NEW NOVELS

Southland Times, Issue 23664, 12 November 1938, Page 14

NEW NOVELS

RISE AND FALL JACOBSON’S LADDER. By John Pudney. Longmans, Green and Co., London: Price 7/6. ' John Pudney’s first novel—he is already well-known as a poet, shortstory writer and 8.8. C. producer—is a notable success in its field. His central figure, Jacobson, is a happy-go-lucky Jewish shop keeper of Rushlit street, Soho. His wife jilts him; and after a night of “drinking and smashing furniture and crying out” he sees the chariot of the Lord and is inspired to tremendous activity. He sets out to make his fortune. First, he holds a sale such as Rushlit street has never known—a sale that makes his rivals despair. He joins forces with Mark Bloom, a young Jew with another kind of vision—socialism; and together they thrive, embarking on one successful business enterprise after another. Bloom realizes the dangers into which his prosperity is leading him; Jacobson does not, until fortune turns upon him. But Jacobson is saved, as he deserves to be, after he has learned his lesson. He is a fascinating figure, subtly drawn, and the story of his desperate rise to fortune is full of excitement. Mr Pudney presents a whole gallery of Jewish characters, mostly resident shop keepers of Rushlit street. There is tragedy in the book as well as humour. It is essentially a fantasy, but it invites reflections that, are by no means trivial. The writing is excellent. JEWEL CHASE PRECIOUS COMPANY. By Jackson Budd. Michael Joseph Ltd., London, through Whitcom.be and Tombs. Price 7/6. i The praise from Clemence Dane and Margery Allingham splashed across the cover of this book should call attention to what is certainly an out-of-the-ordinary adventure story. The first chapters seem rather . needlessly disjointed, but once a million pounds worth of Russian jewels reach the boat on which they are to be conveyed to London for sale, the pace never lags. Because he is a little inquisitive Hugh Conway, a young English engineer returning from Russia is carried off by thieves along with the jewellery. He barely survives the experience, and in his escape causes the accidental death of one of his pursuers. Sought on a charge of murder he is compelled to continue his flight with the one of the three thieves who remains; together they escape in a sailing boat and are hurled across the North Sea in a storm from Germany to Britain. They land in England with the treasure, but misfortune follows. Their flieft of a car is discovered, Conway gives. away his identity and finally walks into Scotland Yard’s net. But in the end his good fortune does not fail him. The book is continuously exciting, and not a little of its interest arises from the fact that the central character is a victim of circumstances that are completely foreign to him. Daybell, also, is well drawn: brave and resourceful, though he lives by his wits. Mr Jackson Budd will soon have a following if he can write thrillers like this. STRANDED SHIP WITCH IN THE WILDERNESS. By Desmond Holdridge. Robert Hale Ltd., London, through Whitcombe and Tombs. Price 8/6 net. What Mr Holdridge does has been done many times before.. He sets a group of characters in an isolated place and then records their reactions, person to person and class to class. But his story has many original features. The characters are the passengers and crew of a private yacht which is stranded for six months in a South American river—far from civilization. Isolation in this hot, clammy atmosphere soon brings trouble. The crew takes control of the boat and recklessly attacks the food and supplies. The captain and some of the passengers find solace among native tribes; the others remain camped alongside “The Witch,” trying to recapture her. Mr Holdridge writes well and is helped by a somewhat bizarre setting. The encounters with the natives are a little unconvincing, but the story as a whole is vigorous and imaginative.