Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-10-07
BOOK NOTICES,

sLTONrHORPE. A Novel by Lucy N. .Tanney
Philadelphia ]. B. Lippincott Il Co lsaI
The scene Of this story is laid III manu-
featuring town whose name the novel takes,
and in which the Thorpe family hold posi-
ton of prominence not often maintained by
any family in such town in these DAYS. The
story mainly concerns itself with their for
tunes and begins with the coming home to
the Thorpe mansion of Ltonora Thorpe,
whose father Ind inst died. I.eunora is
described as a young lady of firm convictions
and strong good SENSE who does not impress
one at first as beautiful. but comes to he no
regarded IA people get to know and like her
She is an heiress and shocks her relatives and
legal advisers by her disposal of 50 large II
share OF her income in works of DcneVOlGnce.
Her fathers cousin, Ira Thorpe, with whom
she comes to make her home aud who il her
nearest relative, is Il proud and ambitions
man, aristocratic i'll taste and Thought, but
desiring popular support III his political anli-
tons and STOPPING far from his prufrsard
ideal tn win it. His son. Maurice Thorpe, IL
yonng man of strong principle, who finds
himself compelled to oppose his father in
many things, and who, in the crisis Of the
latter'r political fate, even votes against him.
When fret introduced to us lac is skeptc in
religion, but great friend of Robert tiwviI.
who may be regarded an the secondary hero
IN the novel, but whom, We strongly suspect
stands first in the authors regard and will be
most distinctly remembered by her readers,
since his zeal for religion and reform is
made to affect every other character in the
book. He has deeply loved n woman who
almost returned his affection but who had,
before there was suspicion on either side
that the Other was interested. under the i'll
luence of her aunt engaged herself to n
lawyer who is her husband when the story
opens and who is Almost liberal and Thought
FIJI husband in all things save the ministeriug
to his wlic's longing for affection and tender
ness, of which he seems to have no idea
These i'll starred loves run through the story.
but Robert Gwin uies inst after Mr.. HYDE,
and the widow OF the latter lives to show the
Christening influence of grief, The most
thrilling and disagreeable episode in the story
is that IN which the heroine becomes engaged
to a man who wins her admiration by his
professions and acts Of bencvolence. rather
than her real love. but who turns out in the
end to be weak yielder to temptation. who
has beon living a life of hypocrisy and who
dies by his own hand, when LeunUra has been
saved from marrying him by spell of sick
ness. and leaves behind him evidence that he
had ruined a young girl she had befriended
and i'll order to cover up his own defalcation,
falsely accused of crime boy she had com.
mended to his care.
startling incidents, and has over-much of
preaching of the duty of temperance, chastity
and religion for the taste of the mere novel
reader but it will, for this very reason, com.
mend itself to the favor of those who like q
story with moral, and who share the
writer's very positive convictions as to human
duty. 1t is, in fact, the story of several truly
Christian lives simply and clearly told, and i,
inspired throughout bya deepreligious spirit,
concerned with the essence rather than
the outer form of religion, and ami.
mated by zeal for moral reform
1t ID, we believe, a first book, and
gives eridence of a sustained imagination and
grace of style which promise future per
formances of greater excellence, regarded
simply from the literary standpoint. Tn,
chief fault of the book, and one which it IL
easily in the authors power to remedy, il
vagueness of scene and character Alton.
Thorpe is not clearly brought before the mine
of the reader, and hence the jewellers therein
are also somewhat vague, yet the author
treatment of these shows that she could
readily people some scene more distinct in
her own mind with veritable men and women
to whose acts and motives she could readil,
apply her clear insight and analysis 10 as tt
nrntmpn a most al ina utn