New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

vrxnrRHoIME . A STORY OF LANCASHIRE AND M
YoRKSHIRE BY PHILIP GILBERT AAhkHION' o'"
no lss Roberts Brothers
II must he accepted as an evidence OF the
overpowerng literary tendency OF this generauoh' "neh
speh an agreeable refined, aud successful writer On arr
and Landscape as Mr. Hamerton takes TO ncu0h' Ane
ouestion at once aIsesand IL Is one whlch Is hruy W
he settled without intimate personal Neutrality-suspicious.
his new departure has been prompted by strong natu
ral inclination hitherto suppressed by the equally natu
ral desire 10 try new field Of literary activity, or by
that unreentng necessity which exacts the most re-
muneratve work. We may guess, but cannot declue
The story itself furnishes explanatory suggestions; II
has not even the slight uncertain touches wmeh asu1
mark first essay in novel-wrtng. II strikes the pre-
dominant key in the first pages, and follows IL Win
.,,narcnt ease to the close Except that there
AZ 40 little plot and so much clear Droau pant
ing OF provincial characters ana hapis' IL misn'
be taken as the work OF pracueed manu-
~Wenderhonne" is simply the story OF cotVo-sphHer
family interviewer with that OF one OF the ola iahoed
gentry II runs through ten or dozen years, during
ryhieh bsod goes under and money comes to the top
The nephew of the great manufacturer Ogden educated
above his station in life finally marres the daughter OF
Colonel StaaburDe, the only objection to The match
coming sngliaYly enough, FROM the ayarlcious uncle
who becomes conveniently insane before he succeeds m
separating the lovers The Ogden brothers are strongly
and very Realistically drawn; bat their mother NJ sun
more distinct and original type OF the class t:whch hey
belong She perhaps the most successful character ID
the book. Colonel Stanburne Also makes very suarP
clear impression; get acquainted with MIN Without
difficulty and thencefOrth find HIM admirably consistent
But his cousin Philip remains vague and shado"y; III
deed VIC have suspicion that he pupoSey kept SO ny
the author in order that his transfer of property at
the end may surprise us less. The devices USED 10
tie ALI broken threads and give the reader an agreeable
catastrophe are eareessy transparent but they do mol
lessen satisfaction which springs from other qualities
of the work "tle Jacob" the lover and her, inter
ests us more as boy than at any time afterward ana
both he and Edith rather Gnguid couple when they
come TO be united Yet with all these drawbacks the
story is attractive from first to last The style never
ceases TO be pure, animated, and bright with easy
touches which can only from long and loving
observation OF and nature The descriptions TO our
surprise do not suggest the landscape painter they are
light and sketchy rather than carefully composed But
the book has one indispensable quality OF pantng-one
and hence its more feeb drawn characters mar the pic
lure less than might be expected because they melt into
fts general atmosphere. Mr. Hamerton has produced
much more readable work than many authors better
skilled In the art of fiction His already large class or
admirers in this country will not be diminished by
Wenderholme."