New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
NEW NOVELS.

=
ANA l0mo PIP. eis Jansen, McCurg a Go.
3 OLIVIA RALEIGH BY w. W. FoLtEu srNGE
lGmo. pp. 2l2 j. b. Lippncott Co.
4. EUGENE. ~ BEATRICE MAY Burr 1Gmo PIP. 23t'
Henry Holt & Co.
g. MIGNoN. By Mrs. FoRRIsrER. 12mo PIP. 500 j.
sAFANuIY FEIrD After the German of LUDWIG
HAEpER. By Mrs. \. L. NIsrhR. limo PIP @Se'
J. h. Lrpincott Co.
A woMAN-HATER. Novel BY CHARLES REApE.
6yo Hp. 11e. Harper Broth'is'
"Alovsv is certainly the most successful of W
erbach's combinations of his tmrtyyear-od VII
lage Stories The original forms less than one
sixth of the present work. Of which the son Of the
familiar "Gawlr is the hero. He comes from Amer
lea where he was born, 10 take possession OF n
small inheritance which has fallen 10 his father and
also (which is decidedly un-Americanl TO look for
wife among the maidens of the formers early home
Ills first appearance will amuse American readers
Aucrbaclrs conception of young Western farmer
is a stout man with defiant face, prominent check
homes shaver checks, n "hemt-shapcd" beard orr
the chin q brick-colorcd crayat fastened by dia-
mond ring and hat almost as broad as mod
erate-sizod carriagc-whecw Nevertheless, we can
not complain of the young fellows honesty and IN
dependence: morally he is good representative Of
his class or course he falls Ia love with the red
headed maiden whom his father forbade hun to
WOO and fails to touch the heart of the damscl who
was proposed for him; but all ends happily and the
pair return to Ohio in triumph. The story rs wen
told we have said hut there are few of those PFC
turcsaue touches which make the coarse natures oil
the Black Forest folk attractive in literature. The
realism is less relieved 10y pathos and humor than
in the original stories, aud, although we cannot say
that the people are not the same, they have Ne
come less agreeable The plan Of continuing the
stories seems TO have been partly experimental ana
II - ugf
be more than a half-succcss.
- The author of Brief lonors" is n new hand at
woodworking, vet apparently not without expert
ence i'm other forms of authorship. At least We are
led 10 this view by the circumstance that the de
scriptive portions of the story SO much 'bctcr
than the conversations. The latter, It Is true, are
very much like the ordinary talk of ordinary per
sons; but the art Of fiction requires that they should
be so given as 10 afford perpetual illustrations oi
character. Conversation, in a novel, should pos
ecssmorc point. pquancy, and yiyacity than IN real
life The idea of taking the wonderful business
WAYS Of certain insurance companies rs the material
fora story of American life is legitimate and com
mcndaIc; but the picture should have been painted
ON a larger canvas and with much more careful
elaboration Of detail. In fact, the subject would
Justify work as thoroughly planned as NaIrens
Ten thousand q Year. " Brief lIonors" has the
mir of having been hastily written, and there are
many passages which give ample evidence that the
author would have been repaid for the bestowal of
further time and thought upon even so slight tale.
80" Olivia Raleigh IL bright, cheerful novel,
with nothing moro tragic in is than long disap-
pointmcnt aud typhoid fever. All the characters
belong to that class which is just now so popular
with English writer's of felton, untitled, but of
gentle blood. Externally the gentlemen are gentle
men ana the ladies ladies: they may be penurous,
or cnyious or false. on mean I'm various ways, but
they always know how 20 behave Themselves IN so
cicty. Even when they are poor, they Keep up a
certain appcaIancc Of ease and Rcntihty; while, II
thoy be rich, there is no limit to the spcnd0rs of
their environment. They familiar with a GER
tain amount Of classic literature, speak French the
ladies always play and sing, and the gentlemen get
into Parliament whenever they like Sometimes-
when in financial troubc-thc latter write for news
papers or magazines and are sure of fair literary
success. with III least Eve Ruincas per week. Evi-
IDENTITY there is little material for strong passions or
tragic events in such wcll-balanced lives as these
Occasionally death or an accident Is admitted; but
when the affections are wounded, the lady usually
becomes silent and pale while the gentleman PUSHES
of TO Canada Australia, India. Both these things
happen ia olivia Raleigh = but the four years sep
araton j. fuly atonod for by love aud bliss forever
after The style is unusually fresh, pure, and
spirited the characters are all distinct and pleas
descriptive passages are charming. 1t is thor
oughly readable novel.
We hardly know why Beatrice MAY Butt
should write such a story as Eugene" The scene
A. land in q French provincial town; the heroine, a
maiden Of the French HOblc>sC, falls IN love with a
German Count; the marriage IS forbidden by her
mother because the deceased father had declared
that neither of his daughters should marry for
egner; the Count goes home, returns with the
Frauco-irussian war rs officer III the army, and
is shot down the street before the chateau of his
bride 4 little attempt at complication ~ offered by
making Eug6nc's cousin in love with her and her
blind sister in love with hm,but nothing comes OF
il. That is the substance Of the book and it seems
too little for the FORM If there were some graphic
painting of French lfc-but there is not some
fresh. pure power Of depicting ordinary passions
hut there is not: some limpid sweetness and grace
Of style giving at least the charm of the authors
Northumberland no, there is nothing except the
story itself told in simple and ady-like way.
49," Mignon," on the contrary, shows a great deal
of cleyerncss allowed with certain amount of flip
pancy II belongs 10 that class of novels which are
ep,cially written 10 be read, and always are read
for the action in them pauses, the philosophy
is superficial and the conversation, though it be the
Inerest chatter is smart, rafting, and full of uneX-
pected turns. We cannot expect much rational CO.
herence of character in the persons introduced, and
we rarely fad IT, "Mignon" is introduced to us as
spoiled child and we take leave of her as heart
less and high-tempcrcd woman, who only endurcs
her angelic walking gentleman of husband be-
cause her face is too Scared 60 enable her to lrt
with Others a. in her days OF beauty. Worse than
all she is spiteful and vulgar, and the punishment
which the author deals out according 10 the usual
prescription, does materially mend her in these
respects The real hero is not her husband but a