RECENT FICTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 4

RECENT FICTION

-Dinner at Klfht," By 8., J. White. (Holder and Stoughton.). ■ ~ "On the Hill." By Lewi* Gibb*. (Dint) “ Berolt." By A. (Barker.) The Doll" By EJeanor Mora#. (Hutchln•on.) _ ■ “ The Opening Gate." By Anne Allarfflce. (Cassell.)' “Painted Lady." By Helena Groee, (Mills and Boon.) _ " The King's EtIL" By B. 0. Browne. (Hutchinson.) • • j. “ Death Bocta the Cradle." By Paul Martens. (Collins.) : _ _ •. “The Ring of Eye*.’? By Hulbert lootner. (Crime Club —Collins.) “ Tamer of Bad Men.” By Charles H. Snow. (John Long.) _ „ _ . “Scorpion's TrslL" By T. C. H. Jacobs. (Stanley .Paul.) (Each 7s net.) Victorian Study. Mr R. J, White’s “Dinner at Night” is no less a moat competent novel because it is quite unremarkable as to treatment or personality. Indeed, it is the unhurried, unexciting, unambitious nature of the hook which gives it an air ot quiet distinction that many a work, with artistic pretensions may lack. Mr White tells, the life history of Arthur Gale in liis rise from a poor home, too far removed from the. cathedral at Thamnv, to a position of respectability in the sunny, solid Victorian (Community. Arthur is m no way an exceptionally interesting product of his age and environment, but we can accept him as a ’ true type, both • in his original apihition to he somebody and hi« content when it is so far rewarded that he is a headmaster with a home in which dinner is not a mid-day scramble, but a leisurely evening meal; IT we looii for any period markings in Mr White s hook, they belong to the Dickensian tradition. For example;— ,

■ "A little wine,” said Mr Dukes, m would .prove acceptable on suchj an occasion. Miranda, my dear, is there •*nv wine left in the cellar. _ „ This was Mr Duke’s joke. He always produced it at. supper time, and Arthur always laughed. ’ , , „ ~ . “I’ll mash a pot of tea, said Mrs Dukes. ; ; ■ : “And the Queen said: 'lf the people have no wine, let them drink tea, said .Mr Dukes brightly. ' , . / . , At- which Arthur laughed again. And with Mr Dukes’s wit, several cups ot strong tea and many speculations on the subject of what could be done with £IOOO, they enjoyed a very pleasant 'evening. . .

Save for Arthur’s occasional somewhat furtive outbreaks from strict respectability at an inn of poor repute, hia one experience of wild night life on the occasion of a- flutter at a London music Mil, and ms courting of Mary Bush, a charming .shopgirl, the book is'devoid of ; any incidents niore memorable than this tea. .party. Nevertheless, Mr White, if his work lacks inspiration, has a very sure and experienced touch, and ■" Dinner At Night should not want for appreciative readers.

Suburban Tragedies 1 ‘ '■■■: With his first novel, " A Tale, Mr Lewis Gibbs created a favourable stir among’ the; critics,: who Credited him with the possession of a “great gift and many other attributes reserved to only a very few novelists in any century. It nr unfortunate that his work should carry exi aggerated recommendations, for it is good t enough to make' its way .without them, and they are likely to prove more of a hindrance thap a help to him if they rouse the expectations: of readers too,high. Within his limits Mr Gibbs is a clever story-teller and a good delineator* of character; but it is impossible to say that On the xluj fulfils hot the, expectations by his. previous ■novel, but those inspired by the critic’s praises of it. As a_ somewhat more ambitious study treated similarly to “-A Day’s Tale;” this book' is satisfying. It takes into account the lives of many people in a small- community instead of one family only, and limits the action to one day. Chief among the characters are old Samuel Hollidy, the motor car manufacturer, his • wife • Clementina, his son Stephen, and Ann, the blue-blooded lady •who -has condescended; to become the daughter-in-law of a wealthy man, but has no intention- of abiding ‘ by her- marriage vows.* Richard, an unscupulous blackguard, is Ann’s, lovdr, and as one of the niain agents in precipitating _ a senes of ! minor tragedies finally overshadowed by ‘ Samuel’s death. . With the. account of the lives of the Hollidys, the most important people on the.hill. is linked that of many of the lower middle class families, with little homes in' the -Stenning Park suburban' settlement. Mr Gibbs observes miniitelv, without malice -or pity, the little domestic scenes which play themselves out in the respectahla villas. *; Revolt ” 1 Mr Eoley’s first novel differs from the two books above ;in that,, while those limned in them are fairly well content with their lot, however obscure, the chief character in “ Revolt ” is—or becomes—a rebel against, the social order. This Jud Bacon is not, happily, the wild-eyed zealot too-, often encountered in “class ; conscious ” novels, but an intelligent and credible enough young man. After his discharge from the army he experiences some of the hardships of unemployment, then obtains a job as a railway porter. He is picked by the local unionists in “ Derbyport ” as-a man of promise, but becomes -the victim of an Irish agent provocateur, who'is instrumental in having him gaoled for nine months. When he is released lie is elected to the local council as a (Labourite, but from this time his, development is, away from ortho- . dox Unionism to Communism. He revenges himself upon his, betrayer, who is ..violently removed by Irish Republicans, and is forced to fly from England when the- police search for him as implicated in the .crime. Thus we leave him bound Chinawards as, a fireman: “ Just a minute speck pf flotsam being carried along through whirlpools and placid reaches 6n that ' unending 1 river of humanity that struggles ever forward.” Mr Roley’s writing is. immatui-e, even to the point of, crudity. { His novel is interesting because of- big acquaintance with the machinery of trades unionism and social ■revolt, and his characterisation quite good, , ■ “The Doll” ; ’

Eleanor Morse, in her?.new took, "The Doll,” has contrived.to introduce a wide variety of types of,middle class American people into a comparatively short story. She. draws her ' portraits with a bold, firm brush, and handles what passes for the plot of the tale very neatly : and effectively. There is something piquahtly unexpected in the way in which the author dehls with the pathetic and futile attempts of, a young, woman of ideals to cope with the complete lack of them which she discerns too ; late in her husband. The- book is simply and clearly written, and, like the rest of its kind, it works to a' climax, ties its little knot, and then, gradually, untying it again, slopes easily and interestingly down from its meridian to its entirely satisfactory close.' Miss Morse displays a warm understanding of small town life and .a keen insight into the difficulties and problems of the marriage bond for those who are not blessed with everything they want in life. ,' -

Changing Life' “The Opening Gate” (from Whitc6mbe and Toni bp) tells how life unfolds itself to the children of Mr and Mrs .Ashton, and more particularly to one of them/.Dora, to whom every dawn brings fresh cause for wonderment. With a •father whose attitude towards his children is one of perpetually cold displeasure. and an uncle who, though kind at heart, is very trying because of his nervous outbursts, Dora is so situated that her home life serves only to increase her mental obfuscation. Tutelage a± a school for the sons and daughters of gentlemen broadens her, outlook slightly, but it is left to the .war, with its shattering of social barriers, to open her eyes to the world as it really is. With the war comes love; and the study concludes with what is probably the purest of the emotions—renunciation. Mayfair Mother :

Miss Grose has a light and knowledgable stvle, which suits well the quite slieht but gail.vrcheouered pattern of "Painted Lady.”. Shirley Dail, the

young heroine, returns from the convent in Paris to which' her mother had sent her, to find that that lady is endeavouring to forget her dissatisfaction with her shallow life in moderately riotous living. Despite “fast" parties and faster men, Shirley keeps herself fresh and unspoiled, and proceeds with her plan to reunite her parents. She succeeds at last, and her girlish dreams are answered when an acceptable young man comes along. Norman England

“The King’s Evil” is a story of the bad days of William Rufus and the somewhat better times of Henry I. Leprosy was all too common in England in the period, and that steps were taken which' ultimately stamped it out is due in verylarge measure to Queen Maud. Miss E. 0. Browne fells her story well, and, indeed, gives a very fair picture of the state of things—rough, rude, licentious—-yet the evil side of the life of the time is but hinted at. There_ is nothing to repel or to harrow a sensitive temper. The good side —and not all in England were careless and wicked—is also well depicted. This historical novel is written in a way which will charm the average reader and give to all an idea of the thought of the time, with its curjous mixture of superstition and superciliousness.

A Strange Tale “Death Rocks the Cradle” is sub-titled “a strange tale.” It is indeed, and one that only misses deriving a Macabre distinction. The author has his individual method of telling a story, and sometimes it is extremely effective, but hq is again and again betrayed into irrelevancies of which the ordinary novel-reader become impatient, and the critic—critical. The central character is an aging litteratciiTj who, his vogue in letters having departed, . makes a fortune . out of patent medicine, then through the fgency of a thoroughly unscrupulous friend, is transported into an unreal, Wellsian land named Salabria, and indulges in a last poignant romance ere destruction overtakes him. Mr Martens is at his best in his factual description, in the early chapters, of Ellerbey’s pursuit of health. One looks for a striking future novel from bis pen.

“ The Ring of Eyes ” “ The Ring of .Eyes ” tells of a plot to bring, the careelr of J. M. Lawrence — J. M., as everyone calls him —to a violent end. To prevent this the police have detailed certain of the force t<s keep guard over his out-goings and his in-comings. But J. M. is a difficult man to handle, and indicates that the policeman who is to be his guard must look like any one except a policeman. Dan Woburn is selected,, and settles into the work. Then we have swift action, kidnapping and double-crossing of crook, by crook—all the appurtenances of a “ Crime Club ” story. At the close the reader is given the reason for all the pother, and. sees J. M. break the master crook and reward Dan, who also secures Julia Dormer’s hand ,in marriage. So the story ends with the music of wedding bells. A Roaring-At*

Could anyone be quite such an absolute ass as “ Roaring Pike Rand ? ” That la the question which comes to mind as one reads “Tamer of Bad Men.” Here is a pian who comes to the -Ute City district, buys a ranch which he has not seen, and takes over with it,.a feud concerning the rights and wrongs of which he is completely ignorant. To crown' all. “Roaring Pike” sets out on a “bend” with his employees and quite fails to realise that he is being made a fool of. The story, however, is quite exciting, and Winn Brock, the “Tamer,” a fine character. Through it all Enid Rand/ tho daughter of Pike, carries herself well. “ Scorpion's, Trail ” , - ■ Ann Penbayle hag just been married to a member of the French aristocracy and is seen leaving the church on her husband’s arm. They have advanced no more than a few yards ; along the . path when the’bridegroom throws up. his armip and falls dead. The whole thing is mysterious in the extreme, except that we are told of a curious little man who had been watching from a point of vantage. Very soon it is apparent that Ann'Penhayle has some queer connection with a veritable maelstrom of crime, behind which is soon recognised the trail of the .Scorpion. 1 The inner secret is well kept, though early in the story one clue, to the master criminal’s identity is given quite clearly. Through l all the movement, Simon Wernick flits to and fro, an oddly sinister figure from which almost anything may come. V, V. L.