BOOK NOTICES,

Otago Witness, Volume 25, Issue 2321, 25 August 1898, Page 59

BOOK NOTICES,

MATERFAMILIAS.

By Ada Cambridge.

Melbourne: Ward, Lock, and Co. Dimedin:

Whitcombe and Tombs.

The story — in narrative form — of a pretty, spoilt girl, ."who in chagrin at her lather's second marriage elopes with her uncle's assistant, a penniless, dissipated young surtreon — gncb is "Materfamllias." The old saw about marrying in haste to repent at leisure is rapidly and comprehensively verified, but with the luck which invariably attends fools — especially if they be pretty women — the undesirable husband betakes himself to Australia, and dies of a fever before h's wife can join him. The captain of the hale vessel in which pretty Mrs Filmer came out is deeply in love with his charming passenger, and asks nothing better than to make her Mrs Bray — which he does without having to resort to much persuasion. The mazTiage is charmingly imprudent, brimful of affection, and altogether an extremely happy one. A sailor's salary, "however, is not noted for its magnificence, and children, however dear and welcome, do not bring with them any provision for their board and lodging. Thus it comes about that malerfarmlias finds abundance of extremely natural and entirely commonplace material with which to fill the volume which describes h :r married life up to the time when her son and daughter are both married and she herself is a grandmother. The book is one which, though excellent in itself, is beyond the power of any " mere man" to read". Personal narrative, unless under exceptional circumstances, is always apt to drag, but what shall wo say when it comes to the garrulous narrative of a pretty, foolish, narrow-minded woman — jealous, self-centred and commonplace (o the last degree? As an exposition of the character of such a woman the work is a. consummate work of art; it is, however, a very open question whether the type is attractive enough to merit such fine portraiture. With plenty of scope for its exhibition, the authoress conspicuously misses the saving salt of humour, and the extremely fine detail and excellent grasp of the feminine aspect of every-day life, while they will appeal to feminine readers, will yet serve more as a background to the fine portrait of that marvel of manly patience, strength, and magnanimity, Captain Thomas Bra>y, than win admiration for their own artistic merit, great as ie is.