BOOKS REVIEWED.

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14770, 8 October 1921, Page 9 (Supplement)

BOOKS REVIEWED.

CURRENT LITERATURE. ‘•The Strange Inheritance,” by Paul Trent. Graham Strange is dying. When young he had married an impossible wife, and quarclled with Sir James Graham, his proud father. He lias two daughters. Chloe, the elder, is plain: Gelia is beautiful. A handsome adventurer named Hoyle is making love to Gelia, when Strange and his father die within a short time of each oilier. Chloe is Hie heiress to a rich estate, so Hoyle promptly transfers his affections to her. Despite the warnings of Hie family solicitor, Chloe believes Hoyle’s love sincere. He gels into touch wilh Hoyle’s mother, who is more impossible than ever, and uses her to outwit the solicitor. From Australia Anthony Strange arrives, and proves himself heir to Ihc male line. He dispossesses Ghloc. but lie also marries her after thrashing Hoyle. In ids chagrin Hoyle discloses the fact that the loud, vulgar woman is the mother of ihc girls, hut she persists in denying it in order to spare them any feeling of humiliation. It is a plain, straighl-forwaid story, constructed to ;-n old-fashioned formula. The ■author keeps to Hie old paths, and will probably give great satisfaction to renders who arc not fond of new ventures in Action. The villain is thorough-going, all of Ills motives are transparent: ids love passages are swift and effusive. The publishers say every “unsophisticated” person will love lids story. Certainly, the old materials and situations arc employed very-deftly.

“The Mysterious Rider” —By Zanc Grey.

No other author has boon able to introduce so much variety into “cowboy” stories as Zanc Grey. There are, of course, points of resemblance. There arc always broad, honest, warm-hearted and disingenuous herders of cattle, and generally a beautiful, pure blossom of a woman reared among tlic most uncongenial surroundings, and Hie heroine of a good, stirring love story. But I here is no real sameness, and in this story one gels right away, from the sights and scenes of the last. Apart from the lovers, Ihc principal characters arc a solid, good-hearted rancher, whose one weakness is a belief in the possibility' of reform for his only son, who is bad in every possible way. The character who gives ids name lo the book is an old man whose life has been warped by a tragedy in youth, and who lives till, by another tragedy, lie sets right what has been going ‘wrong. He is a well-drawn character, and so arc several of the others, and the interest of the story never flags from first lo last.

“Alaska Man’s Luck” By Hjalmar Rulzcbcck.

This professes to be a' first book by a Dane who loft school when 12 and who has picked up the English language in America. He has been in the army, in gaol, and in love. To make a home for his sweetheart he quilled California for Alaska five years ago. He steals sneak-rides on trains, and has many hazardous experiences on foot. As wood-chopper and gold prospector, he meets many a queer character. Finally hunger drives him to play burglar, for which he is arrested. He breaks prison thrice, but in the end serves a year. On regaining freedom he resumes respectability, and, his prospects improving sufficiently, his sweetheart joins him in Ids Alaska home. The book is less story than diary, but as a diary to be read by the girl he hopes-to marry it is in parts improbable. His descriptions of his surroundings when on the trail or when in gaol are good. His account of Hie love sensations is most familiar, and his spasms of self-pity arc dangerously frequent. Before he finishes he contrives to pay himself some pretty compliments through the convenient medium of a travelling phrenologist. Many of the incidents are ordinary enough to look true, Hie joy some men experience in the hard, open life is well described. On the whole it seems a very human document. Some Clever Short Stories —By Marjorie Bowen. Marjorie Bowen, the author of “The Viper of Milan,” and a long scries of novels based upon Kalian and Dutch history, which have won well-deserved popularity, now presents us with a collection of wellwritten. and for the most part, very exciting short stories —15 in all —entitled “The Pleasant Husband and Other Stories” (Hurst and Blackett, per Whitcombe and Tombs). Both in the periods dealt with and in the subjects Hie stories vary greatly. In Hie title story, which, however, is not placed first in Hie book, Hie time is Hie present day. Hie adjective pleasant, as applied to Hie husband, being decidedly ironical. As a motif for a short playlet of Hie Grand Guignol kind, the story is no doubt admirable, but Hie husband’s vengeance on an unfaithful wife is almost 100 horrible. Others of Hie stories are in a vein of comedy, and there are several clc\er reconstructions of iSlh century life. In one story Miss Bowen lakes her readers as far back as the age of St. Augustine, whilst another deals with a Viking romance. Whether the background he England, or Holland, or 'Halv, Hie stories are always interesting," compelling and eminently readable. The collection may ho warmly commended to those who prefer their fiction in small doses. “Tho Fall of Feudalism in France” — , By Sydney Herbert. Not a few very erroneous, but very commonly held, ideas as to Hie genesis of Hie French Revolution are revised and amended by Mr Sydney Herbert's book, “The Fall of Feudalism in France” (Methuen and Go.). The author, who is a lecturer at t niversily Gollege, Aheryslwilli, emphasises the point that so far from the Revolution being purely the result of Parisian discontent, it was very largely due to a iong-smouldei-mg spirit of revolt against, trench feudalism It may he true. Hint in , certain hist riels the French peasant, ■in the pre -Hevnlnlioiiary period, was much better off than Ids fellows in other countries. Mr Herbert admits Hus, hut makes out a strong case lor Hie ' Revolution being Hie inevitable result of a discontent which found spontaneous outcome ail over rural Tranee. His hook forms an interesting and valuable contribution to Hie study of Hie underlying causes of Hie great upheaval. Subsequent, events have proved Hie strength of Hie peasant s position. As Mr Herbert sums up; “Governments have come and gone. Prance lias changed from Republic to Empire, from Empire to Monarchy, from Monarchy to Republic again: hut two things have never changed; tho peasant’s grin on Hie soil, and Hie rule which makes all Frenchmen the subject o i iD Mtual law.”