The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-07
LITHRATURH.
REVIEW OF VIEW B0OKs

tie D0Trt, of a series of interesting and
graphic European letters which appeared
in the columns of contemporary, and of
other essays and sketches which have OBJ
tanned favor with the public, but which gave
but slight indications of the peculiar talent
that has been brought to bear in the produo-
ton of this her first sustained work of fiction
''Strife" is most peculiar and most puzzling
story, that will be certain to attract much atten-
tion, to excite discussion, and to meet with en-
phatic condemnation at the hands of many
who will either be unable to place themselves
en- rapport with the author or too indolent to
bend their minds to unravelling the subtle
metaphysical thread of the simple yet COM
plex plot. The book is full of faults, which
are SO palpable that the most superficial
reader cannot but be impressed with them,
while the beauties are frequently beneath the
surface, and require to be searched for with
some degree of diligence, but whatever may
be said of it pro or con in other respects, no
one can deny that it has the rare merit
of originality. A truly ori ginal
work of fiction is rarity in these novel
producing days, when the press annually turns
out its thousands of volumes, in which the
joys and woes of humanity are treated in
every conceivable style. Indeed, the very
superfuity of positively good fiction is an
embarrassment to writer, and it is next to
impossible to avoid travelling over ground that
has been thoroughly explored before. Mrs.
Wallace, however, has succeeded in striking
out on path of her own, and such resem-
blance to previous performances that occa-
sionally strike the reader in turning over the
pages of "Strife" are too faint to invalidate
in any way its claim to originality. We
warn at the outset those who may be disposed
to take up this romance, that it will not re-
pay merely superficial perusal, and that the
common run of novel-readers, who esteem
the story-teller's art only for the facilities it
affords them for dissipating esanui and killing
time agreeably, will derive but small
amount of satisfaction from it. 1t must be
read carefully or not at all, and it will fre-
quently be necessary to turn back in order
to pick up dropped thread, to read SEN
tence more than once in order to discover
its meaning and its connection with
the context, and to allow the ina
ginative faculties full play in order
to be placed in sympathy with the finer ele-
ments of the story.
1t is not possible within the limits of a
newspaper article to give such description
of sStrife" as would be satisfactory, and the
best we can do is to commend its perusal to
our readers, with the assurance that while
may of them will be pleased, many will proba-
bly, find themselves no nearer to solution of
its mysteries at the end of the last chapter
than they will be at the end of the first. The
story is autobiographical, and upon the
heroine ''Minnette' the author has lavished
all her skill. 'Minnette" is dreamer of
dreams, and she allows the events of her life
and her course of conduct at the most critical
moments to be influenced not merely by her
visions, but by the impressions of peculiarly
delicate and sensitive nervous organization.
The character is puzzle in the book just as
it would be in real life, and that many per-
sons will find it incomprehensible is NO proof
OF its want of fidelity to nature. On the
contrary, we conceive 'Minnette" to be Pc
culiarly fine and subtle psychological analysis,
and many Of the strange features of the story
scarcely appear strange because they are SO
much in harmony with the character
of the relator. The plot Of
''Strife" is not intricate, but it is somewhat
difficult to follow. The attentive reader, how
ever, will not fail to notice that ii is conducted
with much skill and that the peculiar de-
n0uenaent is quite an artistic masterpiece.
The scene of the story is laid in Germany
and Italy, and Mrs Wallace's travels in those
countries has enabled her to bring facts as
well as actual impressions to the aid of her
imagination in the descriptive passages. In
the twenty-frst and several subsequent chap
ters there is an account of night flight from
Sorrento, in which the leading personages
escape in disguise from the officers Of the
Papal Government that is exceedingly graphic,
and the account of the wedding of the heroine
in the twenty y-seventh, and of mutiny OF
Garibaldians in the Abruzzi which succeeds
in the thirty first, are evidences of the de-
scriptive abilities of the author. The great
fault of the story is want of defniteness in
its outlines. This comes in some degree from
tho peculiar character of the heroine and from
the fact that the narrative is autobiographic.
There is no doubt, however, that 'Strife"
would be more likely to find favor with the
mass of readers if its purpose were more
clearly set forth. AS very original and very
meritorious work, however, we give it a cor
dial welcome, and hope that its success will
be such as to encourage the writer to supple
ment it by other attempts in the same line
Published by Claxtoa, Remsen q Haffel-
finger.
-'Iight" is the title of the second volume
of the series antitled ttScienoa for tho