New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CHARLES REApEs LAST NOVEL

CHARLES READEs LAST NOVEL
A rERIi,ovs sEcREr ny CnaRLe' khApH' ""'p''
Biothcs
nh. .,1.r 4. nm, On look for symp, nms Of dscad-
epre IA ,ha ANAL work of n writer whose death oc-
cnrs soon after its completion hrt whhe 'hr"'
Bradcs last story Is certainly mot one oi hs ''S''
there are few II any traces IN II oil ialllhg po"V'
Tint il does not reach the level OF Never ioo Law
n, Mend" or" Hard Cash IA rath, owing 10 us
p,eatrr condemnation than to- ANY lack oi m'oioS,
h, the plol o. of skill IN the execution. " WOW"
seem that the authors masterlul rrhllSm' "nVu
stood him Ia good stead in earlier years u'cnme
toward the lnst rather u hindrBnce than hcp' Nv
,niti,attua this tendency too much he madc more
nnnatent his want OF imagination hhd ~ fol''""'
hea,,t - nrodueeA tho Impression that tic eho''""
of tho stoty has IN some places not been property
ntte.l an ia this lnat novel thefoiE W"'e"N" ""
interior purpose IL ~ not written to eNp"s' wv WV"
yocate ANYTHING. II il simply dramatic '"'' '''
ialniug abundance 1T the rapid eNolt'"s "''"' Wv"
brilliant description characteristic OF IN" W'''o''
hut emhodying no special advocacy "' any
In the naming of he characters Wea are '"'''" '"
no,e that . Graco and " Jula' were iaNorHe" WIN
Chsrlos R,ade He introduces these names repont'
.dly in his hooks though he does not attach th" u'
portance Dickens did to names, never "''enP''"s'
like the latter to seie't names III souio SUI Wv
expressive of the characters OF those VINO oo'', '
perilous Secret has of course q Vlia'h' No""'
villains are always EN- rentiys dra""'l'' " wv
onite unnatural. In this instance mueou' 'n'''
may be SAID to be two villains; one reeia,"'"i''
and possessed of redeemng qualities; tue o'u''
reclaimAble and detestaOle from beginning '" VII"
Tb nerilous secret is known to so many people even
Of it, mention that il eau hardly be called secret
It's a case of substitution. living chhd "e'hs p"'
IN the place of a dead ohe to secure INC envy ,,
of large sum of money. The father OF th's emu
William Hope is the best character III 'he ooo~ ;
Int he IS 40 good man that is difficult to oeieve
him canable of deliberate and long-sustained partc-
;pation in the fraud The female characters are
not 60 fn as usual with Mr. Reade of those delight
f,l contradictions which he thought characteristic
Of rho sex There is no woman here TO he compared
with a. Zoe' in "The Woman Hater, for instance
INIT Grace and Julia are nevertheless very feminine
and interesting.
Several of the situations are strong, as TOT exam
NJ. the firing of the coal mine aud the rescue OF the
hurried people. But the haste with which the tale is
told az though the author knew that he had niue
time at hi, disposal interferes with the development
and mars the harmony of the plot, hy so huIrying
the reader that he has not opportunity to Tehect
upon the swift and sudden changes. This haste
almost justiiies the conclusion that Mr.. Reade al
first intended to write play, and then expanded
his material into novel form. TO describe the plot
wonld he unfair beth to author and reader. sunIce
it TO say that If any less distinguished writer had
produced A perllous Secret" 1t would have Dcci
considered great success and that II IT cannot o'
so regarded under existing circumstances IL Is onN
because the author has set his own standard so hg
by his earlier achievements But If he IS not at MS
beet here his sccondbest is excellent, and bis last
story will certainly not dctract from ms reputation
if il does not increase it,