The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-09

First upon the list of new works of fiction
comes Mr. Philip Gilbert Hamerton's Wender.
holme Boston: Roberts Brothers. Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmony. This is novel OF
Lancashire life and depends for its especial
worth upon artistic studies of the people and
characteristics of that region. The construc-
tion of the story is of less account than the ad-
mirable touches of fine appreciation. always to
be expected from Mr.. Hamerton. His Mrs
Ogden ia worthy to be the favorite gossip of
George Eliots Mrs. Poyser, and several of the
other characters are scarcely inferior in deline-
alton. Still, it is not as novelist that Mr..
Hamerton succeeds best. His talent is rather
picturesque than narrative; with him figures
are subordinate to landscape, and the dramatic
force OF gray sky, of the passionate fires of
the sunset, or of slim reeds reflected in the dim
depths OF pool, impresses him with more
sudden inspiration of the artist than the view
less emotions that are the province of those
whose first aud most natural medium is spoken
words or musical notes. As an art critic, as
the loving observer of the material that nature
affords to art Mr.. Hamerton is admirable. Asa
novelist his success is not so complete, although
his work is so fine that it is impossible to read
We1derholme without genuine admiration for
the sweet, sincere and manly quality of Mr..
Hamerton's gift.
Philip Nolan's Friends (Scribner, Armstrong
& Co New York. Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmon) is the title of Mr.. Edward Hale's
latest story, which has been recently printed as
serial in Scribner's Magazine 1t is a tale
founded upon the history of the annexation of
Louisiana, which devoted state seems 10 have
been torn between two conflicting govern meAts
as effsctually in those early days as in the re.
gime of Gov. Kellogg; and Indians, panthers
ana spies were as difficult to manage as the
voter of to-day. Mr.. Hale has not succeeded in
making his story interesting; the contrast be-
tween the adventurous life he would delineate
and the civilized and decorous manner from
which Bostonian writer can rarely free him
self-form rather curious mixture. His In
dian is the Red Man of conventional literature;
his heroes are always gloved and booted; and
his heroines carry their coquetries Of the city
into the camp. The story lacks movement and
reality. Mr.. Hale is most successful in writing
of noble aud genuine philanthropy practiced
among scenes of civilized, tranquil life-good
works of which none has better right than he
to speak, so devo.edly and thoroughly is his
highest theory made real in his practice.
John Married. by Mrs. Maria Darlington Des-
londe New York: G. w. Carleton. Portland:
Bailey & Noyes), is a somewhat sensational
novel, of good degree of interest and fairly
well written though with tendency to en-
larged dicton. The habitual novel reader will
spend few hours very agreeably over its pages.
Rare Good Luck. A Fortune in Seven
Strokes; by R. e. Francillou NAV York.
d. Appleton & Co. Portland: Bailey s.
Noyes,) is a very original story. 1t is brightly
and easily written, with variety and interest,
but its crowning charm is the delightful, irre-
sponsbe, laughing philosophy of its hero His
mlstortunes are met so merrily, his hair breadth
escapes are such causes of special gratitude he
encounters tigers or shipwrecks with such un-
moved faith in his st3r-that he becomes O
sort of gloriied Mark Taplsy. Every one who
has the blues, or deems the ounce of preven-
tion worth the pound of cure should at once
read Rare Good Luck
The Gold Of Chicksree by the authors of
the Wide, Wide World, (G. P. Patnam's Sons
New York. Portland: Loring, Short & Hsr-
mon) is the sequel to the preceding volume by
the same authors, Wych Hazel. Itis in their
well known style which needs no description TO
those who admire it or to those who do not.
The multiplicity of dashes in the punctuation
of the very curiously constructed sentences,
leaves tue reader With a sense Of Sympathetic
mental asthma; and the mingled maidenly
wiles and sudden polemical caprices of the he
roiue somehow fail TO fasciuate the teadsr who
is not sworn devOtee of the Misses Warmers
works.