value for her money in admiration, and this the old rector finds it difficult to giv© to so dictatorial and self-righteous a Christian. Her niece Theresa, a hoydenish, agreeable girl, really starts all the trouble by visiting the Nonconformist chapel one morning instead of the church and falling wildly in love with the lay preacher, George Heasman, a son of one of Mrs Millington’s tenants. Theresa accompanies Mr and Mrs Bennet on their annual holiday, and keeps a rendezvous with George, which she conceals from the old people and her aunt. Unfortunately, the consequences of this escapade result in her death some months later, and Mrs Millington manages to persuade herself that the Benuets are partly responsible for the- unsavoury tragedy. All this time Mr Bemi6t had other worries as well, arising out .of his disagreement with the new Bishop of Maidstone on the question of Reservation for the sick. The bishop meets the rector’s defiance of diocesan law with a threat to withhold monetary assistance from the parish, which action would have reduced Mr Bennet’s stipend to £l5O and wins the day. Later, however, the death of his wife and his owing to .the bishop’s injunction, to administer the Sacrament to an invalid parishioner upon her deathbed, steel Mr Bennet to approach his Lordship once again. A» angry scene between the two frail old, men causes the death of the rector, a sufficiently distressing commentary upon the harshness of any ecclesiastical mandate based not on the Christian faith alone, but upon certain narrowed interpretations of the observance of that faith. Miss Kaye-Sraith knows exactly how to bring out the dramatic qualities in a story such as “ Shepherds in Sackcloth, and it is excellently told. The subject m not one which will appeal to the majority of readers, but her presentation of it should carry weight in the right quarters. * * * Miss Jean Devanny is one of the few New Zealand novelists who can write about New Zealand unselfconsciously. This means that in her books one is not oppressed, as in the works of some other of our writers, by the author’s unwritten thought. “Well, I’m writing a book about New Zealand which will be read by New Zealanders, so I’d better make the place .appear, as big as America, or a 6 bad as Cairo, or as beautiful as Durban, so that they’ll get their money’s worth.” The fact that the West Coast of the .South Island, and Wellington, are the principal scenes in “Bushman Burke” is.of no im-portance—-it might just as well have been set in New York and the Apdirpnducks, if we except the rather carping reference to the “ cramped though pretty gardens of the Prime Minister’s house. It would be equally foolish to. cavil at Miss Devanny’s rather lurid picture of life among the “ smart set,” against which she sets in contrast the very primitive conditions which exist in the sawmilling settlement —is there any part of New Zealand to which the fox-trot really hasn t penetrated? Miss Devanny’s characterisation is clear and cruel. Flo Wallace, the spoiled and unmoral daughter of a solicitor, does not belong only to. the pages of fiction, and Taipo Burke is by no means a copy-book version of the rugged man from outback. Taipo is working around the Patarau sawmilling district when he comes into a fortune very unexpectedly. He hastens to Wellington to claim the money and is immediately captured by the Wallaces, who think it a shame that a bushman should be allowed to go around spending £200,000 as he pleases. Taipo becomes enamoured of Flo, although he is perfectly aware all the time that she is willing to marry him for his money, but is interested only in her own pretty person, and a rather unsatisfactory lover. Kangi Holden, who possesses a dash of Maori blood. Marriage does not change Flo, as the idealistic Taipo had assumed it would, and when her temperamental and amorous peccadiles become more than he can stand he leaves her and returns to the bush Absence has the traditional effect upon Flo,' although she suffers no lightning change or character, and she follows him, to find that in the sawmill district she loses her feverish desire for sensation and glitter, But Taipo, whose senses- have betrayed his better judgment once, is not easily to be caught again, and Flo has a hard struggle to win back her man. " Bushman Burke ”. is a credit to Miss Devanny. Her writing has a certain harshness —almost an uncouthness —at times, and inclines to the erotic, but the story is well told and the clash of character between Taipo and Flo skilfully described. The cover design on this book is one of the worst we have ever seen. *# * , Mr Alan Sullivan takes as his central character in this book the mysterious Mr Absalom, who has discovered a surer method than Voronoff’s of prolonging human life. and revitalising the aged—who has, in fact, found how the process of human decay may he arrested indefinitely. To Absalom’s secluded home at Monk’s Mount goesc young Hector Court, athlete and man-about-town, who accepts a position ds secretary to the scientist for. the very good reasons that he is in ■ need* of employment, and his only qualifications, health and a family tree, are the virtues Absalom requires in his employee. Absalom has a step-daughter, Anthea, both young and beautiful, who worns Court that all is not quite as it should bo at MonkSs Mount. After Court and Anthea have made the surprising discovery that Absalom, who appears to be aged about 60. is in reality 100 years old, the rejuvenation - expert initiates Court into ' some ;of the mysteries .. of his profession, even introducing him to ‘ the inevitable orang-utan which,scientists of Absalom’s breed always keep locked behind bars in a state ox fear and hatred of their masters. V anous wealthy clients are in the habit of paying occasional calls upon Absalom, coming from the four corners or the.cartn to have their vitality restored, and through tlm visits of Mrs Baxter and Prince Dimitri, Court is enabled to realise how effective his employer’s treatment is. Then Absalom reveals his scheme, which is that Anthea and Court, now mutually adoring shall be treated in such a way that they will remain ageless in their present youthful condition. The lovers have to make a difficult choice, as Absalom has decided that if they will not agree to his proposal he will work no more wonders upon his clients or himself. The reader can bo left to form his own opinion as to the wisdom of their decision. Mr Absalom ” is by no means Mr bulk van s best novel. The plot is unoriginal and the characters are with tue po»sible exception of Mrs Baxter. All the same, he tells the story quite well, peeing that the author stresses the fact that Absalom bad vertical eyebrows, it is a pity the cover-designer has made no attempt to show us what they looked like.

Kot very f r cqu ('ll tly does a woman writer succeed in producing a really amusing book, but Miss Margot Neville, whose “ Kiss Proof" was well received, has made “ Giving the Bride Away” a really diverting comedy. Charles Montgomery Martindale is not unlike the heroes of Mr Wodehouse’s novels, although we are spared the inconsequent chatter of that author’s Percies and Berties. Charles has the misfortune to he engaged to a typical English country girl, Kathie Palfrey, just because Kathie’s father saved the father of Charles from extermination at the battle of Omdurman. The betrothal has not worried Charles to any extent until he meets Delia and learns to adore her little feet and modern ways. When he makes the acquaintance, two weeks before his wedding, of Mr Sampson Risby, who has seen nobody more charming than a Zulu witch doctor for 16 years and is in search of a pretty wife on whom to lavish his millions, Charles decides that he shall give his bride-to-be to the bluff African. Risby is immediately attracted by Kathie, and she in her turn realises that she has found a real man at last, but at this point the ravishing and alluring Miss Lenore Harcourt chooses Sampson tor her own, and Charles’s matrimonial and antimatrimonial schemes are in grave danger of going agley. It is not necessary to attempt to describe the worries that beset Charles during the short days preceding his wedding morn. Almost everything goes wrong, and as soon as he gets the right people packed off to Paris the wrong ones follow them. To add to the complications, his father, the baronet, has fallen in love with a parlourmaid and lost ner. “ Giving the Bride Away ” is a diverting novel. Miss . Neville writes in a lighthearted way, and introduces a bright epigram or trick of the pen on every page.' # * * ; “ The Spruce Valley" is a story of the great out-of-doors: of the vast timberlands of Western America. The author is evidently a man who knows much of forests and forestry and of the life of the lumberman. His word-pictures of the scenic splendour of mountain and forest are good, and the opening chapter gives a thrilling description of the passage of a cyclone through densely-wooded country. The hero of the story, Kenneth Morgan, receives 50,000 dollars from his uncle, old Phineas Morgan, who tells him that if he can show a dime of profit at the end of twelve months he will be given control of the great Morgan Lumber Company. During a terrible storm Kenneth meets Molly Wyatt, the ward of Pat Lynch, prime mover in the big opposition lumber concern. Between Kenneth and Molly a relationship that is something more than friendship quickly develops, and Molly finds that she has lost her heart to her guardian’s bitter enemy. Plot and coun-ter-plot follow each other in rapid succession in the struggle of the rival lumbermen to obtain possession of Spruce Valley and its wonderful timber assets, and the story is brought to an exciting climax with Mr Pierce s description of a forest fire. The characters of the various people in “The Spruce Valley” are clearly drawn, and interest in their doings is maintained strongly throughout the story. A satisfactory ending is provided, Mr Pierce describing how Kenneth shows a deficit of about 20,000 dollars at the end of the year, and yet, in the opinion of his uncle, has established a profit of nearly two million dollars. Needless to say, the troubles between Kenneth and Molly are dissipated in a sensible manner. t ♦ # * Perhaps one has learned to expect too much in the way of thrills and excitement from the novels of the late William Le Queux, but “Whither Thou Goest” cannot be classed among the best novels written by this once popular author. _ Certainly the book could not be described as a greatthriller." Guy Rossett, second son of the Earl of Sasham, falls in love with Isobel, the daughter of General Clandon, who is nieher well-to-do nor a member of the true aristocracy. Lord Saxham, determined that his son shall not marry a “penniless nobody,” decides to separate the lovers and has Guy sent to the Embassy at Madrid. There he finds himself in the centre of a hotbed of anarchism, and his life is endangered. Lord Saxham endeavours to have his son transferred, on hearing of his uncomfortable position, but the young fellow is easily protected from the machinations of the Anarchists, who have a traitor in their midst. The treachery of this person is so palpable that the reader will wonder how it was that he was allowed to live so long. In the end Guy comes safely through intrigues and threatened disasters, and his father admits his foolishness, leaving the way clear for the pleasant, pompous young fellow to fall into Isobel’s arms! _V, V. L