Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-08-04
Miss Kavanagh,s Last Novel.

ADELE; tale BY JULIA KAvAyAGH, author Of
"Natalie !" "Rachel Gray" sc. &c. n. York: d. APP
pleton & Co.
In our idle, aimless driftings over the sum-
mer sea of light literature, this is the first
waif which we have caught up from the pas
sing wave, bearing the name of JULIA KAvAN-
AGH. Our ideas of her merits and charac-
teristics as an author have heretofore been
formed only from reading reviews of her
works, and not from an acquaintance with
the works themselves; and although our pre-
conceived opinions, founded upon the 'say-so"
of others, is somewhat modified by perusal
of the work before us, our general estimate
of the author is essentially the same.
ADELE is a story which cannot Liu TO ne
read with earnest and unfagging interest from
beginning to end,-yet its passion is not
highly wrought, nor is its action, save in
few isolated instances, at all tinctured with
the sensation" style. One cannot avoid be-
ing impressed with the character of ADELE.
Previous to her marriage, we love her AZ II
free, joyous, and sunny-eyed fairy who goes
singing through the neglected gardens and
fits like sunbeam up and down the courts
OF the dark old manor of Courcelles. After
her marriage, however, unless we take good
care of our thoughts we will find them run
ming into the established error of regarding
the playful child of yesterday, as the sedate,
experienced matron of to-day: made so, not
by years, by heart experiences, and life les
sons, but by few ceremonial words, pro-
nounced by priest, or curate. But the strug-
gle between those two natures of the woman
and the child. gives one the heart-achc. The
young, fresh spirit which we b. fore had taken
to our hearts as the embodiment of innocence,
sincerity, and truth, seems altogether lost
and we only see in It's place unreal shadows
of the maynard child the unhappy wife,
and the suffering woman. We cannot
realize that this changeful creature is the
sunny-souled ADELE who used to wander
through the gardens, and go to sleep among
the tall grass in the orchard, and yet a sad
something in our hearts tells us that it is
even so. In vain do we endeavor to fold her
in our arms. and love her as the happy child
of yore, she filings us off with some dash of
her petulant caprice,-she heeds not our
sympathy as in dull despair she bends over
the signs of estranged affections, or she trans
forms our pity into admiration as we gaze on
the noble woman rising superior to her suf-
fering, her prosecutors, and her wrongs.
We are of the opinion that the work in
its development contains some crudities, and
a few Inconsistencies. The business por-
ton of the plot is never made very clear.
Mademoiselle de Janson's first going away"
from Courcelles, and leaving her god-daugh-
ter, is quite contrary to the usages of French
society, and looks like a bare opportunity
manufactured by the author,) for ADELE and
OSBORNE to "fall in love;"-and then after
giving them that opportunity, after they avail
themselves of it; after they are married, aud
after they are alternately blissfully happy
in, and unutterably miserable about, each
other, our author calmly tells us, and insists
upon it repeatedly that they are not ''in love-"
with each other! 1t strikes us that if an
earnest and abiding love bad not been at the
the bottom of all their dificulties-those diff
hcultics would ere long have become only
placid indiii, renee. Love was the angel
which troubled their hearts deep fountains,
and at last spirit of healing" arose from
the moving waters. Had not that angel been
there, the waveless pool of Indifference
would forever have reflected back cold aud
yet cloudless sky. Our author To the con-
trary Notwithstanding, we are convinced
fully of the deep and abiding love which ex-
listed in those strong hearts. the frequent aud
unnecessary arrangements of which so often
brought dreary pain to our heart
We sympathize sincerely with ADELE while
she wrthes under the thought that her hus-
band love her only as pretty toy. to be
dressed, and petted. and denies her that con-
fdenee in regard TO his affairs which she feels
to be one Of the best rights of the wife; we
admire her when rising superior TO her per-
secutors she compels them 10 feel the might
and majesty of noble womanhood; but we
neither sympathize with her, nor admire her,
nor love her-scareely indeed can We even
excuse her, when she solemnly protests that
she wishes she were dead, because she Is
married" All her actions go to show that
she really loved her husband, and TO the
heart that truly loves the idea Of death and
its separation is terrible. We can see no